Current affairs perspective
Japan and South Korea relations are changing rapidly.Japan excludes South Korea from the trade white list and turns South Korea into the equivalent trade status as ordinary Asian countries. South Korea expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's move.Settlement Agreement (GSOMIA).Senior US government officials expressed concern about South Korea's move.
From the perspective, some opinions believe that the measures of Japan and South Korea and domestic politics, especially the elections, especially the internal affairs of South Korea. As an innovative government, South Korea is more inclined to pay attention to North Korea compared with the United States and Japanese relations.There are similar analysis views in the public opinion community.However, the author believes that from the perspective of medium and long term, this problem can be understood from different views.
First, the opportunity to deteriorate Japan and South Korea's relations is a historical issue. In particular, the South Korean side actually abolished the agreement reached by the Japanese and South Korea on the comfort women, which disappointed the Japanese side.In fact, this agreement was reached by the Obama administration.At the same time, the framework of the Japanese and Korean military intelligence protection agreement, which was terminated by South Korea, was also promoted under the leadership of the Obama administration.
The Obama administration has adjusted the security security policy, demanding that all allies to increase the burden, and at the same time emphasized the mutuality of the alliance relations, and demanded to strengthen the relationship between the allies in the Western Pacific.Whether the comfort women agreement and the Japanese and Korean military intelligence protection agreements are both under the leadership of Obama, a framework reached between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Park Geun -hye.After the Wen Zaiyin government came to power, the collapse between Japan and South Korea was the framework of the ally relational relationship strengthened during the Obama administration.In short, it is simply returning to the axis heart -axis spoke alliance system, that is, returning to the state of the United States and South Korea, the state of the Japanese and American alliance alone.
Second, this situation is not good for the Trump administration now.Compared with the Obama administration, the Trump administration is not keen to form multilateral international relations.However, Trump's idea of free and open India's Pacific ideas strives to form a security cooperation framework in the region.Japan and Australia are also actively participating in the framework.However, South Korea does not intend to participate.
For the Wen Zaiyin government, the United States and South Korea alliances have always been for the unity of the Korean Peninsula, or for the security of the peninsula, and do not want to expand the scope to the Western Pacific and India Pacific.At this point, it can be said that South Korea and other American allies show different actions.
Third, in the long run, it seems that it seems that the situation of returning to the Obama administration only seems to be inaccurate.This is related to the relationship between the strengthening of the Wen Zaiyin government and North Korea. In order to end the status of the Korean War, the basic policy of implementing the East Asian security system is related to the implementation of the East Asian security system.The unified Korean Peninsula itself is the goal of South Korea. The country that uniformly cuts the state is also a state of wish, and neighboring countries, including Japan, cannot be denied.
However, this fundamentally shaken the foundation of the East Asian security system formed from the end of World War II to the Korean War.In the long run, the deterioration of Japanese and Korean relations can be considered as a scene that happened in such a great historical change.That is, for the end of the Korean War and the unification of the Peninsula, through the termination of military opposition, the scale and nature of the U.S. military, including the United Nations Army, have changed significantly, that is, there is a great possibility to change the previous military balance.
These changes have both the inevitable side and accidental results.In this area, countries must clearly propose the current and future ideal blueprints according to their national interests, and continue to coordinate with relevant countries to form a balanced international relationship.
The author is a professor at the University of Tokyo
