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Yomiuri Shimbun
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Ishiba Calls for Close Communication with S. Korea; 2 Countries Celebrate 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties
The Yomiuri Shimbun Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-South Korea diplomatic relations in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Thursday. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for closer communication between Japan and South Korea during a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the two countries' normalization of diplomatic relations on Thursday. At the ceremony, held by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, Ishiba said, 'Because the strategic environment surrounding Japan and South Korea has become increasingly severe, we should join hands and take a new step toward a better future.' On June 22, 1965, the two countries signed the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea as well as the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation, laying the foundation for the normalization of diplomatic relations. Along with Japan's economic cooperation worth $500 million in grants and loans, the agreement, which settled the issue of prewar claims, supported South Korea's economic growth. However, disputes over the scope of the agreement led to a resurgence of historical problems. 'There have been various situations up to today,' the prime minister said. Apparently with the treaty and agreement in mind, he added, 'We must continue close communication to ensure the stable development of bilateral relations based on the foundation that has been built so far.' Ishiba and South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung held their first in-person meeting in Canada on Tuesday local time. Ishiba mentioned the meeting, saying they had 'meaningful discussions.' He also expressed his desire to expand the 'base of cooperation' on common issues such as regional development. The ceremony was attended by Cabinet members, such as Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, as well as former prime ministers Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga. The attendance of such figures is meant to be Japan's 'message of its emphasis on South Korea,' according to a government source.
Yomiuri Shimbun
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
S. Korea's New Leader Could Shape Security Landscape
Lee Jae-myung, head of the left-leaning main opposition Democratic Party, has won the presidential election in South Korea. There is no doubt that the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his December declaration of martial law, which was found 'unconstitutional and unlawful,' provided a tailwind for Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential race. Japan's focus is on how the new president will steer the country's diplomacy in the future. The security environment surrounding Japan will change significantly depending on how South Korea advances its relations with Japan. In the past, Lee repeatedly criticized Japan over historical issues and its defense cooperation with South Korea. There is much attention on whether the efforts made under the Yoon administration to improve relations between Japan and South Korea will stall or whether the Lee administration will adopt a pragmatic course. One of the symbolic issues between the two countries is a series of lawsuits by former wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula or their surviving families seeking compensation from Japanese firms. The Yoon administration established a third-party foundation under its umbrella to cover the compensation that South Korean courts had ordered Japanese companies to pay. Lee strongly criticized this solution as 'diplomacy that exonerates the perpetrator and humiliates the victim.' First and foremost, the issue of compensation was legally settled in 1965 when Tokyo and Seoul signed the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation. During the administration of Moon Jae-in, who, like Lee, was backed by the Democratic Party, rulings ordering Japanese companies to pay compensation to former wartime requisitioned workers were successively finalized. South Korea thereby resurrected a settled issue as a diplomatic matter, causing Japan-South Korea relations to deteriorate rapidly. Will Lee follow the same path? Moreover, Lee repeatedly argued that Japan had not apologized enough for its rule of the Korean Peninsula and the issue of comfort women. Japan has expressed remorse and apology as articulated by the prime minister's statement in 2015 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Nevertheless, Lee reacted negatively, even saying that it was 'impossible to build an equal bilateral relationship with a nation that denies its history of perpetration.' Anti-Japan discourse Lee was also wary of trilateral defense cooperation among Japan, the United States, and South Korea, as he thought it 'could be used as an excuse to justify Japan's rise to military power.' After the Japanese government decided in December 2022 to strengthen Japan's defense capabilities and possess counterstrike capabilities as part of the new National Security Strategy, he criticized it as a step leading to the 'resurgence of militarism' in Japan. When Japan decided to release treated water stored at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea, Lee used the provocative term 'nuclear wastewater.' Asserting that 'the government's role is to protect the lives and safety of its citizens,' Lee denounced the Japanese government and the Yoon administration, which was cooperative with Japan. If we take his words and actions at face value, we cannot dispel concerns