Zhang Wang: Japans politics against the Korean Economic War

Author: Zhang Wang

The use of diplomacy to add points for domestic politics is a election routine commonly used by Japanese politicians.On July 1, two days after the end of the G20 summit of the Osaka G20, it is committed to achieving the establishment of freedom, fairness, non -discrimination and transparent trade environment, and maintaining the initiative of the market opening.Follow South Korea's diplomatic offensive.

The Ministry of Economic and Industry of Japan announced on July 1 that the three materials required for the semiconductor manufacturing of smartphones and televisions will implement export control to South Korea. It is expected that such controls will seriously crack down on South Korea's semiconductor industry.The Korean side immediately protested, and the foreign minister Kang Jinghe said in Congress's defense that Japan's approach was to be reasonable and contrary to common sense measures.Why does the Japanese side choose sanctions against South Korea in violation of common sense at this time?

Wen Zaiyin's political power to tear the treaty difficult to dialogue

Japan and South Korea have been in evil, which has lasted for more than half a year since 2018.First, the two countries had confrontation in the comfort women agreement, and then argued on the issue of Japanese labor compensation on Japan for strong conquests in Japan.South Korea believes that the comfort women's agreement signed by the former government and Japan is unacceptable, because Japan did not recognize the existence of strong consolation women, and the personal claims of Korean workers were not abandoned.Japan believes that Japan and South Korea have signed a lot of relevant compensation agreements, and in the 2015 agreement, the two countries agreed to compensate the issue and were irreversible.Abandoning the past consensus, it is difficult for the Japanese side to talk to the Korean side with no faith.At the end of 2018, historical disputes have not been resolved. In the Japan Sea, the Korean warship fire control radar rays of Japanese military aircraft incidents. South Korea's allegations against the Japanese side did not acknowledge, causing the relationship between the two countries to fall into a low point.At the Summit of Osaka's G20 summit in June, the Japanese Prime Minister held a high -level meeting with the US President and the Chinese President. It was just that the relationship between the two countries did not hold a leader in South Korea. It can be imagined.

Japanese side carefully organizes against Korean offensive

In this context, Abe decided to implement export controls in South Korea, which may make relations between the two countries even worse.In Japan, although there are also voices that Abe's actions are not much different from Trump's trade war that emphasizes the priority of the United States, and it may also harm Japan's own interests, but various signs indicate that Abe has a careful elaboration on South Korea's diplomacy offensive.The planning is at the Senate election at the end of this month.First of all, at the time of time, July 4th is the day when the Japanese Senate's election campaign officially started. Choosing this time to implement sanctions on South Korea is very symbolic.At the same time, on July 10, Fuji Television, which has the background of production, exclusively quoted South Korean documents and reported the news that South Korea exported strategic materials to the state of sanctions (such as North Korea) in the past 4 years.This report can be said to indirectly support the Japanese government's preferential policies to export semiconductor materials for South Korea.In Japan, civil media cooperates with government speculation issues. There is no precedent. How a folk television station obtains Korean documents at this time is worth scrutiny.Abe's judgment on Japanese public opinion is accurate.According to polls released by NHK TV on July 9, 45%of the people believe that Japan's export control measures for South Korea are appropriate, only 9%oppose.

Democratic peace Theory of peace in East Asia

For a long time, international relations based on Western experience once became popular in democracy and peace.The theory believes that because the government system is similar and advocates non -force to solve international disputes, there is a low chance of conflict between democratic countries.This belief is also one of the major ideological resources of the US troops in Iraq in 2003.However, the evils that occur between the two East Asian democratic allies in the United States have proved that this theory is wishful thinking.In 2015, American scholar Brad Glosserman and Scott A. SNYDER were in The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the UNITED States, the biggest reason for the confrontation between Japan and South Korea, which is also a democratic country, is that In twoThe country has extremely different national identity and collective memory, and US foreign policy authorities need to pay attention.The battle for Japan and South Korea will be indirectly revealed again that understanding East Asia's international relations must prevent the theory based on Western local historical experience to East Asia, and it is necessary to try to find the wisdom of reconciliation from the historical and cultural experience of East Asia itself.

The author is an associate professor at the International Education Department of Waseda University in Japan