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S Korea delays signing of military pact with Japan

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Some South Koreans are stuck on the past and not looking at the present and future. North Korea, not Japan is the threat.

Seoul has often been wary of Japan’s postwar military development, but the nations have many shared concerns, particularly North Korea and China<<

OF COURSE North Korea and China would share "concerns" about Japan and South Korea sharing information, they're sharing information to counter China and North Korea!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Expected, but unfortunate.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

They dont need to sign a pact, SHOOT how many S. Koreans are in Japan now alone there is enough to supply any intelligence between each country and If S. Korea doesnt trust Japan, then whats up with all these S. Koreans Groups and Stars coming to Japan to make it BIG??? if you dont trust Japan, then leave or dont come.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Farmboy...thanks for the link, as I suspected the "elephant" in the room is the US who is pushing buttons on both sides to get the agreement in place.

The US has agreements with both Japan and SK, yet because Japan and SK do not it complicates matters about regional security/intelligence sharing.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Wedding blues?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What is wrong with South Korea? Those who say they are right not to trust the Japanese have clearly not looked at the rest of the world.

WW2... and Germany conquered most of Europe. Their SS ran death camps and they killed MILLIONS. Look at Germany now, a respected major player in alliances such as NATO and the EU. What the Germans did to their enemies was worse than what the Japanese did to the Koreans.

South Korean people, leave the War in the past, where it belongs. Japan today is not the Japan of WW2. I mean, come on, you buy their electronics and cars, you listen to their music and copy it (hello AKB clones)... you even have people living in Japan. Grow up!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

S. korea delays means ... They do not ready to trust Japan. .?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Sorry,only South Korea is at fault here. They can't accept "sharing intelligence" with Japan? In 2012? Sounds like their right wing is more to the right than Japan's right wing.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

What is most irritating is that the South Korean government is the one that started this also. They were the ones who reached out to BOTH China and Japan as this article will show. Read the link for yourself. It is the incompetent South Korean government who put their hand out there to the Japanese against their own people's will in MAY OF THIS YEAR!! Of all the incompetence and nonsense. You teach your children to be distrustful of the Japanese and then go out there and try to make an agreement with the very one that you have taught people to despise. If the South Koreans should be angry at anything it should be in how their government was the one that started this in the first place.

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Seoul-proposes-military-agreement-with-Beijing-and-Tokyo-24806.html

@Netninja -

Japanese soldiers raped S. Korean women during WWII. Then they denied it. Didn't compensate these comfort women AT ALL. Now Japan wants an Intel Military pact.

Seriously? You are going to let what happened more than 62 years ago that a bunch of dead or mostly dead guys affect how you deal with TODAY?? Japan has a lot to gain from the military pact, but so does South Korea. All that technology that you have today in South Korea was copied form where? Sorry, but the teacher doesn't teach the student everything he knows.

Only a communist socialist would suggest that the people don't know what's good for them and they need to be ruled by government.

And who elected those people? The South Koreans. So, why elect a a government if you think they don't know what is good for you? Socialist Communist? I hope that is not a shot at me. I am a REALIST.

I'm looking at you real close. Can't trust you. I wouldn't sign that pact agreement either.

I support the South Koreans on this one.

I think you might need to look at yourself here. You are suggesting that emotion and demagoguery should trump logic and what is for the good for the country. Debating by using emotions is not something to be proud of in all due respect. Using logic and intellect are the only ways to look at situations like this and the only ways a country can do right!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@Yuri - Darn straight. What absolute NONSENSE on South Korea's part. Government and people wise. Wake up, South Korea! All this hate mongering that you teach your kids is done so that politicians in your country can keep you from focusing on the incompetent jobs that they are doing. WOW! Japan usually makes me angry with her denial and excusing making over her actions in the past, but at least they don't openly teach their children to be hateful and distrustful of Japan. No good can come from such a thing. I know I am going to catch a lot of flak from this but, it is true. This time South Korea is just shooting herself in the foot by concerning herself with things that happened more than 60 years ago. That is not going to help the people of today at all. Concern yourselves with TODAY.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

South Korea lacks diplomatic protocol.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Here they go again, the ROK government get used to play games with her so called 'ally'!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

This is a BIG WIN for South Korea. A country that obviously practices democracy.

A government for the people, by the people. The people spoke. The government listened.

