Japan and South Korea mark 60 years of ties despite lingering tension and political uncertainty

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea are marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations Sunday. The two Asian powers, rivals and neighbors, have often had little to celebrate, much of their rancor linked to Japan's brutal colonial rule of Korea in the early 20th century.
Things have gotten better in recent years, but both nations — each a strong ally of the United States — now face political uncertainty and a growing unease about the future of their ties.
Here's a look at one of Northeast Asia's most crucial relationships, from both capitals, by two correspondents from The Associated Press.
The view from Seoul, by Kim Tong-hyung
South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, is determined to break sharply from the policies of his disgraced predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who now faces a trial on charges of leading an insurrection over his imposition of martial law in December.
Relations with Japan, however, are one area where Lee, who describes himself as a pragmatist in foreign policy, may find himself cautiously building on Yoon's approach.
Before his removal from office in April, the conservative former president tried to repair relations with Japan. Yoon wanted to also tighten the countries' three-way security cooperation with Washington to counter North Korean nuclear threats.
In 2023, Yoon announced a South Korea-funded compensation plan for colonial-era forced laborers. That decision caused a strong backlash from victims and their supporters, who had demanded direct payments from Japanese companies and a fresh apology from Tokyo.
Yoon's outreach boosted tourism and business ties, but there's still lingering resentment in South Korea that Japan failed to reciprocate Seoul's diplomatic concession by addressing historical grievances more sincerely.
While advocating for pragmatism and problem-solving in foreign policy, Lee has also long criticized Japan for allegedly clinging to its imperialist past and blamed that for hurting cooperation between the countries.
Some experts say the stability of the countries' improved ties could soon be tested, possibly around the Aug. 15 anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II, when Lee is expected to publicly address the nation's painful history with Japan.
Some in Seoul want Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to mark the anniversary with a stronger statement of remorse over Japan's wartime past to put bilateral ties on firmer ground.
While wartime history will always linger in the background of Seoul-Tokyo relations, Lee and Ishiba may face a more immediate concern: U.S. President Donald Trump's rising tariffs and other America-first trade policies.
South Korea's Hankyoreh newspaper in an editorial this week called for South Korea and Japan to 'collaborate immediately' on a joint response to Trump's policies, arguing that the proposed U.S. tariffs on automobiles pose similar threats to both countries' trade-dependent economies.
The view from Tokyo, by Mari Yamaguchi
Ishiba, eager to improve ties with Seoul, has acknowledged Japan's wartime aggression and has shown more empathy to Asian victims than his recent predecessors.
His first encounter with Lee seemed positive, despite worries in Japan about South Korea's stance under a liberal leader known for attacks on Japan's wartime past.
Lee, in that meeting with Ishiba at the G7, likened the two countries to 'neighbors sharing the same front yard' and called for building a future-oriented relationship that moves beyond their 'small differences and disagreements.'
Ishiba and Lee agreed to closely communicate and to cooperate on a range of issues, including North Korea's nuclear and missile development.
Under a 1965 normalization treaty, Japan provided $500 million in economic assistance to South Korea, saying all wartime compensation issues were settled.
However, historical issues including forced labor and sexual abuse of Korean women during the war have disrupted ties over the decades, while South Korea has become an Asian power and a rival to Japan, and while Tokyo, especially during the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 's rule, has promoted revisionist views.
Japan has since offered atonement money twice for the so-called 'comfort women,' an earlier semi-private fund and a second one unilaterally dissolved by former South Korean President Moon Jae-in's liberal government.
Things have improved in recent years, and Japan is watching to see whether Lee sticks with his conservative predecessor's more conciliatory diplomacy or returns to the confrontation that marked previous liberal governments.
Cooperation between the two sides is 'more essential than ever' to overcome their shared problems such as worsening regional security and Trump's tariffs that have shaken free trade systems, Japan's largest-circulation newspaper Yomiuri said in a recent editorial.
At a 60th anniversary reception in Tokyo, Ishiba said that he sees 'a bright future' in the relationship. He expressed hope also for cooperation in 'common challenges' such as low birth rates and declining populations.
___
Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Toronto Star

39 minutes ago

• Toronto Star

Iranian ambassador says US ‘decided to destroy diplomacy' with strikes on nuclear sites

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said Sunday that the U.S. 'decided to destroy diplomacy' with its strikes on the country's nuclear program and that the Iranian military will decide the 'timing, nature and scale of Iran's proportionate response.' Iran's U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, spoke to an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council hours after the U.S. inserted itself into Israel's war against Iran by striking three nuclear sites inside the Islamic Republic.

Ottawa Citizen

2 hours ago

• Ottawa Citizen

Air India bombing should be etched in Canadian history: ambassador

Article content AHAKISTA, Ireland — Since the day that Air India Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland 40 years ago, it has not been fully recognized as a Canadian tragedy, Ambassador Bob Rae said in an interview here. Article content Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, was tasked with reviewing the Air India terrorism case 20 years ago after two suspects were acquitted of all charges in twin bombings on June 23, 1985. Article content Article content Less than an hour before a B.C.-made suitcase bomb detonated on Flight 182, killing all 329 aboard, two Japanese baggage handlers died when a Vancouver suitcase tagged for another Air India plane exploded at Tokyo's Narita Airport. Article content Article content 'That was one of the main things that I said in my report that I feel very strongly is that from the very beginning of the event, it was seen as somebody else's problem,' Rae said Sunday, after visiting the memorial in this quiet village on the west coast of Ireland. Article content 'It really was seen as sort of an event affecting the Indian community, ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the people on the flight were Canadians.' Article content Rae said that 'there had been a real failure to recognize the level of extremism' that led to the unprecedented act of terrorism. Article content Article content 'It was Canadians who built the bomb, Canadians who planned it,' he said. 'There was a huge degree of denial in the community that this was true. Many other theories were floated.' Article content Article content His report in November 2005 called for a public inquiry into the intelligence failures and investigative problems both before and after bombings. After Conservative Stephen Harper was elected prime minister months later, he appointed retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Major to head a broader judicial inquiry instead. Article content Rae said his Air India work led to the construction of public memorials in Canada, as well as the declaration of June 23 as a day of remembrance of victims of terrorism. Article content Article content While both measures increased recognition of Canada's worst mass murder, 'the narrative of what took place is still not embedded in the country,' Rae said. Article content 'We still have a lot of work to do make sure it's taught in schools and people understand this was the worst civil aviation disaster, proportionately every bit as important as 9/11.'

Toronto Star

2 hours ago

• Toronto Star

11 days in June: Trump's path to ‘yes' on bombing Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a week, President Donald Trump kept the world wondering whether he would join Israel's attacks on Iran in an attempt to decapitate the country's nuclear program. The guessing ended this weekend, when American stealth bombers, fighter jets and a submarine struck with bombs and missiles. Trump's decision marks one of the riskiest foreign policy decisions by a U.S. president in recent memory, potentially plunging the nation back into armed conflict in the Middle East with no clear endgame.