Common threats bring Japan, South Korea closer together

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held their second summit in less than two months on Sunday as the two leaders aim to boost bilateral ties amid growing concerns over North Korea's military activities and the rise of China's influence in the region.

During the meeting, Yoon said efforts to deepen relations between Tokyo and Seoul shouldn't be hindered by unresolved historical disputes, while Kishida, who became the first Japanese leader to visit Seoul in over five years, said relations between the two Asian countries have been moving forward "dynamically" since Yoon's trip to Tokyo in March.

The meeting comes less than two weeks before the G7 summit, which is scheduled to take place in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Kishida has invited Yoon to take part in the summit, with the two leaders expected to hold a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines.

"These measures open the door for both countries to achieve policy successes by deepening security and economic ties," Eleanor Hughes, a non-resident fellow at the Chicago-based EconVue think tank, told DW.

China's rise and regional tensions

"Japan understands that the broader challenge in the region is China's rise and how that's going to be a destructive force for the economy, diplomacy, and [regional] security," Stephen Nagy, professor at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the International Christian University (ICU) in Japan, told DW. "Tokyo certainly would like to work with the South Koreans in ensuring the region remains stable and prosperous."

While Japan has increased efforts to cope with the challenges that come with China's economic and military rise, South Korea has adopted a tougher tone against the impact of Beijing's aggressive expansion in the region. In an interview with Reuters news agency last month, South Korean leader Yoon said the increased tension around Taiwan was caused by attempts to change the status quo by force, and that he opposed such attempts.

Yoon's remarks received a strong protest from Beijing, with China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong characterizing the South Korean president's remarks as "erroneous" and "totally unacceptable."

According to Nagy, the Yoon administration feels the current direction of China's development is not necessarily positive for the region in general and for South Korea in particular. "As a result, Seoul needs to work with Japan, the US, and other like-minded countries to better position South Korea for the challenges associated with China's dominance," he explained. 

And while there are concerns that South Korea remains relatively weak on China due to the latter's large economic footprint in the country, some experts believe the growing alignment between Seoul and Tokyo will continue as it seems unlikely for Beijing and Pyongyang to alter their behaviors in the region anytime soon.

"Chinese and North Korean actions are pushing South Korea and Japan closer together," said Joel Atkinson, an expert in East Asian affairs at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea. Since Beijing and Pyongyang are "stubbornly set on their courses," the warming of ties between Seoul and Tokyo will continue, he added.

Domestic hurdles

Despite the recent camaraderie between Japan and South Korea, it would be difficult for the two countries to maintain these ties in the long-term, some analysts say.

"Yoon is vulnerable to his country's opposition painting him as pro-Japan, [and] if it sticks, [it'll be] a reputational death sentence in Korean politics," said Atkinson.

On the other hand, Japan also remains cautious about advancing ties with South Korea due to long-standing disputes. For instance, in 2018, a South Korean court ordered two Japanese companies to compensate some of their former South Korean employees for forced labor that took place during World War II.

"As a result, Japan is very cautious in terms of how they deepen its relationship with South Korea," Nagy said.

Japan and South Korea have had lukewarm relations due to Tokyo's colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula for 35 years, from 1910 to 1945. The atrocities committed by Japan, including sexual slavery and forced labor, have made reconciliation difficult. While Yoon has tried to build closer ties with Japan based on common threats the two countries face, he has faced continued criticism domestically for making too many concessions to Tokyo.

"The normalization of relations between South Korea and Japan is a necessity, and I am in favor of it, but not at the cost of our national interests, national dignity, history, and justice," said Lee Jae-Myung, leader of the South Korean Democratic Party, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential vote.

The US factor

Experts are of the view that Washington plays an important role in bringing Seoul and Tokyo closer together.

"The US approach is to offer verbal encouragement and reward progress with the prestige that comes from proximity to America," said Atkinson.

The most valuable support that the US can offer to Japan and South Korea is military deterrence, the expert added.

Nagy said that apart from the US, other like-minded democratic countries also value close ties between Japan and South Korea. "The US is the glue that keeps the two countries together, but many other countries are also trying to encourage Japan and South Korea to work together," he underlined.

"Rather than China being the center of the region's economy, what we may see is the regional economy being spread through Southeast Asia and South Asia," Nagy said, adding if China loses the asymmetric economic advantage, countries like South Korea and Japan could benefit.

Edited by: Shamil Shams