Editorial: Japan, S. Korea must uphold improving ties without retreating

Japan’s outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently visited South Korea for a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The leaders affirmed that the two countries would cooperate in evacuating their nationals in the event of an emergency in a third country. They also agreed to streamline immigration procedures for travelers visiting each other’s country.

At stake is whether Japan and South Korea can keep their improving bilateral relations from backpedaling, leading to further development.

When the Kishida administration was inaugurated in 2021, dialogue between the Japanese and South Korean governments was at a standstill due to historical disputes, adversely affecting the two countries’ economic and security partnerships. The soured relations were even described as being “at their worst since the normalization of diplomatic relations” in 1965.

A turn of events came in March 2023, when the Yoon administration offered a solution to the issue regarding compensation for forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, the biggest concern between the two countries. Under the initiative, a foundation affiliated with the South Korean government would compensate former laborers on behalf of Japanese companies that were ordered by the South Korean Supreme Court to pay damages.

“Shuttle diplomacy” involving mutual visits by Japanese and South Korean leaders to each other’s country has since resumed, normalizing intergovernmental dialogue in many ways. The exchange and cooperation between the two countries’ defense authorities has also been revived.

In addition, regular travel between the two countries has become more active, with the number of travelers expected to top 10 million this year.

Intergovernmental cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea has also gained traction. Previously, the three countries focused on their policy toward North Korea, yet the scope of their collaboration has now expanded to cover economic security, such as strengthening supply chains for key materials, with China in mind.

The challenge lying ahead is how to maintain this momentum.

While Japanese people’s sentiment toward South Korea has greatly improved over this period of time, there is deep-rooted public criticism in South Korea over the Yoon administration’s policy toward Japan prioritizing the improvement of bilateral relations.

In South Korea, frustrations that the government “has been unable to get a response from Japan commensurate with Seoul’s concessions” have been smoldering not just among opposition parties using such gripes as ammunition for attacking the Yoon administration, but also within the ruling party. Donations to the government-affiliated foundation compensating former laborers have not reached the level officials originally hoped for.

It is not easy for neighboring countries at odds over historical issues to maintain an amicable relationship. Yet amid the increasingly severe circumstances in East Asia, including growing tensions between the United States and China, bolstering bilateral cooperation between Japan and South Korea will serve the interests of both nations.

Tokyo and Seoul are urged to communicate more closely and exhaust their efforts to deepen mutual understanding.