Long way to go before trilateral summit

President Park Geun-hye

By Kang Seung-woo

At the March 21 trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting, Korea, China and Japan decided to continue their efforts to hold a trilateral summit “at the earliest convenient time“ for the three countries.

In addition, President Park Geun-hye suggested to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday that the three nations take the steps necessary to make the summit a reality.

However, despite those moves, it remains to be seen whether the three heads of state will gather together for talks any time soon due to Tokyo’s chilly bilateral ties with Seoul and Beijing over historical disputes.

Diplomatic experts say that Japan’s correct views of its wartime history will be vital en route to restoring trilateral cooperation and eventually holding a three-way summit, which last took place in May 2012.

During the meeting of the top diplomats in Seoul, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the importance of Japan adequately recognizing its wartime aggression.

“The war has been over for 70 years, but the problem with history remains a present issue, not an issue of the past,“ Wang said during a joint press conference after the meeting.

He also reiterated China’s stance on a possible three-way summit including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“There is no schedule. We have to create the necessary conditions for that,“ Wang said in a separate meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

Professor Kim Youl-soo of Sungshin Women’s University said that the trilateral summit hinges on how sincere and apologetic Abe is during two upcoming speeches.

The Japanese prime minister is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress on April 29 and issue a statement in August to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

“In the foreign ministers’ meeting, China set preconditions for the summit talks. So, China will see whether Abe will water down the apologetic tone about Japan’s wartime past in his upcoming landmark speeches,“ Kim said.

“How the premier will face the unresolved historical issues with Korea and other nations is likely to factor into China’s decision.“

Korea is following suit, urging Abe to face up to history in those addresses.

“There is a consensus in the international community that Japan, as the German leaders did in the past, should take a clear stance on history,“Yun said in a television interview, aired on Sunday.

“Japan should take advantage of the opportunity to prove it has changed and has a truthful perception of history,“ Yun said.

Yun expressed hope the summit will take place as soon as possible.

“Although there are negative views on the idea, we do not have to rule out the possibility of the summit because there is a consensus between the foreign ministers,“ he said.

Even inside the Japanese government, there is a call for Abe to accept historical responsibility.

According to the Japan’s Asahi Shimbun on March 10, Shinichi Kitaoka, deputy chairman of an advisory panel on Japan’s war-anniversary statement, urged Abe to clearly state that Japan “invaded its neighbors“ in Abe’s statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Despite calls for a change in his perception of history, Abe has yet to show any improvement.

In an interview last week with the Washington Post, Abe maintained ambiguity over the issue of “comfort women,“ who were forced to work as prostitutes in brothels for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.

The issue has been the main impediment to improvement in relations between Seoul and Tokyo in the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

In addition, President Park is also adamant about the issue, calling for a sincere apology ahead of sitting down one-on-one with Abe for their first summit.

However, Abe called the issue “human trafficking“ without specifying the perpetrator in the interview, which drew criticism from Seoul’s foreign ministry saying that he is trying to impute its wartime atrocity to civilians and avoid the government’s responsibility for the forced sexual enslavement.

However, Kim said that Abe may change his position on the issue in front of Congress.

“Congress well knows the comfort women issue, so Abe may adopt a stronger apologetic tone toward the wartime atrocity than before,“ said the professor.

“In addition, his statement on the 70th anniversary of the war’s end in August may be more reconciliatory because the United States, Korea and China will closely monitor it for any sign he may dilute the traditional apologies it issues over the country’s wartime aggression.“

There is speculation that should Abe acknowledge Japan’s historical responsibilities, the three heads of state may flock to China in September, when Beijing plans to commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II ― although Abe is reluctant to accept the invitation.

If not, the ASEAN-plus-three summit, scheduled for October or November in Malaysia, is another candidate to host the summit.