Hiroshima G7 Summit crucial global diplomatic venue

By Kim Sang-woo

The recent progress in mending ties between Seoul and Tokyo is welcomed by Washington as well as other partners in the Indo-Pacific.

Much credit goes to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for his initial overtures to Japan to repair relations, which were damaged under his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, and for not letting history dictate the present.

For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demonstrated political courage by visiting President Yoon despite opposition from nationalist elements within his own Liberal Democratic Party. Kishida expressed sympathy for the Koreans who were forced into slavery during Japan's colonial rule, saying that his heart aches over Korea's suffering during that era.

The improvement of ties between the two Asian democracies not only benefits their countries but augments efforts to check North Korean aggression and counterbalance China's rising influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

As a gesture of goodwill, Kishida made two pledges. First, he and Yoon would pay respect at a memorial for Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing at the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Second, Tokyo invited South Korean experts to test the water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant for traces of radioactivity following the 2011 nuclear disaster.

Although South Korea is not a G7 member, Kishida invited Yoon to attend as one of the eight outreach nations. The two leaders are also expected to hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit.

Washington has played a significant role behind the scenes in mediating tensions and encouraging cooperation between the two allies. At their recent White House summit, Biden applauded Yoon for his political courage and personal commitment to diplomacy with Japan. This not only reinforced the U.S.' commitment to South Korea but also encouraged Kishida to move up the date of his Seoul visit.

To counter Pyongyang's saber rattling, Biden and Yoon adopted the Washington Declaration, which includes the formation of a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and the deployment of a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time since 1981.

Coordination among Seoul, Tokyo and Washington is imperative as they tow a fine line between holding Kim Jong-un accountable and preventing unnecessary nuclear escalation.

The G7 summit scheduled for May 19-21 will bring the heads of states of the world's seven most advanced democratic economies to meet in Japan's Hiroshima, the target of the first nuclear bomb used in a war.

The issue is ever more urgent amid fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin may become increasingly desperate over failures in Ukraine, and might use a tactical nuclear weapon to win the war. China is seen as one of the few nations that might influence Russia's actions in Ukraine.

However, China's attempts to position itself as a neutral mediator have been undermined by the fact that it refuses to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, instead blaming the West for provoking the conflict in the first place.

Meanwhile, China continues to intimidate Taiwan, which it claims as its territory, sending ships and planes recently to conduct a simulated encirclement of the island.

China's heightened military expansion, including a rapid increase in its nuclear warheads, a tougher line on its claim to the South China Sea and recent statements from Chinese leader Xi Jinping painting a scenario of impending confrontation, have raised serious concerns among the G7 nations.

While the G7 examines ways to manage China's rise, Beijing is bolstering ties with countries from Pakistan to Argentina eager for trade and investment. This will greatly enhance China's global influence and challenge North American and European attempts to link investment to good governance and respect for human rights.

This year's G7 talks are crucial in revitalizing diplomacy aimed at pressuring a hostile North Korea to return to disarmament negotiations, especially with a dysfunctional U.N. Security Council that's divided between its permanent members.

Kim Jong-un may be looking to use the global distraction of Russia's war on Ukraine to expand his nuclear arsenal, which he believes is the strongest guarantee for his dynastic rule.

Beijing and Moscow last year blocked the U.S.-led drive to tighten U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea over its major missile tests. It's unlikely that the Security Council will tighten sanctions even if North Korea conducts what would be its first nuclear test since 2017.

Nevertheless, a meaningful punitive response could be generated by a network of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States, its allies and like-minded partners gathered at the G7, a method similar to the way Washington pressures Moscow over its aggression in Ukraine.

Some argue that with the weakening of the United Nations amid Russian and Chinese intransigence on the Security Council, global forums like the G7 are even more important. But there are considerable doubts to the contrary as well.

In addition, the G7 meeting will discuss ways to improve human rights and democracy, and also issues important to the Global South that may feel unrepresented by the focus of the meeting.

Bloomberg reported that the G7 finance ministers who met in Niigata on May 11 invited representatives from the Global South countries in order to try to improve their economic ties and counter China's growing influence. Japanese and American officials have also said they want to use the G7 to push for greater cooperation against "economic coercion" by China.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, who chairs the G7 summit for 2023, vowed to lead a "united front in dealing with the Ukraine issue." Although the war is in Europe, "there is no 'Europe' or 'Asia' when it comes to rules for peace," he said.

However, Kishida also considers the summit as an opportunity to respond to steadily increasing geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. "Today's Ukraine could be tomorrow's East Asia," he warned.

Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.