about a deterioration in Japan-South Korea relations. There are also concerns about the future of information sharing between Japan and South Korea regarding security matters. A breakdown in this sharing could hinder joint efforts to address regional security threats, particularly those related to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. In late 2018, when Moon was in office, a South Korean Navy vessel directed its fire-control radar at a Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft. This incident, along with other factors, led to a significant strain in Japan-South Korea relations. In August 2019, South Korea notified Japan of its decision to scrap the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan. As GSOMIA is an agreement to ensure secrecy when sharing information about North Korean nuclear and missile programs, the Moon administration's decision could have led to a setback in Japan-U.S.-South Korea security cooperation. The accord was set to expire on Nov. 23, 2019. At the time, I was right in the midst of the problem, having been appointed Secretary General of the National Security Secretariat in September of that year. Before that, I had served as Director of Cabinet Intelligence, tasked with collecting and analyzing information on key Cabinet policies. I, of course, worked closely with U.S. officials to dissuade South Korea from discarding the intelligence-sharing pact, although I cannot go into further detail. On the day before the scheduled expiration, the Office of the President of South Korea announced that it had 'suspended the effect of the notice to scrap GSOMIA,' effectively maintaining the pact. In March 2023, the Yoon administration withdrew the notice of termination of the intelligence-sharing agreement and revived reciprocal visits of leaders between Japan and South Korea. It also advanced trilateral cooperation with the participation of the United States. In a related development, South Korea announced its own Indo-Pacific strategy, based on former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. It also pursued strategic objectives with China in mind, such as referring to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Employ realpolitik policies During the Yoon administration, South Korea normalized its security cooperation with Japan and the United States. Still, the wide political swings between the left and right in South Korea made its relationship with Japan unstable. This left-right oscillation is not likely to be resolved easily. It is rooted in a serious confrontation between the conservative camp, which transitioned the country from military rule and authoritarian economic development to democratization, and the left, which promoted democratization, launched a campaign to end regionalism and called for reconciliation with North Korea. Yoon declared martial law in December, saying he did so to prevent the left-leaning opposition party, which he labeled as 'pro-North Korea anti-state forces,' from 'paralyzing the government' with multiple attempts in the National Assembly to impeach high-ranking government officials. The tumult in South Korea, which culminated in the impeachment and removal of Yoon, can be attributed to the intensification of the conflict between the conservative and left-wing forces in the country. North Korea is likely to capitalize on the political rift in the South. In the past, Pyongyang had demanded that the Moon administration terminate GSOMIA. This time, too, the North will undoubtedly seek to establish its status as a de facto nuclear state by creating an 'atmosphere of dialogue' between North and South Korea while playing upon the South Korean left-leaning group's policy of reconciliation with the North. The security environment surrounding Japan and South Korea is becoming increasingly severe. North Korea has been sending troops to Russia in support of Moscow's aggression against Ukraine. In return, it receives Russian space and nuclear technologies — the North is thought to want nuclear submarine-related technologies in particular desperately. China continues its military rise, repeatedly conducting joint military exercises with Russia. Against this background, the need for Japan and South Korea, as allies of the United States, to strengthen cooperation is becoming even greater. Due to Lee's fixation on historical issues with Japan, among other matters, he is often perceived as an idealist or a populist. On the other hand, he has a history of emerging as an action-oriented, practical leader in local government. He is also known to show consideration for fiscal consolidation, such as through carbon and digital taxes and budget structure revamping. He has shown a pragmatic side by mentioning possible political compromises essential for government management. Left-leaning politician Kim Dae-Jung was president of South Korea from February 1998 to February 2003. He flexibly changed his initial political stance after becoming the head of state. Known as a 'pro-democracy fighter' and a 'human rights activist' in the progressive camp, Kim carried out pragmatic diplomacy as president. About South Korea's relations with Japan, he brought them to the best state since the end of World War II by prioritizing future-oriented bilateral cooperation while placing importance on settling past issues. I can only hope Lee will follow the example of Kim and employ realpolitik foreign and security policies. Shigeru Kitamura Shigeru Kitamura joined the National Police Agency in 1980 after graduating from the University of Tokyo. He became Director of Cabinet Intelligence in 2011 and served as Secretary General of the National Security Secretariat from 2019 to 2021. The original article in Japanese appeared in the June 8 issue of The Yomiuri Shimbun.
