Never repeat the rut of failed diplomacy against South Korea and China
Kiyoyuki Mori
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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits South Korea and meets President Yoon Seok-yeol (May 7, Photo: Reuters / Aflo)
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited South Korea for one night on May 7 and met with President Yoon Sung-ryul.
It was the first time in 12 years that a prime minister had visited South Korea for a summit.
Although it is the closest country to Japan and a neighboring country that advocates for freedom and democracy, the fact that no formal summit has been held for so long is evidence of how difficult it is to deal with.
Since taking office, President Yoon Seok-yeol has worked tirelessly to repair Japan-South Korea relations.
One of them is the issue of recruited workers. There is no doubt that the problems that had only worsened under the previous administration have moved on.
Since the inauguration of President Yoon Seok-yeol, the leaders of the two countries have taken every opportunity to hold face-to-face meetings.
However, the Takeshima issue and the comfort women issue remain between the two countries. In addition, there are issues such as the shooting radar irradiation problem and the Rising Sun flag problem, which have not been solved so far.
Successive pro-Japanese governments often turned anti-Japanese towards the end of the term when they became lame ducks and their approval ratings dropped.
In South Korean politics, anti-Japan has acted as a miracle drug for increasing approval ratings, and it will surely continue to be kept as an effective card for politicians and private organizations.
Approaching South Korea too quickly
Since Yoon Seok-yeol had declared a change in relations with Japan since he became a presidential candidate, it was predicted that he would adopt a pro-Japan policy.
Immediately after being elected, he focused on solving the issue of forced labour. He presented a practical solution and managed to persuade most of the people who opposed him.
The forced labor issue caused a definite rift in the relationship between Japan and South Korea, and it is highly commendable that efforts were first made to resolve the issue.
However, for many years, the comfort women issue, which never existed, was publicized to the world, and even now, the comfort women statue that was illegally placed in front of the Japanese Embassy in South Korea has been obliterated, and continues to trample on the honor and dignity of Japan
In addition to this, nothing has been resolved, such as accusations against the Rising Sun flag and the problem of shooting radar irradiation, which has worsened the deterioration of relations with Japan.
