Righteous perceptions of history bring better ties
Signs of thawing relations between South Korea and Japan are emerging. The positive signal first came when Seoul unveiled a package of measures to resolve the knotty issues pertinent to Japan's wartime forced mobilization of Korean workers. President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Japan on April 16-17 injected fresh air into such efforts toward improved ties.
On April 28, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a plan to begin the process of relisting South Korea on a "whitelist" of favored trade partners. The following day, some Japanese media outlets reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was planning to visit Seoul on May 7-8 for a summit with Yoon. Both Seoul and Tokyo have yet to confirm Kishida's possible visit. But they admitted there had been consultations about the issue between the two governments.
Given this, Kishida is widely expected to come to Seoul before or soon after the G7 summit being held from May 19 to 20 in Hiroshima, Japan. Japanese media indicated the possibility of a Korea-U.S.-Japan summit on the sidelines of the G7 event. Tokyo's move to include Korea in the whitelist was a turnaround from its lukewarm stance despite Seoul's earlier decision to put it on the list immediately after the Yoon-Kishida summit.
Seoul-Tokyo relations have been aggravating to the worst point since the Korean Supreme Court's 2018 ruling on compensating Korean victims of Japan's forced labor. Bilateral ties will likely return to normal and be in full throttle in four years, prompted by the possible lifting of export restrictions against each other and the recovery of shuttle diplomacy between the heads of state.
The April 26 summit between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden seems to have nudged Japan to gear up efforts toward improving relations with South Korea. Biden appreciated Yoon's diplomatic determination for better relations with Japan during a post-summit press conference. He added that the improved Seoul-Tokyo ties will help boost the trilateral partnership including the U.S. and will have a far-reaching impact. The joint statement also underlined the importance of cooperation among the three nations based on a willingness toward mutual prosperity and security.
The U.S. has sought close partnerships with South Korea and Japan in bids to counter the expansion of China and Russia coupled with the repeated military provocations from North Korea. Against this backdrop, the U.S. has been praising the Yoon administration for its endeavors toward mending ties with Japan notwithstanding fierce domestic resistance.
Yoon made a state visit to the U.S., the first time in 12 years for a Korean president. He received warm hospitality, apparently stirring Japan to take action. Strengthening the trilateral partnership has already been an unavoidable choice for Seoul in light of the global trend of fortifying blocs.
Japan is geopolitically the nation's closest neighbor and an ally that shares the values of liberal democracy. The recovery of Seoul-Tokyo relations has been urgent amid mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to persistent provocations from North Korea on the backs of China and Russia.
However, skepticism is still growing over Japan. South Korea has disposed of various barricades regarding export restrictions, wartime compensations and the sharing of military information. But Japan has yet to take reciprocal concrete actions except for the recovery of the whitelist and consideration of a Kishida visit. The visit, if materialized, will be the first one since late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Korea in February 2018.
The Kishida administration already noted it would inherit the position of the previous cabinets around the historical perceptions revealed in the 1998 Korea-Japan joint statement. But the current cabinet has yet to refer to the heart-felt remorse and sincere apology mentioned in the "Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration."
If Kishida is to come to Seoul, he needs to express a specific stance on the historical issue and move toward sustainable and amicable relations between the two countries.
Signs of thawing relations between South Korea and Japan are emerging. The positive signal first came when Seoul unveiled a package of measures to resolve the knotty issues pertinent to Japan's wartime forced mobilization of Korean workers. President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Japan on April 16-17 injected fresh air into such efforts toward improved ties.
On April 28, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a plan to begin the process of relisting South Korea on a "whitelist" of favored trade partners. The following day, some Japanese media outlets reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was planning to visit Seoul on May 7-8 for a summit with Yoon. Both Seoul and Tokyo have yet to confirm Kishida's possible visit. But they admitted there had been consultations about the issue between the two governments.
Given this, Kishida is widely expected to come to Seoul before or soon after the G7 summit being held from May 19 to 20 in Hiroshima, Japan. Japanese media indicated the possibility of a Korea-U.S.-Japan summit on the sidelines of the G7 event. Tokyo's move to include Korea in the whitelist was a turnaround from its lukewarm stance despite Seoul's earlier decision to put it on the list immediately after the Yoon-Kishida summit.
Seoul-Tokyo relations have been aggravating to the worst point since the Korean Supreme Court's 2018 ruling on compensating Korean victims of Japan's forced labor. Bilateral ties will likely return to normal and be in full throttle in four years, prompted by the possible lifting of export restrictions against each other and the recovery of shuttle diplomacy between the heads of state.
The April 26 summit between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden seems to have nudged Japan to gear up efforts toward improving relations with South Korea. Biden appreciated Yoon's diplomatic determination for better relations with Japan during a post-summit press conference. He added that the improved Seoul-Tokyo ties will help boost the trilateral partnership including the U.S. and will have a far-reaching impact. The joint statement also underlined the importance of cooperation among the three nations based on a willingness toward mutual prosperity and security.
The U.S. has sought close partnerships with South Korea and Japan in bids to counter the expansion of China and Russia coupled with the repeated military provocations from North Korea. Against this backdrop, the U.S. has been praising the Yoon administration for its endeavors toward mending ties with Japan notwithstanding fierce domestic resistance.
Yoon made a state visit to the U.S., the first time in 12 years for a Korean president. He received warm hospitality, apparently stirring Japan to take action. Strengthening the trilateral partnership has already been an unavoidable choice for Seoul in light of the global trend of fortifying blocs.
Japan is geopolitically the nation's closest neighbor and an ally that shares the values of liberal democracy. The recovery of Seoul-Tokyo relations has been urgent amid mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to persistent provocations from North Korea on the backs of China and Russia.
However, skepticism is still growing over Japan. South Korea has disposed of various barricades regarding export restrictions, wartime compensations and the sharing of military information. But Japan has yet to take reciprocal concrete actions except for the recovery of the whitelist and consideration of a Kishida visit. The visit, if materialized, will be the first one since late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Korea in February 2018.
The Kishida administration already noted it would inherit the position of the previous cabinets around the historical perceptions revealed in the 1998 Korea-Japan joint statement. But the current cabinet has yet to refer to the heart-felt remorse and sincere apology mentioned in the "Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration."
If Kishida is to come to Seoul, he needs to express a specific stance on the historical issue and move toward sustainable and amicable relations between the two countries.
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