They shook hands and kept their word. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be in Seoul, South Korea, from Sunday, May 7, to meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol. Expected and anticipated, the face-to-face meeting between the two leaders has one goal: to improve trade and security relations.
Seoul and Tokyo are the end of a conflict that China loves so much
The word was “signed” on March 16, when the leaders of the United States’ two allied nations met more than a decade apart, after years of tensions fueled by differences over historical memory and disagreements over the colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula. About reparations for war crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Army. But the credit for the diplomatic turnaround rests largely with Yoon, who has pledged to restore relations with Tokyo after taking power last year, the lowest level reached under Moon Jae-in’s former South Korean presidency.
“Shuttle Diplomacy”
“Prime Minister Kishida’s visit is significant as it marks the full-scale resumption of shuttle diplomacy,” South Korean presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon told reporters. out regularly.
The resumption of regular visits is one of the deals Yoon and Kishida reached at the Tokyo summit in March. Thus, the decisive moment has come for both countries to pursue an active and conciliatory dialogue. The war in Ukraine, which has upset the balance, causing energy shortages and supply chain problems, China’s growing ambitions and North Korea’s missile tests that threaten to change the balance of power in Asia. The rapprochement appears to be the result of two factors rather than the aspirations of Tokyo and Seoul: the anti-China policy imposed by Washington and the need for Japan and South Korea to present themselves as powerful allies in the eyes of the United States. Friends.
Because now South Korea is also sending weapons to Ukraine.
Seoul is back on the “white list”
Liberal Kishida will travel to the South Korean capital to implement his proposal to form a united front on security and trade. Tokyo is determined to re-include Seoul on its commercial partner “white list” in 2019. The historic dispute over reparations for South Korean POWs.
According to a memo from the Ministry of Commerce, Japan “in the coming weeks will move South Korea into the “A” group, also known as the “white nations”, that is, among the countries considered strategic partners that can guarantee that the materials and technologies received are mass destruction. it is not used to aid the spread of its weapons, it is eliminated in this way. export limits of some chemical components required for microchip production. It will also restart Bilateral financial dialogue, first official since 2016.
Kishida’s trip should also lead to new deals on microchips, high-capacity batteries and bilateral initiatives to limit climate change. However, it seems unlikely that the two leaders will make a joint statement after the talks.
Economic deals and restoring preferred trading partner status will somewhat mitigate criticism Yoon has received at home, where he has a 65% rejection rate (up 30 percent from last November). South Koreans did not welcome the recent agreement on compensation for South Korean victims, particularly workers forced to work in Japanese companies and “comfort women” forced into prostitution by the Japanese in military brothels.
Washington’s view
The summit between the two Asian leaders is closely watched not only by China, but also by the United States. The face-to-face meeting between Yoon and Kishida comes just days after the South Korean president’s meeting with White House tenant Joe Biden in Washington. Yoon signed an agreement with the US president called the Washington Declaration, which commits Washington to strengthen military support for South Korea, but also to increase the deployment of weapons and nuclear-capable vehicles as a deterrent against attacks launched by the leading North. Korean Kim Jong Un.
On the security front, South Korea will work to “normalize” the intelligence-sharing agreement known as the 2016 General Military Information Security Agreement (GSOMIA), which was created to facilitate the sharing of information about North Korea’s nuclear and missiles between South Korea and Japan. programs.
South Korea and the US take the field against Kim Jong Un’s nuclear threats
The visit to Seoul planned by Kishida won’t be the only one where she meets Yoon this month. The Japanese leader invited his South Korean colleague to attend the G7 meeting scheduled for May 19-21 in Hiroshima. On the sidelines of the meeting, in addition to the bilateral meeting, Yoon and Kishida will meet with Biden to reach an agreement on Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats. Thus, the US is strengthening its presence in the Indo-Pacific, thanks to the front between South Korea and Japan. More and more merging facades.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
