Japan-South Korea tensions

“The shared problem is that neither country sufficiently sought to convince its citizens of the importance of its neighbor.”

The social media posts of South Korean, Japanese, and U.S. missions reveal what lies behind their recent public display of bonhomie.

The whole point of the Camp David Summit was to institutionalize Japan-South Korea-U.S. cooperation. But no one should expect South Korea’s left to keep to the same path.

Long-term institutionalization of trilateral cooperation can only truly take root after it has survived political transitions in the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Asia’s two leading democracies have no choice but to put their historical differences aside. That’s clear from recent engagement between Kishida and Yoon. 

From a potential Kishida apology to the limits of security cooperation, three important questions will define the future trajectory of the Japan-South Korea thaw.

As far as maritime flashpoints in the Asia-Pacific go, don’t sleep on the potential expiration of the JDZ between Japan and South Korea.

Japan’s upcoming naval fleet review will be a litmus test for South Korea’s Yoon administration to improve bilateral ties.

Why are Japan and South Korea, both U.S. allies and East Asian democracies, continuously at odds over everything from their territorial dispute to wartime labor compensation?

Yoon emphasized his support for “freedom” in a U.N. General Assembly address, but most attention focused on the dimming chances of a summit with Japan’s Kishida Fumio. 

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

President Moon’s potential visit to Tokyo is the object of a diplomatic tug-of-war. Both sides should treat it as an opportunity, not a bargaining chip.