Japan-RoK Relationship in This Quarter Century

When the newspapers reported the first coverage of the sudden attack of Hamas against Israel in Sunday morning, it was the day of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Japan-Republic of Korea Joint Declaration. Although the leaders shared their determination to raise the relations of both nations to a higher dimension in the declaration, Japan and South Korea kept on disputing each other over historical issues this quarter century. It is the time for both nations to seek an ideal future through constructive political discussions. 

In the declaration signed on October 8th 1998, Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi regarded the fact of history that “Japan caused, during a certain period in the past, tremendous damage and suffering to the people of the Republic of Korea through its colonial rule.” and he expressed his deep and heartfelt apology for the fact. RoK President Kim Dae-jung accepted Obuchi’s recognition of history and hoped both countries to overcome their unfortunate history. That declaration should have been the starting point for both nations to proceed toward future-oriented relationship in twenty-first century.

 

However, Obuchi’s successors have not sincerely been implementing the declaration. Prime Minister Jun-ichiro Koizumi caused negative sentiment in South Korea against Japan by visiting Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism. While it was his campaign promise in the presidential election of Liberal Democratic Party in 2001, Koizumi apparently left the Japan-RoK relationship behind the maintenance of his administration supported by conservative powers.

 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a man who once denied the involvement of Japanese government in the mobilization of comfort women, the issue to which Korean people demand sincere apology. Although both governments reconfirmed final and irreversible agreement in 2015, Moon Jae-in administration of South Korea took a stance that the agreement would not contribute to a final solution of the issue. Later, Japan-RoK relation was precipitated into the worst situation in post-war history with dispute over wartime mobilization of Korean labor.

 

The important momentum was the decision by RoK President Yoon Suk-yeol to pay the compensation to the Korean workers for the Japanese corporations that employed them during the wartime. That generated Japan’s reconfirmation of former apologetic standpoints, to which Abe administration had been firmly reluctant. Getting through an unhappy period of time in post-war history, Japan and RoK now seems to be going on a right track.

 

The area both countries have to surely cooperate should be security. Japan and RoK are included in the structure of trilateral security strategy including United States. It is necessary for those three to deal with unilateral advance of China to the Pacific Sea or consecutive development of missile and nuclear capabilities of North Korea. But Japan and RoK has been maintaining a trilateral framework of discussion with China. To avoid bringing instability seen in Ukraine or Middle East into Northeast Asia, Japan, consulting with RoK, has to make utmost effort to rebuild the framework of security talks in the region.