80th Liberation Day Korea, Japan still struggle to reconcile historical grievances despite promise for shared future

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands during a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, June 17 (local time). Yonhap

On Aug. 15, 1945, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule following Japan's surrender that ended World War II. The date, now celebrated as Gwangbokjeol, meaning "the return of light," marks the restoration of national sovereignty for Koreans after 35 years of occupation.

Eighty years later, Liberation Day still highlights challenges faced by Korea and Japan in dealing with their dark history. While this year also marks 60 years since the two nations normalized diplomatic relations, the milestone is somewhat shadowed by repeated historical disputes that continue to complicate ties.

Many analysts look back to 1998 as a rare high point in Seoul-Tokyo bilateral relations.

In October that year, then-President Kim Dae-jung and then-Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi issued a joint declaration in which Obuchi expressed "deep remorse" and offered a sincere apology for the injustices of Japan's colonial rule.

"It was the first official apology from the Japanese government. After that, Korea and Japan began to truly recognize each other as partners in global diplomacy," Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, told The Korea Times. "The co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup and increased cultural exchanges stemmed from that turning point.”

Then-President Kim Dae-jung, right, shakes hands with then-Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi during a summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, March 20, 1999. Korea Times file

But that momentum unraveled amid ups and downs, with relations plunging to their lowest point in the 2010s, through the former Moon Jae-in administration and the tenures of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his successor Yoshihide Suga. This period is often described as a "lost decade" for bilateral relations, marked by disputes on multiple fronts.

In 2018, after Korea's top court ordered Japanese companies to compensate victims of wartime forced labor, the Abe administration retaliated by imposing export controls on critical industrial materials. In turn, Korean consumers launched a nationwide boycott of Japanese products under the slogan "No Japan."

The rift spilled into security policy. In 2019, Seoul announced it would terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement, a key intelligence-sharing pact.

However, the strained ties saw a dramatic turn in March 2023, when the Yoon Suk Yeol government made a surprise overture toward reconciliation with Japan.

It announced a so-called "third-party" compensation plan for wartime forced labor victims, under which a Korean government-affiliated foundation would make payments without seeking direct compensation from Japan. Tokyo welcomed the move, but victims and their families — many still carrying deep scars from colonial rule — denounced it.

Civic groups stage a rally near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, July 15, 2019, calling for a boycott of Japanese products in protest of Japan’s trade restrictions targeting Korea. Yonhap

Despite the backlash at home, relations with Japan improved. Leaders resumed regular state visits, trade restrictions were lifted, and public sentiment began to thaw. In a poll by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies released this April, Koreans' favorability toward Japan rose to 4.52 out of 10, marking the highest since the survey began in 2010.

Yet the rapprochement remains fragile.

Diplomatic observers say that Korea-Japan relations are significantly affected by changes in government leadership, with historical issues frequently wielded as political bargaining chips.

In Korea, liberal governments take a tougher stance on historical issues, while conservatives favor cooperation, causing relations to shift with each election cycle. Meanwhile, Japan's long-dominant conservative party, at times influenced by far-right revisionist historical views, has resulted in uneven apologies and distorted historical remarks, hindering reconciliation.

Analysts warn that tensions could resurface depending on the course of President Lee Jae Myung's "pragmatic diplomacy," which so far appears to lack a clear policy framework toward Japan. The president has pledged to pursue a "two-track" approach with Japan, separating historical disputes from future-oriented cooperation.

"The Lee administration’s pragmatic diplomacy seeks to avoid conflict and prevent creating enemies on the international stage, so that diplomacy does not complicate the president's domestic agendas. While this approach sounds ideal in theory, it is difficult to apply," Yang said.

"In particular, when managing sensitive historical issues with Japan, there needs to be a clear framework for when to take a softer approach and when to draw a hard line."

Notably, the liberal administration has so far avoided revisiting contentious issues from the previous Yoon government. These include the third-party compensation plan for forced labor victims and Japan’s controversial discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Lee, as leader of the then-opposition Democratic Party of Korea, once vocally criticized Yoon's "submissive" stance on both issues.

Now Lee is set to visit Tokyo later this month for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, signaling Lee's intent to prioritize Japan relations early in his presidency.

Students observe busts of late victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery during a commemorative ceremony at the House of Sharing, a shelter for survivors, in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 9. Yonhap

However, Lee's outreach to Japan may face setbacks as Ishiba comes under mounting pressure to resign after his ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper house elections in July. The ongoing political uncertainty has weakened his Cabinet and thus could limit Tokyo's diplomatic maneuvering with Seoul.

"Both governments appear cautious not to derail progress this year, but the first half of next year, when Lee's approach will be more clear, could prove pivotal for the trajectory of Korea-Japan ties in the next five years," Yang said.

Some observers say the key to stable relations lies in focusing on shared interests.

In a policy paper published in July, Choi Eun-mi, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, suggested that the two governments should manage relations strategically, building on the high favorability between their peoples.

"As Korea and Japan have worked to improve ties over the past two years, they have pledged to expand cooperation in economic security, semiconductors, AI, quantum technology, green energy and climate change. Sustaining and strengthening these partnerships will be critical," Choi wrote.

The researcher also observed that cultural and people-to-people connections forming between younger generations offer a positive outlook for bilateral relations, noting that the ideological divide in Korea between "pro-Japanese" and "anti-Japanese" camps is losing relevance among younger Koreans.

"The strong mutual favorability and positive perceptions shared by the younger generations of both nations represent a new shift in bilateral relations," she wrote.