South Korea to restore Japan's trade status to improve ties

Restore trade to a higher status and then ask for more reparations. 78 years since the end of WWII and S. Korean politicians are still using it as a political weapon.

about 60% of Koreans opposed Yoon's measures

So, what will he do to get figure below 50%? It is a democracy after all, and he has to represent his people.

RATIONAL DEAL

°

South Korea and Japan are opposed so America can control both countries. If you get along, you can be independent and mainly Japan is free from America and Britain.

The question is about trusting each other. There is big money to do with betraying the other one. Korea betrayed more recently, but Corea had help. Somebody was injuring Japan at the same place Korea invested. South Corea is not clean today but may be she want to ? need to ? The same with Taiwan.

South Corea have benefit of helping America in very terrible acts. Japan did the same to survive once upon a time with Britain then USA. But both economy are no more in survival time. You need to normalise and become independent. Not military stupid but independent. China was supposed to be behind all your problem, I am not sure we are talking about the independent China from America at the time.

ASEAN got america in the mix when nobody wanted this giant continent to have access to small island economy. China was not needed, and was used to make you accept USA, and now China is blacklisted ? This is so convenient. Time to put ASEAN on hold far from america, and create an ASEAN who is an asian association against China too heavy power without America’s weird luck in the mix.

With China you are all neighbours. Neighbours need to speak to each other and find solution to problem wisely. This is not about democrat bullying choice but because of the right choice for asia, pacific, and Japan.

You will have betrayal set back. Why ? Because someone bigger have political interest seing you unable to get along. But the people in Korea who betrayed Japan have betrayed Korean too and they are you natural allies.

I can only give advice to open your eye. This is how you stop the bullies in this world : never picking one over the other one. And the small need to be united to be big without the bigs inside. Abe has this wise moves in mind.

°

NadAge

Good ties between Japan and South Korea isn’t ideal for The US. Either way, President Yoon’s days are numbered because he is too friendly towards Japan and this isn’t good news for other Korean politicians as well as the USA who will assist in bringing him down behind the scenes.

President Yoon means business. Good relations between South Korea and Japan are not only to the mutual benefit of both nations, but of benefit to the US strategic position in the Far East.

The only nations that benefit from bad SK/JPN relations is North Korea and China. So these SK protesters and Pres Yoon's political adversaries are either too stupid to realize this, or, they do realize it and latently support North Korea and China. Same goes for the posters here.

Look at these South Korean protesters in the photo. Japan bad, Japan evil.

"Seoul said the man, who worked for the fisheries department, disappeared from a patrol boat near the border and was later found in the North's waters.

North Korean soldiers shot him, then poured oil over his body and set it alight, the ministry said. It believed it was an anti-coronavirus measure.

Pyongyang has not commented."

North Korea 'killed and burned South Korean official' - BBC News

Some poster(s) always insist here that SK is a much more advanced democracy than Japan , by idiotically pointing to the fact LDP has been almost always the ruling party, despite it has been pure results of democratic election process. WHAT IS DEMOCRACY really? Unless you can add a sense of liberality (of the people and their action) onto democracy, doesn't sound anything democratic. In the society that kills any genuine opinions socially or physically simply because they are pro-Japan, how the hell democracy could be attained? Has Japan ever prosecute all those bunch of scams who had been spewing lies after lies , either historians, politicians, writers, novelists, media???

SK does it, Japan doesn't.

Good ties between Japan and South Korea isn’t ideal for The US. Either way, President Yoon’s days are numbered because he is too friendly towards Japan and this isn’t good news for other Korean politicians as well as the USA who will assist in bringing him down behind the scenes.

I believe the reality is that the US applauds closer ties between Japan and South Korea to improve security in the region and to maintain peace and stability which offsets Chinese ambitions of hostile control over everyone individually. China is against a unified Japan and South Korea as it makes their domination much less likely. Strength in numbers is a reality as standing alone against China is to be avoided at all costs.

China attempts to isolate each nation so it can pressure them individually. Nations working along side the US make Chinese desires of regional and then world domination impossible.

China makes one huge mistake when dealing with others. Nations with unfettered access to information have citizens that actually have morals that ensures most are sympathetic to all people. They see the harsh treatment of the CCP and nations like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Russia and North Korea towards their own people. They know enough not to want to be subjected to those behaviors and will always demand their leaders work to maintain basic freedoms and reasonable treatment for all. So most nations will oppose China and their ilk until they learn to change and become fair in treatment of their own people as well as others.