Unlike Japan where people are protesting at the top of their lungs but the government does not respect the wishes of the people.

Perhaps S. Koreans took note of this. Perhaps they realize that people like Ishihara would love to drag American and S. Korea into a war without any blood shed on Japanese soil.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Good news. It's an agreement promoted by the U.S. No need for Japan to get involved for any military purposes in the Korean peninsula. Japan should rather urge them to end hostility and coexist if unification is not possible in near future.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Netninja - In all due respect, the statement below is nonsense. One, Ishihara does not have that kind of power. Two, if that is what the South Koreans are teaching than there is something seriously wrong and they don't know not a single thing about Japanese politicians and the power that they have or don't have. I can't stand Ishiahara but he has no ability to provoke something at all and if that is what the South Koreans think than their right-wing has certainly done its job well. I hope and pray that is not the NONSENSE that is going through their minds.

Perhaps S. Koreans took note of this. Perhaps they realize that people like Ishihara would love to drag American and S. Korea into a war without any blood shed on Japanese soil.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Yubara - IN all due respect, the 'elephant in the room' is completely the wrong metaphor to use here. 'The elephant in the room' is used to describe a situation in which one obvious problem or risk is being PURPOSEFULLY ignored most of the time out of fear or ignorance.

I hardly think the US trying to have two of its very important allies in the Asian region get along, something that people are hesitant to discuss out of fear of upsetting the US. China and North Korea are the two you should be worried about upsetting.

Even though I understand the South Koreans being hesitant over signing a treaty with Japan due to its past war crimes and them being white-washed in text books and being played down and in many cases, out right inexcusably denied and also the fact that Japan would be the one to gain the most out of information sharing, I have to disagree completely with the South Korean public for being so against this.

Seoul has often been wary of Japan’s postwar military development, but the nations have many shared concerns, particularly North Korea and China.

So, letting a horrific event that happened 62 years ago and not since, with a completely different group of people who cringe at the thought of war, is going to trump the obvious present danger that are China and North Korea? My, my that is nonsense!!! This is all on South Korea and a revision of the history education is not only necessary in Japan but seriously needed in South Korea.

But on one the other hand. See, Japan! This is what happens when you white-wash history. Get a grip and teach it the right way. But it is still no excuse for South Koreans to let their emotions run roughshod over common sense and intelligence. If there is any 'elephant in the room' it is the way that both countries teach history and use it to their own advantage, but unfortunately it works to nobody's advantage except China and North Korea's.

@Netninja - I respectfully disagree.

This is a BIG WIN for South Korea.

This is not a big win at all for South Korea in the long run. Emotions win over common sense and that is hardly something to applaud.

But I will say this, yes, democracy does work in South Korea as you said and is not working at all in Japan. . But the two people are quite different. Japanese and South Koreans are complete opposites when it comes to politics. Most Japanese do not protest and even when their politicians are doing the dumbest things only offer a, "tsk, tsk" and that is the extent of disagreeing with the J-Gov. They just don't get excited. A very small fraction of people even dream of protesting. South Korea, quite different. Very boisterous in their protest and more people seem to be concerned with what is going on. I doubt the nonsense that has happened with TEPCO and the way they have conducted themselves would be allowed to happen for a moment in the present South Korea. For that I salute them. Good on them. Japan could learn something.

No, the government here does not respect the people's wishes at all and time after time have proven that.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japanese soldiers raped S. Korean women during WWII. Then they denied it. Didn't compensate these comfort women AT ALL. Now Japan wants an Intel Military pact.

"We don't think so" The people have spoken. That's democracy. Logical or not, you have to deal with it.

Only a communist socialist would suggest that the people don't know what's good for them and they need to be ruled by government.

I'm looking at you real close. Can't trust you. I wouldn't sign that pact agreement either.

I support the South Koreans on this one.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

This one too. Sorry for the butterfingers on my part.

@Netninja - The statement below HAS to be nonsense. Not on your part, but on those in South Korea if they thought that way.

Perhaps S. Koreans took note of this. Perhaps they realize that people like Ishihara would love to drag American and S. Korea into a war without any blood shed on Japanese soil.

Nonsense! The reason that Seoul changed its mind is because of their education system still teaching that Japan is an evil country and those lessons have come back to bite them in the backside. I detest Ishihara among all others, and would not put it past him. But if that is what South Koreans are teaching their people, then it is utter nonsense and only serves to screw them in the future. He is not that powerful at all and does not have the means for creating such a situation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Crazy Joe - THUMBS UP BIG TIME.

But they also lack the commons sense to not let emotions rule over common sense. This is just purely asinine on all levels! If I were Noda san, I might have responded in the same nonsensical, over emotional way and told their ambassador to get his butt out of my country post haste! You are the ones who wanted this agreement and now you spit in my face and embarrass me???

1 ( +3 / -2 )

@Yubara - Yeah, I don't think so at all.

First off I fixed the definition for you. You left out the most important parts and it's the US's position in the matter that no one wants to discuss openly

You made that mistake on your own. Don't act differently.

as I suspected the "elephant" in the room is the US who is pushing buttons on both sides to get the agreement in place.

I wasn't even part of the conversation yet. That was ALL YOU.

Do you even know what you wrote here?

Forgive me, but are you talking to yourself here? Please read more carefully!!!!! I was saying that I don't think people fear talking about how important this relationship between Japan and South Korea for the US is. It is in everyone's interest that the two countries get along. Please read carefully.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Now on to the subject.

The issue of war reparations was addressed during the negotiations of the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. The South Korean government accepted a huge sum of money from Japan, stating that it would take care of the distribution of reparations to individual Korean victims of Japanese imperialism. The South Korean government agreed that its citizens would no longer have the legal right to demand compensation payments from the Japanese government.

Unfortunately for the victims, the South Korean government hid the reparations agreement from its citizens and used the money for other purposes. For decades, South Koreans believed that Japan had not properly paid reparations to their country. The South Korean government eventually admitted the truth in 2005.

In January 2005, the South Korean government disclosed 1,200 pages of diplomatic documents that recorded the proceeding of the treaty. The documents, kept secret for 40 years, recorded that South Korea agreed to demand no compensations, either at the government or individual level, after receiving $800 million in grants and soft loans from Japan as compensation for its 1910–45 colonial rule in the treaty. The documents also recorded that the Korean government demanded a total of 364 million dollars in compensation for the 1.03 million Koreans conscripted into the workforce and the military during the colonial period, at a rate of 200 dollars per survivor, 1,650 dollars per death and 2,000 dollars per injured person.However, the South Korean government used most of the grants for economic development, failing to provide adequate compensation to victims by paying only 300,000 won per death in compensating victims of forced labor between 1975 and 1977. Instead, the government spent most of the money establishing social infrastructures, founding POSCO, building Gyeongbu Expressway and the Soyang Dam with the technology transfer from Japanese companies.

The documents also reveal that the South Korean government claimed that it would handle individual compensation to its citizens who suffered during Japan’s colonial rule while rejecting Japan’s proposal to directly compensate individual victims and receiving the whole amount of grants on the behalf of victims.(emphasis added)

Despite this evidence, many Koreans insist to this day that Japan never paid any form of compensation to their country. They have also dismissed or ignored the Japanese government’s numerous apologies to victims of imperialism.

Recognizing that the issue known as “comfort women” was a grave affront to the honor and dignity of a large number of women, the Government of Japan, together with the people of Japan, seriously discussed what could be done for expressing their sincere apologies and remorse to the former “comfort women.” As a result, the Asian Women’s Fund (AWF) was established on July 19, 1995 in order to extend atonement from Japanese people to the former “comfort women.” Having decided to provide necessary assistance for the AWF by a Cabinet decision in August 1995, the Government of Japan, with a view to fulfilling its moral responsibility, had been providing all possible assistance for the AWF, including bearing the total operational costs of the AWF, assisting its fund-raising and providing the necessary funds to implement its activities (approximately 4.8 billion yen from the AWF’s founding through fiscal year of 2005), in order for the AWF to attain its goals.

The AWF closed its doors in 2006, after having spent a decade searching for surviving comfort women and delivering compensation and apologies to those willing to accept them. Sadly, many former comfort women rejected the apologies and compensation. This was because Korean nationalists had convinced them that a foundation established and funded by the Japanese government was “unofficial,” and thus the AWF’s work did not amount to a “sincere” effort by Japan. The civic group that erected the bronze statue is made up of people who hold such a view of the AWF.

Now, let's not forget these things. They are true. South Korea has done nothing to curb the anti-Japanese sentiments and has in the past used these feeling of animosity to keep their political jobs. Think about it. Not until 2005 did the South Korean government even come clean. How can the South Koreans see to a Intel sharing agreement when for all those years that it it kept secret that it had received compensation for the Japanese so long ago? Seven years is not long enough to let the truth come out and be accepted.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Yubara - My apologies Yubara. I thought you were talking about before I even entered the conversation. Once again, my apologies.

The elephant in the room' is used to describe a situation in which one obvious problem or risk is being PURPOSEFULLY ignored (OR ADDRESSED)most of the time out of fear or ignorance.(The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss)

First off I fixed the definition for you. You left out the most important parts and it's the US's position in the matter that no one wants to discuss openly.

No, you didn't fix the definition for ME. Nor did I leave anything out! There is no risk at all to the the US of South Korea and Japan getting along. It is not a secret at all of what the US wants. I really can't even come close to following why you would use that expression to talk about the US's involvement here. It doesn't make any sense at all.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Yubara -

I hardly think the US trying to have two of its very important allies in the Asian region get along, something that people are hesitant to discuss out of fear of upsetting the US.

That is exactly what I was saying! How about this. I will make it easier, okay?

I hardly think the US trying to have two of its very important allies in the Asian region getTING along TO BE AN ISSUE THAT people are GOING TO FEEL hesitant to discuss out of fear of upsetting the US.

I also write this later:

I was saying that I don't think people fear talking about how important this relationship between Japan and South Korea for the US is. It is in everyone's interest that the two countries get along. Please read carefully.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I also wrote this later to clear up the confusion that you felt. But I guess you didn't read that, did you?

I was saying that I don't think people fear talking about how important this relationship between Japan and South Korea for the US is. It is in everyone's interest that the two countries get along. Please read carefully.

CLEAR ENOUGH? I hope so. Now, I don't even know what the heck I was talking about.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

sandiegoluv learn to write more concisely, walls of text are too easy to over look.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Badge Some South Koreans are stuck on the past and not looking at the present and future. North Korea, not Japan is the threat.

Not quite... If Japan ever decided to just TEACH real history about what they did (to nearly every single country in Asia) this agreement would have been signed 30 years ago. Instead you've got PM's visiting Yasukuni almost every year, praising Class A war criminals, Claiming island territories, that aren't anywhere even near Japan, talking about how the rest of Asia just doesn't understand Japan, how THEY are ALL WRONG, and Japan is REALLY the victim...

What did you expect...? LOL....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

WW2... and Germany conquered most of Europe. Their SS ran death camps and they killed MILLIONS. Look at Germany now, a respected major player in alliances such as NATO and the EU. What the Germans did to their enemies was worse than what the Japanese did to the Koreans.

Except you've got it backwards, what Japan did was probably 10X worse, the only thing, the Japanese weren't killing white people, that's why most western countries don't have the same feelings about what the Japanese did, as opposed to what the Germans did. But the truth be known, Nazi Germany was a DISTANT 2nd, in terms of war time atrocities.

And Germany took full responsibility for their actions, pls read enlighten yourself... http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/17/opinion/17iht-edsteve.t.html

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Postponement? Thank God. Just annul it. South Korea cannot be trusted.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

That is pact only for psychological support. That can not be solve any Chinese problem.

Nk is not problem, because their official strategy is "active defense". So they can not plan for attack.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

CrazyJoe: "South Korea cannot be trusted"? I hope you're being sarcastic. If there's one side out of these two that cannot be trusted, it's certainly not SK.

Anyway, it's understandable that there would be an outcry from Seoul and the people of SK, but if they were going to protest the agreement should never have been allowed to get this far -- I agree it's an embarrassment, and it's a bit of a shame that it's unlikely to go through right away. Hopefully it does, though; the two nations could gain a lot in sharing intelligence. Perhaps a little gesture from Japan, taking the higher ground, would help things? Say, acknowledging the past in a proper fashion before requesting to move forward?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

I detest Ishihara ABOVE all others, not among! Darn it!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Man, what is it with my fingers today???

I meant to say;

but at least they don't openly teach their children to be hateful!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

There is no risk at all to the the US of South Korea and Japan getting along. It is not a secret at all of what the US wants. I really can't even come close to following why you would use that expression to talk about the US's involvement here. It doesn't make any sense at all.

This coming from the person who wrote;

I hardly think the US trying to have two of its very important allies in the Asian region get along, something that people are hesitant to discuss out of fear of upsetting the US.

Hence my prior comment, what you wrote here made no sense.

The US has every interest in having the two get along, in fact they have carried out joint military exercises between the three countries and have plans for more.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This is a shambles and the blame lies with the ROK government. It pushed this through without concern for the obvious resentment and suspicion a pact with Japan would cause. Korea's main opposition party has used this to make political capital and accusing the government of riding roughshod over Korean sentiment. Many Koreans are embarrassed at how incompetent this makes its democracy look. Btw Can we stop tiresome, repetitive debates about who killed the most people 60 odd years ago?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yubaru, there will be no joint military exercises

Yuri, oh yeah? What do you call what happened earlier in June? A video game?

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/editorial/T120623002788.htm

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@JimizoJul. 01, 2012 - 01:18PM JST

That pact can not change something. Because is SK and Japan would get and exchange military information then they can not use it for decisions.

So what we have?

Chhonan (40 man death) - no correct decisions from SK and Japan. 3/11, Fukushima - no correct decisions from Japan. Death of Kim - no correct decisions form SK and no full correct reaction from Japan.

So if SK and Japan would get and exchange military information what they would do?

That politica can not be effective in extremal situations. Her heart lives in Edo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Badge213 Jun. 30, 2012 - 07:24AM JST Some South Koreans are stuck on the past and not looking at the present and future. North Korea, not Japan is the threat.

Who is actually stuck in the past? This is more of Japan problem. Japan is stuck in the past when you have over 50 lawmakers still going to Yasukuni every August to pray for 14 Class A criminals. Apologies don't mean anything if Noda and his goverment cannot stop these facist from going to Yasukuni to pray for war criminals.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Why did the ROK even bother to have talks? This is the second time this has happened. I would of told their Ambassador to pack his bags and return to Korea. This shows there is no use talking with them or helping them. Oh this pisses me off to no extent. Net Ninja, that was 67 years ago and again why even bother to talk. So the ROK does not want to be friends with Japan? Well lets see how they like it being our foes. I am all in favor of punishing ROK for this Charlie Foxtrot. The question is what to do first? So again Net why do you support the South? They did the talks in bad faith and never intended for there to be a treaty.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Everyone knows that good relations between Japan and South Korea is a top priority for the US. That is no secret. Not one bit. The US openly says it wants nothing more. Sorry, but you used the wrong metaphor. ESL is hard. I understand. Keep trying. You'll get there. I am not being condescending at all.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Am I reading the same article here cause from what I read :

The postponement, less than an hour before the ceremony was to be held, was a big embarrassment for leaders of both countries.

It is quite clear that the Military Pact was being pushed through without notifying the people as to what was going on. But it backfired on the SK Govt.

But critics say the government in Seoul, fearing a backlash from opponents who don’t trust Japan, pushed the pact through without allowing enough public debate.

The SK Govt should have been transparent to it's people about the Military Pact with Japan

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Yuri I think your paranoia is getting the better of your judgement. This seems like a case of incompetence on the part of the ROK government rather than a calculated attempt to humiliate Japan. I'm a UK citizen living in Japan, government incompetence is something I am very used to.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Ch1n4Sailor, you are so very wrong. This has to do with South Korea and not China. The numbers for China is staggering beyond belief R.J. Rummel estimates that Japan murdered 6000000 people. The number could go up to 10000000 people. Try picturing killing everyone in the Tokyo area or New York area. Now lets bring in the Nazi, 26000000 Russians, 5000000 Jews and all of the rest. The Nazi killed so many and so many of their own.

Back to South Korea as a part of the empire things were brutal. Things were brutal to Japanese and their soldiers as well. The thing is South Korea refuses to forgive Japan. They always have some lame excuse, the PM did not bow low enough or did not mean it.

Until their is some sort of meaningful reconciliation it is pointless to talk to South Korea about anything. It has been 67 years since Japan lost, the people who committed the crimes are dead or wearing their depends. Give it up! You can not have it both ways. Things like this reenforces within me the need for Japan to be neutral in the Korean civil war. If appears to me the South wants to void the 65 agreement. It is the next step and they can show when getting reelected how "tough" they can be towards the evil hated Japanese.

Jimizo, 20 minutes from signing is a deliberate act. There is nothing they will not do to humiliate Japan.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

YuriOtani

The numbers for China is staggering beyond belief R.J. Rummel estimates that Japan murdered 6000000 people. The number could go up to 10000000 people. Try picturing killing everyone in the Tokyo area or New York area. Now lets bring in the Nazi, 26000000 Russians, 5000000 Jews and all of the rest. The Nazi killed so many and so many of their own.

Yuri, a couple of points here. 1. You say the Japanese murdered 6-10 million Chinese then compare that to the Germans killing Russians, Jews and the rest. How about the rest that the Japanese killed. Afterall your murderous rampage was not merely confined to China you realise? 2. R.J Rummel.... Phhhh this guy has been shown to inflate and deflate figures to fit his statements time and again. He has a well know love of deflating the casualties caused by the Imperial Japanese while doubling or tripling the figures of Japanese killed. So be very careful quoting this guy as it opens you up to a fair bit of ridicule. For example Chinese deaths are estimated at 10 to 20 million (this is the accepted figures not Rummel's dubious numbers.

Back to South Korea as a part of the empire things were brutal. Things were brutal to Japanese and their soldiers as well. The thing is South Korea refuses to forgive Japan. They always have some lame excuse, the PM did not bow low enough or did not mean it.

Thats funny Yuri, you are accusing Korea of this yet we sit here in Japan and listen to the same thing here. Lets see next month we will have the annual "was the a bomb a war crime" story in JT, we have the almost regular oh Russia stole this, the US did that, and all the while you Yuri sit there and complain about actions that happened 70 odd years ago, and you still complain about the treatment of Okinawans at the hands of the US. And you say Korea refuses to forgive Japan. How about Japan refuses to acknowledge its actions hence Korea has every single reason not to forgive you.

Until their is some sort of meaningful reconciliation it is pointless to talk to South Korea about anything. It has been 67 years since Japan lost, the people who committed the crimes are dead or wearing their depends. Give it up! You can not have it both ways.

Thanks Yuri, l will quote this exact line back to you next month when you are complaining about US bombing Japan ok. It goes both ways, you want Korea to forgive and forget but are unwilling to do the same yourself. This is so funny Yuri you of all people saying that quote. Oh l have copied that one and will use it every time you mention the US in Okinawa, the poor innocent Japanese bombed in Japan etc etc etc etc.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

'The elephant in the room' is used to describe a situation in which one obvious problem or risk is being PURPOSEFULLY ignored (OR ADDRESSED)most of the time out of fear or ignorance.(The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss)

First off I fixed the definition for you. You left out the most important parts and it's the US's position in the matter that no one wants to discuss openly.

I hardly think the US trying to have two of its very important allies in the Asian region get along, something that people are hesitant to discuss out of fear of upsetting the US.

Do you even know what you wrote here? If this is what you believe then you have a shallow knowledge of issues in the region. There is much to be gained by having Japan and South Korea "get along".

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Yubaru, there will be no joint military exercises. The South Koreans want conflict with Japan. They are building a new base which is threatening to Japan. It could be used as a staging point to invaded Japan. I just do not see how more talk will help. If an agreement is made they will remove it just before being signed. Just like how Lucy removes the football just before Charlie Brown is suppose to kick it. Again ROK had never had any intention to sign. As in the cartoon Noda san missed and fell on his back.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

That pact it clownery.

USA company Actel have R&D radiation safety chips for space. But Actel are produce that chips in China. That is means what chinese all military products and satellites can be safety to radiation.

So what Japan and SK can be doing with that information? How that USA positions around radiation safety chips appropriate positions around security around Japan and SK?

Who have any opinions?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Cold feet at the last moment?

sfjp330:

Indeed!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Yubaru, ROK does not want to get along with Japan. In fact they have just gone out of their way to insult and humiliate Japan. This whole thing was to gain political advantage in ROK. It was also to put mud on the face of the government in Tokyo. I am sure they are not STUPID and this was timed to put maximum insult and injury to Japan. How can this be taken any other way?

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

They don't trust Japan? Can't imagine why? Could it be they get intelligence from other sources? And don't need to complicate things with talking to a small player who insists on acting like a big player. There is no need for an elephant in the room!

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

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