It is still difficult for leaders of Japan and South Korea to meet to ease relations
How stiff and cold Japan-South Korea relations have been in recent years can be seen in the diplomatic “courtesy” of the Japanese side to South Korea’s ambassador to Japan, Jiang Changyi. According to Japanese media reports, two months after Jiang Changyi took office in January this year, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi did not meet with him. On March 23, Motegi’s explanation on a TV show was “too busy” and “the schedule lacks time to meet with all the ambassadors in Japan soon.”
On May 24th, Jiang Changyi attended the “Credential Presentation Ceremony” held at the Imperial Palace that day, and presented his credentials to the Emperor of Japan. Although Jiang Changyi took office in January this year and started diplomatic activities, he could only formally carry out activities as an ambassador after submitting his credentials. On the same day, when the ambassadors of various countries who submitted their credentials went to the imperial residence, some Japanese anti-Korean activists chanted slogans such as “South Korea get out of Takeshima.” “Bamboo Island” is also called “Dok Island” in Korea. In the end, people could not see clearly and completely the scene of Jiang Changyi when he handed over the letter of credence to the emperor.
This year’s Western Group of Seven (G7) summit will be held in Cornwall, UK from June 11th to 13th. Japan is a member of the G7, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to attend the meeting in Britain. Although South Korea is not a member of G7, President Moon Jae-in has been invited to participate in this G7 meeting. The analysis believes that the heads of Japan and South Korea will have the opportunity to meet at that time, which will help avoid further deterioration of relations between the two countries. However, there are too many outstanding cases and problems between the two countries, and it is expected that the easing of bilateral relations will still be difficult.
The Moon Jae-in regime of South Korea seems to have been working hard to improve relations with Japan. On May 12, the heads of the national intelligence agencies of Japan, South Korea and the United States held a meeting in Tokyo. The three parties confirmed that they “cooperate towards the goal of North Korea’s denuclearization.” On the same day, Park Ji-won, the director of the National Intelligence Service of South Korea, visited the prime minister’s residence to visit Yoshihide Suga. This is the second time since November last year. TBS television reported on May 13 that Park Ji-won conveyed to Suga Yiwei the South Korean side’s “concerns about the current relationship between South Korea and Japan”, stating that “the deteriorating relationship between South Korea and Japan must be normalized.” Yoshihide Suga also mentioned the importance of relations between Japan and South Korea in that meeting.
However, the public opinion on South Korea in Japan has not changed significantly, and it has basically been demoted to South Korea twice in three days. Recently, the Japanese media have some expectations in their reports for the realization of the “Suga Wenkai” in mid-June, while still habitually creating an atmosphere in which the Japanese side has a negative attitude and the South Korean side actively seeks improvement. The Jiji News Agency reported on May 30 that the cadres of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that when the time comes, the heads of Japan and South Korea will be in the same venue and “physical contact is possible.” The report also mentioned that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had encountered a “raid” by South Korea-at the ASEAN summit in November 2019, Moon Jae-in took the initiative to contact Abe, and the Japanese side did not regard that episode as a formal summit meeting. However, the South Korean side unilaterally released photos of the two leaders meeting, “to show that Japan-South Korea relations have been repaired.” The report also conceived in detail that by the time of the G7 summit, Japan should be cautious in its stance on the Japan-South Korea summit; if South Korean leaders come to contact by then, there is the possibility of a “stand-up” conversation between the two leaders.
In Japan, there is still a very radical thinking, that is, “abandon Moon Jae-in completely.” The reason for this kind of thinking is that South Korea will hold general elections in March next year, and the Moon Jae-in regime is running out of office and is turning into a “lame duck”. Japan-South Korea relations will hardly make more progress during the Moon Jae-in regime. It is better to look forward to it. The next president of South Korea is a “conservative” politician.
In the face of Japan’s arrogance and toughness, South Korea’s recent response can also be described as “powerful.”
On April 27, the Japanese Cabinet Meeting of Yoshihide Suga’s “Response Statement” found that the expression “comfort women serving in the military” was inappropriate. In the future textbook verification, the term “comfort women serving in the military” will no longer be recognized, and “comfort women” will be used instead. . Regarding Japan’s small actions of playing with word games and tampering with history on the issue of “comfort women”, South Korean Foreign Minister Zheng Yiyong emphasized during a meeting with Motegi Toshiki in London on May 5, “If Japan loses a correct understanding of history, the problems of the past will be impossible. solve”.
Regarding the Japanese forced labor lawsuit, the Seoul District Court of South Korea listened to the family members of the South Korean victims and other debates against the defendant’s Japanese companies on May 28, and ended the trial. The court will choose an opportunity to pronounce judgment in June. The Seoul District Court will also hear debates on three similar lawsuits in the near future, and a judgment will be made within this year. Japan’s “Sankei Shimbun” reported on May 28 that there are at least about 30 forced labor lawsuits being heard by the Supreme Court of South Korea and its lower courts, and the process of “cashing” the Japanese companies’ assets in South Korea is also in progress. In China, “if the South Korean side makes a judicial judgment ordering Japanese companies to pay compensation” continues, the dialogue and consultation between the Japanese and South Korean governments will inevitably be affected.
Regarding Japan’s implantation of a map on the official website of the Tokyo Olympic Games and marking the disputed island of Dokdo (known as Takeshima by Japan) as Japanese territory, former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon criticized on May 27 that the Japanese side’s actions “contrary to the Olympic spirit.” , Requesting the Japanese side to delete the map, and insisted, “If the Japanese side refuses to the end, the South Korean government should use all means, including boycotting the Tokyo Olympics, to respond firmly.” South Korea’s “Joongang Ilbo” (Japanese edition) reported on May 30 that former Prime Minister Ding Shikyun stated quite clearly on May 29: “If Japan does not revise the map of the Tokyo Olympics, then it should follow South Korean public opinion to give the Tokyo Olympics. Boycott.” Ding Shijun also said, “If those guys want to take Dokdo, that will definitely not be tolerated.”
Regarding the decision by the cabinet of Yoshihide Suga to discharge the nuclear sewage from the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, Korea’s Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol emphasized in a speech at the World Health Assembly video conference on May 25 that nuclear-polluted water was discharged into the ocean. “Precedent”, before full consultation with stakeholders, “Japan shall not discharge”, and at the same time require the WHO and the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international communities to conduct objective and sufficient verification of the discharge of Fukushima nuclear sewage to the sea. South Korean government departments and agencies have also expressed South Korea’s concerns about the Fukushima nuclear sewage discharge through multiple channels, and pointed out the “improperty” of the Japanese decision.
While many old contradictions between Japan and South Korea remain unsolved, the United States has brought new hidden dangers to the relationship between the two countries. The heads of South Korea and the United States held talks in Washington on May 22. One of the results was that the two sides agreed to terminate the “US-South Korea Missile Guide,” and South Korea obtained the initiative to continue to extend the missile range. Japanese media reported that the range of South Korean missiles was 180 kilometers in 1979, 300 kilometers in 2001, and 800 kilometers in 2012. If it is extended to 1,200 kilometers in the future, most parts of Japan will be basically within the range of South Korean missiles. In a commentary program on the evening of May 27th by Fuji TV, the host was very anxious to remind three former defense ministers, including Toshi Morimoto, Moto Nakatani, and Gonori Onodera who were present: “The Korean ship used to aim the fire control radar. It’s the plane passing by the Japanese side.”
Our newspaper, Tokyo, June 2nd
China Youth Daily · China Youth Daily reporter Zhang Jianshu in Japan Source: China Youth Daily
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