Japan, South Korea Agree to Bolster Bilateral Ties

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korea's Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol have announced plans to further improve bilateral relations. The news comes in advance of next year's 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic ties between Tokyo and Seoul.[1][2]
  • In a two-day summit held in Seoul on Friday, the two leaders emphasized the need to 'work together in a future-oriented manner, with Yoon calling the six-decade milestone 'a turning point.'[3][4]
  • Yoon and Kishida also signed a deal to support each other in evacuating their citizens from third countries during emergencies and reaffirmed their commitment to advance cooperation with the US.[5][6]
  • Since early last year, the duo has worked together to repair long-strained relations between the key US allies in East Asia over disputes and grievances stemming from Japan's 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.[4][7]
  • Seoul has also announced the creation of a government-backed foundation to compensate victims of Japan's forced labor during colonial rule with government funds.[8][3]
  • With Kishida expected to step down this month-end, it remains unclear whether the two countries will keep up the momentum for warming ties with a new leader in place.[4][7]

Sources: [1]NHK, [2]The Chosun Daily, [3]Koreatimes, [4]Reuters, [5]Koreajoongangdaily, [6]The Asahi Shimbun, [7]Associated Press and [8]Kyodo News+.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun. Japan-South Korea relations had been at their lowest since World War II before Kishida and Yoon rightly decided to thaw relations. Now that the Japanese leader is set to leave office, it's crucial to institutionalize bilateral cooperation to prevent this positive trend from being reversed at a time when this partnership is of vital importance to both nations, and the broader region.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global Times. It's no coincidence that many Koreans are unhappy about this rapprochement. Seoul has granted Japan too many concessions to receive little to no benefit, and these improved relations are all but true friendship. Tokyo has used South Korea to advance America's anti-China agenda and to protect itself against China.

Predictions