Continue to improve ties with South Korea and Japan. it is in your own interests to do so, and it benefits the entire region giving smaller neighbors Asians who they can look to for leadership when the elephant (China) in the room tries again to force others to bend to their will.

Japan needs to be able to form military alliances with her neighbors for everyone's protection, Japan's included.

This is wonderful news. Japan Today always provides the best content. I mean, content that actually matters!

The ROK reaching out to Nippon is a good thing. Japan and Korea share a long history as siblings under the Middle Kingdom.

By joining economic and military forces, they should be able to overcome obstacles their enemies and haters put in front of them.

Kishida, like Biden, is a fearless leader and not afraid to go to the Ukraine. Yoon is of the same cloth, a touching cloth if you will. These Three Musketeers could maybe save the world from WWIII.

We must remember to never forget. 9/11, 3/11, etc. might happen if we do.

there are still those in South Korea who attempt to increase their political gains by “shouting exclusive nationalism and anti-Japan (slogans).”

We know.

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party responded that Yoon's condemnation of his critics cannot justify his Japan diplomacy that it said hurt South Korea's national pride and interests.

National pride?

Losing the baseball the other day was surely a bigger deal, than getting into the 21st century.

I believe whether Moon Jae-in two-track/policy agenda, present South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has a more politically dynamic approach.

President Yoon Suk Yeol will need a diplomatic solid win.

Prime Minister Kishida must support President Yoon Suk Yeol with action, a win that offers Yoon Suk Yeol a convincing alternative to quell the revisionary opposition factions

Jim Today 05:20 pm JST

President Yoon’s days are numbered because he is too friendly towards Japan and this isn’t good news for other Korean politicians

Maybe. But Yoon's term will end in 2027 and that's still 4 years away. We do not know what the global and regional geopolitical situation will be like by then.

@M Looks like a irrational deal! REALLY

You wrote "I can only give advice to open your eye".. According to the votes you closed minds!

RATIONAL DEAL

South Korea and Japan are opposed so America can control both countries. If you get along, you can be independent and mainly Japan is free from America and Britain.

The question is about trusting each other. There is big money to do with betraying the other one. Korea betrayed more recently, but Corea had help. Somebody was injuring Japan at the same place Korea invested. South Corea is not clean today but may be she want to ? need to ? The same with Taiwan.

South Corea have benefit of helping America in very terrible acts. Japan did the same to survive once upon a time with Britain then USA. But both economy are no more in survival time. You need to normalise and become independent. Not military stupid but independent. China was supposed to be behind all your problem, I am not sure we are talking about the independent China from America at the time.

ASEAN got america in the mix when nobody wanted this giant continent to have access to small island economy. China was not needed, and was used to make you accept USA, and now China is blacklisted ? This is so convenient. Time to put ASEAN on hold far from america, and create an ASEAN who is an asian association against China too heavy power without America’s weird luck in the mix.

With China you are all neighbours. Neighbours need to speak to each other and find solution to problem wisely. This is not about democrat bullying choice but because of the right choice for asia, pacific, and Japan.

You will have betrayal set back. Why ? Because someone bigger have political interest seing you unable to get along. But the people in Korea who betrayed Japan have betrayed Korean too and they are you natural allies.

I can only give advice to open your eye. This is how you stop the bullies in this world : never picking one over the other one. And the small need to be united to be big without the bigs inside. Abe has this wise moves in mind.

°

NadAge

@Fredrik

 what will he do to get figure below 50%?

He can't.

@kennyG

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY really?

In a real democracy, there is always a periodic shift of power, regardless of how highly approved the prior administration was.

The fact that LDP has been ruling Japan continuously for 70 years shows that Japan is an oligarhy like China and Putin's Russia than Western Democracy.

Anyhow, the opposition have decided that they can't keep Yoon in office until 2027, plans to get rid of him by impeaching him after the general election next year.

The first step is building a case for impeachment. The first step is the "Dokdo national holiday" bill where the celebration of Liancourt Rocks in October 15 is made an official national holiday. The Democratic party has the number to pass this bill and will send it to Yoon, and force Yoon to either sign the bill and anger Japan, or veto it and seal his image as a traitor to Korean people.

After the "Dokdo national holiday" bill, "Japanese seafood ban after Fukushima water release" bill is next. 

This is how you stop the bullies in this world : never picking one over the other one.

No, that is how you get beaten up and your lunch money taken, being alone.

And the small need to be united to be big without the bigs inside.

South Korea is free to build a military alliance with the pacific island nations. Not sure what good that will do them, though...

Either way, President Yoon’s days are numbered because he is too friendly towards Japan and this isn’t good news for other Korean politicians as well as the USA who will assist in bringing him down behind the scenes.

That's why the US has run all kinds of summits trying to bring the two together, huh?

To some of our American friends. Ridiculing other people because they have other views than those that you don't share come off as being undemocratic and even childish at times. Those that have a historical and nuanced understanding of East Asia understand that the Korean, Japan relationship is littered with potential pitfall and every step. For Yoon to be successful and maintain even moderate support from the South Koran population as a whole he needs to move steadily, but cautiously to improve ties with Japan while continuing to maintain healthy relationships with the China and others in the region not named Russia.

@TaiwanNotChina

That's why the US has run all kinds of summits trying to bring the two together, huh?

The US needs to restructure its state department and foreign policy.

To get Japan and Korea closer together, it is Japan that the US needs to bend, not Korea.

Korea is a full democracy where voters punish against the politicians who sell out their national interests, so Korea always install an anti-Japan president after the US tries to bend Korea to cater to Japan's demands.

Japan on the other hand isn't a democracy where the same party is in power for over 70 years, voters don't care about politics and readily accept what their leaders have decided that's against Japan's national interests, like the Plaza Accord, deployment of US intermediate range missiles on Iwakuni, Kushu that will trigger a massive Chinese economic retaliations, etc.

So while Korea isn't bendable, Japan is. So the US should bend and reform Japan, not Korea.

So while Korea isn't bendable, Japan is. So the US should bend and reform Japan, not Korea.

That makes no sense. If Korea isn't bendable, it's got to fix that rather than demagoguing the issue. There only national interest here is resolving a 78 year old question of reparations. That's not worth throwing down politicians over.

Japan on the other hand isn't a democracy where the same party is in power for over 70 years, voters don't care about politics and readily accept what their leaders have decided that's against Japan's national interests, like the Plaza Accord, deployment of US intermediate range missileson Iwakuni, Kushu that will trigger a massive Chinese economic retaliations, etc.

Korea may be able to pretend to be a China ally, but Japan cannot given the history between them. A strong national defense including the US is 100x in Japan's interest.

Japan can't be friendly with China because there is a history of Japanese aggression against China and Korea? I'm not following the logic here.

Korea may be able to pretend to be a China ally, but Japan cannot given the history between them.

@TaiwanIsNotChina

If Korea isn't bendable, it's got to fix that rather than demagoguing the issue.

Korea isn't bendable because that's the character of Korean people.

Since Korea isn't bendable but Japan is, then the correct course of action is to bend Japan.

There only national interest here is resolving a 78 year old question of reparations. That's not worth throwing down politicians over.

It is to the Koreans.

Japan can't be friendly with China because there is a history of Japanese aggression against China and Korea? I'm not following the logic here.

Japan can't be friendly with China because China is stealing oil and gas from disputed Senkakus, backing Russia in it's continuing theft of the Northern Territories, and backing North Korea.

@TaiwanIsNotChina

China is stealing oil and gas from disputed Senkakus,

Japan's terms of surrender requires Japan to return "Diaoyu Islands" to China. So while China can be accused of stealing gas and oil from Taiwan, China CANNOT be accused of stealing from Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_Cairo_Declaration#Text

all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and The Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China. Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirohito_surrender_broadcast#Full_text

Hirohito surrender broadcast

Such being the case, how are we to save the millions of our subjects, or to atone ourselves before the hallowed spirits of our imperial ancestors? This is the reason why we have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the joint declaration of the powers.

.

backing Russia in it's continuing theft of the Northern Territories,

It's not just China; all of Japan's neighbors back Russia on Kurils question.

*all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese**, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and The Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China. Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed. *

Sorry but that doesn't mention Diaoyu.

It's not just China; all of Japan's neighbors back Russia on Kurils question.

Oh, so South Korea and puppet North Korea back stealing territory? Truly stunning.

@TaiwanIsNotChina

Sorry but that doesn't mention Diaoyu.

