Japan's military role discussed at trilateral meeting

By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea, the United States and Japan held working-level trilateral security talks in Tokyo, Thursday, to discuss the possibility of Japan conducting military operations in North Korea in the event of another war on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the talks will continue until today, and there will be further meetings in the coming months because there are many sensitive and complicated issues with which to deal.

Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said Thursday, “Vice ministerial level officials from the three nations plan to discuss their mutual security concerns.”

The ministry refused to elaborate further on the agenda. But sources here noted that the three nations discussed prospective scenarios in which Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) would be able to conduct military operations on the peninsula, and whether the SDF could enter the North without consent from South Korea.

The scenarios include if Japan needs to carry out an evacuation operation to bring home Japanese personnel in a contingency situation on the peninsula, and if North Korea’s ballistic missiles are launched toward the U.S. mainland or bases of the U.S. Forces Japan.

The trilateral meeting came two days after South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani held a bilateral meeting in Seoul.

During that meeting, Nakatani vowed to seek approval from countries in accordance with international laws before sending the SDF to their territories. But the two ministers showed some differences about whether North Korea should be viewed as South Korean territory.

Han told Nakatani that South Korean territory also includes North Korea according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, so Japan needs to seek consent from Seoul before conducting any military operations in the North.

But Nakatani indicated that Japan could begin operations in the North without consent from Seoul in the event of war, saying, “There have been some opinions that the valid scope of the Republic of Korea’s governing area is south of the Military Demarcation Line.”

The indication apparently came from the country’s alleged perception that the two Koreas are separated nations under international law.

The remark from the Japanese defense minister added fuel to the controversy over Japan’s move to expand its military role by revising the country’s Constitution.

Seoul and Tokyo said the issue will be addressed at the trilateral meeting, with Washington having yet to express a position.

Some observers say that Washington may stand with Tokyo as the two already revised their defense guidelines in April that removed geographic limits set on the movements of the SDF, and expanded their role globally to help U.S. forces if military emergencies should occur.

Concerns have been raised about whether Seoul will be able to properly deliver its position if Japan and the U.S. hold similar positions.

The three also reportedly discussed Japan’s hope of signing bilateral pacts with South Korea to share sensitive military information and boost logistical cooperation.

The General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) would allow the two sides to directly share sensitive military intelligence on North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats. The Military Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) would enable the SDF and ROK armed forces to supply water, food and other provisions with each other.

Japan continued to make proposals for the two pacts, but South Korea rejected them, saying “The time is not yet ripe,” apparently wary of public resistance, which stems from the bitter memory of Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule and the country's wrongdoings, including the Japanese soldiers' use of Korean sex slaves during World War II.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye