China could gain, U.S. lose from Japan-S Korea feuds, says Abe adviser

if Seoul leaves the "liberal democratic camp" 

This is a pretty strange comment.

In the Democracy Index ranking for 2018, Korea was ranked more democratic than both the US and Japan.

In the Press Freedom Index for 2018, Korea(43) again ranks higher than both the US(45) and Japan(67).

Japan by comparison has less Press Freedom than El Salvador according to RSF.

So Korea is a full democracy, one of only two in Asia with the other being Taiwan.

So for a not fully democratic country like Japan to be worried about a fully democratic country like Korea leaving the "liberal democratic camp" is strange.

@ Samit Basu - how else can you explain SKs close relationship with Communist China? Trade, military, tourism etc. If they were more democratic than Japan, as you claim, they would NOT be so close to Communist China.

@Ganbare japan

how else can you explain SKs close relationship with Communist China?

What close relations? That's your and Japanese rightwinger's fantasy.

S. Korea president is a Chinese puppet

South Korea has always been a close ally of China; however, losing South Korea may cause the two Koreas to unite as one country and that could pose serious trouble to Japan's national security. Without a doubt, when the Koreas unite with the support of China, it would be Kim Jong-Un as the supreme leader of United Korea and he is an enemy of Japan. It is in the US's best interest and also Japan's to make sure the Koreas remain separated as two different countries. Like Kawai-san said, Korexit is indeed a nightmare!

Definitely agreed that South Korea is teetering on the brink of leaving the club of liberal democratic countries. If it does, and it is expected that it will leave the club and join its allies in China and North Korea, no one will care what happens to them.

Hopefully they do leave to be honest, then the farce of SK democracy will be over

The biggest loser is South Korea itself! Still a divided country connected to mainland with two communist aggressors who attacked South together by the end of the cease-fire.

South Korea will come to regret its behavior when tensions rise again on the mainland. I promise you this.

Cut relations with this Japan hating country. Treat S. Korea the same way they've been treating Japan for the last several decades. Apologies and compensation hasn't done crap to better relations, it had the opposite effect and result.

As long as Japan continues to throw a hissy fit over Dokdo and continues to deny exactly what its troops did in Korea, relations will not improve.

Just by looking at records of the fates of every single former presidents democratically elected of S.K , One will note there must be something fundamentally wrong in it's system. In the country where emotion overrides anything, It's like 95% of population Beakjeong has been all the time revenging ruling class of remaining 5% Yangban by keeping flipping the table over.

Ochlocracy sounds much more appropriate term to define their system.

With SK JP could attempt same currency

If South Korea wants to leave the US-Japan-SK alliance, go ahead. Better not no have an ally at all then to have such an unreliable, back-stabbing one as SK.

I don't really see how this feud between Japan and SK concerns China or the USA.

Really it is a local matter for Japan and SK to sort out.

I hope that this is not Japans old chestnut of telling people is good for you and what isn't good for you.

Why do Japanese planes keep flying so ridiculously close to Korean military vessels without prior agreement? Do Korean planes keep buzzing Japanese warships? This is a dangerous game just asking for trouble.

I am sure that the Abe administration get huge domestic support in the upcoming Japanese double elections. Abe is good at playing with and manipulating Japanese swarming chauvinists.

It is regrettable that the self-declared ultra-right wing Japanese politician, Toshio Tamogami, an expert on aircraft defense and the formal Chief of Staff of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force, has to defend himself under the pressure of those jingoists. I see he is desperately trying to remain within the circle of those ultra-right gregarious jingoists.

https://twitter.com/toshio_tamogami/status/1076127935558340609

https://twitter.com/toshio_tamogami/status/1084594819979046912

Japan gains nothing by spreading animosities among neighbours.

Japan gains nothing by spreading animosities among neighbours.

Neither does South Korea, but boy, look at them go.

Why do Japanese planes keep flying so ridiculously close to Korean military vessels without prior agreement?

Same reason South Korea locks fire control radar on Japanese planes I guess...

extanker, as long as Japan remains to be an enemy of China, it will be occupied, not by China.

Why would south Korea become communist? They got rich due to a free market economy and capitalism. 'korexit'?can't korexsist

extanker, as long as Japan remains to be an enemy of China, it will be occupied, not by China.

Right..."occupied"...

And if Japan ever became a 'friend' of China, it would be occupied by China.

So an aircraftcarrier is just what the country needs right now.

Japan has been a China's neighbour for at least 3000 years and never been occupied by more than friend Chinese.

If you really believe that, then it makes it even more sad what the China of today would do to Japan if given the chance.

Mahesvara-of-Japan said on Jan. 25  09:27 am JST

South Korea has always been a close ally of China; however, losing South Korea may cause the two Koreas to unite as one country and that could pose serious trouble to Japan's national security. Without a doubt, when the Koreas unite with the support of China, it would be Kim Jong-Un as the supreme leader of United Korea and he is an enemy of Japan. It is in the US's best interest and also Japan's to make sure the Koreas remain separated as two different countries. Like Kawai-san said, Korexit is indeed a nightmare!

> I have  better idea, US should give Kim  II asylum and let when the Koreas are united, the United States will have US Army and US Marine units on the Chinese and Russian borders, coupled with US Naval and US Airforce bases on the Korean peninsula