Yes it does,  "Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands_dispute#Beginnings

"On 14 January 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan incorporated the islands under the administration of Okinawa"

The Diayou Islands are counted as Qing territories that Japan stole during the Sino-Japanese War and are subject to be returned to China.

so South Korea and puppet North Korea back stealing territory? Truly stunning.

Absolutely. Korea and China pays fishing tax to Russia to fish around the waters of Southern Kurils and follow Russian coast guard instructions with regards to fishing activities and inspections.

Shocking, Japan too pays "Cooperation Money" to Russia to fish around the waters of Southern Kurils. So according to Japanese logic, Japan's paying fishing tax to Russia to fish around the water it claims.

https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/premium/supply-trade/russia-refuses-to-negotiate-japanese-fishing-access-in-southern-kuril-islands

Russia refuses to negotiate Japanese fishing access in southern Kuril Islands

Chris Loew

February 13, 2023

The last formal negotiations between the two countries were held on 12 December, 2021, to set terms for the 2022 season. At that time, a total quota of 2,177 metric tons (MT) was approved. The agreement allowed access to the Russian controlled waters for 31 Japanese vessels in exchange for “cooperation funds” amounting to JPY 1.1 million (USD 8,576, EUR 7,837) and provision of JPY 31.1 million (USD 242,424, EUR 221,618) worth of equipment.

To get Japan and Korea closer together, it is Japan that the US needs to bend, not Korea

It's not about who needs to bend who. It's about accepting the fact that Japan and Korea are best buddies now, fighting side by side against the enemies in the north. Which by the way, I heard they're recruiting.

"On 14 January 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan incorporated the islands under the administration of Okinawa"

The Diayou Islands are counted as Qing territories that Japan stole during the Sino-Japanese War and are subject to be returned to China.

Yeah that is a pretty weak case. No human habitation, only used for navigation = not stolen by force.

@TaiwanIsNotChina

Yeah that is a pretty weak case. No human habitation, only used for navigation = not stolen by force.

So does that mean China is entitled to navigate uninhabited islands of Japan, declare them as Chinese territory? Yes according to your logic.

@Garthgoyle

It's not about who needs to bend who. It's about accepting the fact that Japan and Korea are best buddies now

Ask a Japanese person : Is Korea Japan's best buddy? Absolutely not.

Ask a Korean person : Is Japan Korea's best buddy? Absolutely not.

So does that mean China is entitled to navigate uninhabited islands of Japan, declare them as Chinese territory? Yes according to your logic.

If the coast guard doesn't intercept, yeah, potentially. I didn't say there was no Chinese claim, just that it was weak and the CCP should not have unilaterally started drilling which is a total act of aggression given the relative sizes of the two countries.

@TaiwanIsNotChina

If the coast guard doesn't intercept, yeah, potentially.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands_dispute#Beginnings

In 1885, the Japanese Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Nishimura Sutezo, petitioned the Meiji government, asking that it take formal control of the islands.[12] However, Inoue Kaoru, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, commented that the islands lay near to the border area with the Qing empire and that they had been given Chinese names.

So Japanese foreign minister in 1885 admitted that the Diaoyu Islands already had Chinese names.

See, they weren't terra nullius, they were Chinese fishing ground for 500 years, half a millennia before Japan discovered them off the British navigation chart.

Diaoyu Islands don't belong to Japan, Japan needs to return them to Taiwan in accordance with the terms of surrender.

Diaoyu Islands don't belong to Japan, Japan needs to return them to Taiwan in accordance with the terms of surrender.

China forgot about them and produced maps saying they were Japanese until oil was discovered nearby. China should not be allowed to use the Cairo declaration made by other powers to claim sole ownership. Thankfully the US prevented the worst excesses in the Potsdam Declaration from destroying peace.

Fredrik says:

"about 60% of Koreans opposed Yoon's measures..."

So, what will he do to get figure below 50%? It is a democracy after all, and he has to represent his people.

Populism is not a democracy. He was chosen by Korean votes, a democratic process, to be the leader of Korean Government for 5-year-term. Unlike many of his predecessors, he does not seem to succumb to populism, such as anti-Japanese sentiments, to popup his popularity ratings. He seems genuinely thinking about a long term benefits of Korean people. He seems to have a strong intent to be judged by history, not by temparment of mass emotions.

Breaking news. Samsung decided to NOT contribute to Yoon's 3rd party contribution fund.

This means most of Korea's big corporations who were watching Samsung to make its first move too are staying out of contributing to this fund.

The public polling against Yoon's polling is so bad it's actually scaring most of big corporations away.

Yoon committed a political suicide and the ruling party is expected to be wiped out in next year's general election, further extending the Democratic party's supermajority from current 62%.

The Democratic party has announced four legislative initiatives, which will surely be passed at the parliament due to their numbers and forced Yoon to veto them.

1) Dokdo(Liancourt Rocks) National Holiday bill on October 25th

2) Mass group visit of the Liancourt Rocks by Democratic Party parliamentary members

3) Automatic Japanese Seafood import ban bill if Japan dumps Fukushima radioactive water.

4) A 3rd party compensation ban bill. Currently the civil law makes it all but impossible for Yoon administration to stop the liquidation of seized Japanese assets, and this bill will explicitly codify the forced laborers who refuse 3rd party compensation can go ahead with liquidation in letter.

Sadly for Yoon, public supports all four measures and Yoon would be digging his grave even deeper if he vetoed any of these.

A major legal bombshell against Yoon administration.

The constitutional court(Which is a separate court judging the constitutionality of the laws) just ruled that the Democratic party passed law that stripped the investigative power of the public prosecutor's office that was fiercely opposed by Yoon while he was the head of the public prosecutor's office and personally filed the constitutional challenge was found to be constitutional and was upheld.

This ruling showed the current left leaning of top courts, both supreme court and constitutional court, and indicates that the final liquidation order of seized assets by the supreme court, which found the Japanese companies weren't protected by the 1965 treaty due to the exclusion of damages, will go ahead.

At some point in very near future, US may have to abandon South Korea which is too infected to call an ally despite it wouldn't have existed without US. Too much tribalists, with cheep cultic ethnic pride.

Takeshima issue

In the early 1900s, there were growing calls from the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture for the stabilization of the full-scale sea lion hunting business. Under these circumstances, Japan incorporated Takeshima into Shimane Prefecture by Cabinet decision in January 1905 (Meiji 38), reaffirmed its territorial intentions, and subsequently registered it in the government land registry, permitted sea lion hunting, and used national land. It has peacefully and continuously exercised its sovereignty through the collection of tolls, etc., without receiving protests from other countries. In this way, Japan's territorial sovereignty over Takeshima, which had already been established, could now be asserted more clearly to other countries under modern international law.

During the drafting process of the San Francisco Peace Treaty (signed on September 8, 1951, entered into force on April 28, 1952), which dealt with the territorial disposal of Japan after World War II, the Republic of Korea drafted the treaty. requested that Japan add Takeshima to the list of territories that should be abandoned. However, the United States clearly rejected South Korea's request, stating that "Takeshima has never been treated as part of Korea and belongs to Japan." This is made clear by diplomatic documents released by the U.S. government. Under these circumstances, the San Francisco Peace Treaty stipulated that Japan should renounce "Korea including Jeju Island, Geomun Island and Ulleungdo", and Takeshima was intentionally excluded from it. In this way, the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which established the post-World War II international order, affirms that Takeshima is Japanese territory. In addition, after the treaty came into effect, the United States proposed to Japan to use Takeshima as a bombing training area. In response to this, based on the agreement between Japan and the United States, we have decided to designate Takeshima as a bombing training area, and Japan has publicly announced this. In the post-World War II international order, Takeshima was clearly recognized as Japanese territory.

However, in January 1952, just before the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into effect, South Korea unilaterally established the so-called "Syngman Rhee Line" and included Takeshima within that line. By 1965, 44 Japanese fishermen had been killed, 3,929 had been abducted, and 328 fishing boats had been seized by South Korea.

At that time, Japan had no military power and had no choice but to negotiate the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and Korea under unfavorable conditions.

He immediately lodged a strong protest, stating that this was clearly a violation of international law and not acceptable to Japan. In spite of this, South Korea has since stationed security personnel on Takeshima, and has built lodgings, observation posts, a lighthouse, and docking facilities. Such an occupation of Takeshima by South Korea's power has no basis in international law, and Japan has lodged strong protests with South Korea on each occasion and has demanded its withdrawal. Any action based on such illegal occupation has no legal justification, nor does it produce any legal effect on which territorial rights are based.