Japan-South Korea relations

With relatively new governments and a pressing threat from North Korea, the timing to renew Seoul and Tokyo ties is better now than it has been in years.

Much of the West is eulogizing the former Japanese prime minister. In China and South Korea, reactions are far less positive.

The Yoon administration has expressed a strong willingness to improve bilateral ties with Japan, but Tokyo seems unwilling to budge on the central issues. 

Park Jin became the first South Korean foreign minister to visit Tokyo since 2019.

With a new consultative body to address forced labor issues, the Yoon administration is seeking to prevent the issues that scuttled the 2015 "comfort women" agreement.

Prime Minister Kishida's emphasis on unity with NATO over Russia paid off with recognition of China as a challenge to NATO's interests and security.

A meeting between the leaders of Japan and South Korea has shown the issues that divide them, including North Korea.

New President Yoon Suk-yeol has been clear about his intentions. Putting rhetoric into practice will prove more difficult, but not impossible.

The decision to send Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa to Seoul signals Japan’s willingness to improve dialogue with South Korea. President-elect Yoon has made similar overtures.

Tensions between the two are frozen over, but president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has spoken of his interest in a thaw.

Even from retirement, former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo continues to cast a long shadow over Japan’s foreign policy.