Japan–South Korea relations
Japan–South Korea relations (Japanese: 日韓関係, romanized: Nikkan kankei; Korean: 한일관계; RR: Han-il gwan-gye) refers to the diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. As the Sea of Japan and the Korea Strait geographically separate the two nations, political interactions date back from the 6th century when the kingdom of Baekje (which encompassed much of present-day South Korea) officially established relations with Japan. During the ancient era, the southern region of the Korean Peninsula often served as the closest port for Japan to engage in economic trade and cultural exchange to and from mainland Asia. By 1910, Korea would become a colony of Japan until 1945.
Shortly after gaining independence, Korea was divided into two states. During the Korean War, Japan took part in aiding South Korea by providing military supplies to US and UN forces against the communist-led North Korea.
Japan and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations in December 1965, under the Treaty on Basic Relations Between Japan and the Republic of Korea, with Japan recognizing South Korea as the only legitimate government in the Korean Peninsula.
Japan and South Korea share many cultural, economic, and military ties. Their economies are respectively the second and fourth largest in Asia, and they are both military allies of the United States. Relations, however, are greatly complicated by a number of issues, including territorial claims on Liancourt Rocks and conflicting views on mutual history.
According to a 2014 BBC World Service poll, 13% of Japanese view South Korea's influence positively, with 37% expressing a negative view, while 15% of South Koreans view Japanese influence positively, with 79% expressing negatively, making South Korea, after China, the country with the second most negative perception of Japan in the world.[1]
In spite of the issues, both South Korea and Japan have taken priorities to work alongside the United States in countering recent threats from China, Russia, and North Korea. Under the leaderships of South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, both countries are attempting to restore ties and trust with each other.[2]
Military relations[edit]
In 2012, it was reported that South Korea agreed to sign a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, possibly in response to threats from North Korea and China. However, the fact that the government tried to pass it without public discussion or debate in the National Assembly was reported by The Korea Herald.[69] The majority of citizens, the opposition party and even the ruling party objected the military cooperation due to historical and territorial disputes, the possibility of provoking North Korea and China, and concerns about Japanese militarization.[70][71] Therefore, it was delayed only an hour before the signing ceremony.[72]
The reason why the governments of South Korea and Japan intended to sign it was both South Korea and Japan are U.S. allies and have their own military alliances with the United States, and so were strongly pressured by Washington.[73]
In November 2016, despite facing criticism from all sides in South Korea, the two countries signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which means Japan and South Korea share military information about North Korea.[74]
Japan's moves toward military rearmament have unnerved Seoul where Japan is seen as a potential military threat—many South Koreans regard Japanese militarization as a greater concern than Chinese militarization.[75][76] Likewise, Japan perceives South Korea to be a potential security threat alongside China, evidenced by Japan singling out South Korean and Chinese ownership of Japanese land as national security risks, which prompted Japan to pass land ownership restrictions targeting entities from these countries.[77][78]
In 2017, South Korean Foreign Minister stated that South Korea would not enter any trilateral military alliance with the United States and Japan, something that Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping raised concerns about when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in. South Korea has been wary of Japan's ambitions, under its prime minister Shinzo Abe, to increase its military profile in the region.[79] Moon stated that "If Japan uses a nuclear-armed North Korea as an excuse for its military expansion, it would not be appropriate for ASEAN nations as well."[80]
The GSOMIA agreement is automatically renewed unless either of countries wants to terminate it. In August 2017, South Korea and Japan decided to renew the agreement.[81]
Relations between the two countries deteriorated following an incident on December 20, 2018, between a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kawasaki P-1 and a South Korean destroyer. According to Japan, South Korea deliberately targeted the Japanese aircraft with missile-targeting radar. The Republic of Korea Government alleged that the Japanese patrol aircraft had been flying at an extremely low altitude and interfering with a humanitarian rescue operation and the ROK destroyer had not illuminated JMSDF's aircraft with STIR (Signal Tracking and Illumination Radar).[82] The disagreement continued to escalate prompting a comment from the United States Department of Defense about ongoing instability in the Asia Pacific region.[83]
On August 22, 2019, South Korea gave Japan the required 90-day notice that it intends to pull out of the GSOMIA, further straining relations between the countries.[84] Days later, Japan summoned the South Korean ambassador to protest Seoul's decision to put an end to an intelligence-sharing agreement with Tokyo.[85] In November 2019, Japan and South Korea agreed to hold formal talks in December in a step to improve relations after recent trade disputes.[86]
Official view[edit]
The Diplomatic Blue Book, a document published by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its 2018 version, in the section relevant to relations with South Korea, stated simply: "Their good relationship is essential for peace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region", removing the foregoing part from the previous year: "The Republic of Korea (ROK) is Japan's most important neighbor that shares strategic interests with Japan." The tone has seen a continuous downward trend from the peak in 2014 which went as "The Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan are the most important neighboring countries to each other, which share fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, and respect for basic human rights."[91]
On March 2, 2015, the document was revised to read to simply Japan's "most important neighboring country" reflecting the deteriorated relations. The change was made the day after South Korean President Park Geun-hye's speech that Japan and South Korea, “both upholding values of liberal democracy and a market economy, are important neighbors..."[92] A Japanese government official said, “There is distrust in South Korea's judiciary and society.” In February 2012, the words "sharing of the basic values of basic human rights" had already been removed in the text.[93][94][95][96][97] In the 2020 Blue Book, South Korea was no longer referred to as Japan's "most important neighboring country", in a further downgrade.[98] In 2021, South Korea dropped its description of Japan as a "partner" in its white paper.[99]
However, in May 2023, South Korea, under presidency of Yoon Suk Yeol, decided to reinstate Japan under its white paper,[100] prompting Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, to reinstate South Korea in its list of its trusted trading partners.[101]
By February 2024, however, Japan showed objection to South Korea's decision to authorize the transfer of a deposit of money from the Japanese corporation Hitachi Zosen Corp to a South Korean plaintiff who sued the company for compensation related to the issue of labor during Japan's 1910 to 1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.[102] The payment was based through a South Korean Supreme Court ruling which was issued in December 2023.[102]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the . Country Studies. Federal Research Division. – Japan
