ED A long way to go
President Lee Jae Myung smiles with world leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 1. Newsis
Tokyo should abide by its pledge for 'future-oriented' ties
Following last week’s successful Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the fragile bonds that held the region’s leaders together are beginning to show cracks. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the often turbulent relationship between Korea and Japan.
It was only two weeks ago that President Lee Jae Myung met with Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. In a hurriedly arranged summit, the two leaders agreed to strengthen ties and continue regular talks. The meeting was a sign that the recent uptick in bilateral relations — initiated during the previous administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol — is continuing. Yet, in a familiar, almost cyclical diplomatic dispute, Japan refused to allow the Republic of Korea Air Force’s Black Eagles to refuel at Naha Air Base in Okinawa following their recent flight training over Dokdo, a move that many in Seoul interpreted as linked to the long-running territorial dispute.
Neither government is addressing the issue publicly. Both sides need to develop structural mechanisms to prevent such disputes from undermining their shared interests.
The Korean side initially requested permission for the Black Eagles to refuel in Okinawa en route to an air show in Dubai in early November. Japan was initially supportive of the request, but later reversed its decision, prompting Seoul to cancel the team’s participation. Subsequently, Seoul and Tokyo canceled joint maritime search-and-rescue training scheduled for this month and halted Seoul’s plan to send Korean delegates to the Japan Self-Defense Forces music festival in Tokyo this week.
These small measures would have been steps toward strengthening ties between the two regional neighbors, whose relations have been rocky since 2018 due to disputes over wartime sex slavery compensation and Tokyo’s 2019 export restrictions on three key semiconductor materials.
Regrettably, long-standing issues — such as Japan’s textbook distortions and territorial claims over Dokdo — continue to strain bilateral relations. The urgency is heightened by the need to build multiple layers of cooperation — bilateral, trilateral and multilateral — amid broader challenges from U.S. trade pressures and the ongoing U.S.-China strategic rivalry.
The grounds for Japan’s refusal are familiar but unacceptable. Dokdo has long been a source of diplomatic friction between the two nations. It is a fact that the volcanic islets in the East Sea are historically and geographically part of Korea’s territory under international law. The Korean military is therefore justified in conducting training for various contingencies in the East Sea.
If Japan had permitted the refueling, it would have been the first of its kind and aligned with the two leaders’ vision for bilateral ties, paving the way for closer defense cooperation. This could have helped ease concerns about the hardline Japanese leader advocating constitutional revisions to expand Japan’s defense capabilities. After taking office, she has ordered revisions to security-related documents, including increasing the defense budget. Her recent remarks that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation" for Japan have sparked new tensions with China. Japan needs to address regional concerns over its potentially growing military capabilities as it seeks to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries.
In Gyeongju, Lee said his worries about the new Japanese government and its leader had "vanished." For her part, Takaichi emphasized that developing bilateral relations in a "future-oriented" manner would benefit both countries, and trilateral cooperation between Korea, Japan and China was growing more important. Takaichi should be mindful of that statement, made early in her tenure, which may be seen as reflecting the true and sincere political will of a new leader.