The answer to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempted repeal of military law and his following prosecution by the National Assembly was consistently friendly, if not admirable, of the endurance of Korea’s political institutions.
” Yoon’s motion was unjust and inexcusable”, a senior journalist with large experience covering international affairs at the democratic daily , Asahi Shimbun , told this author, speaking on history. That opinion was widely shared in Japan straight after the legislature reaffirmed it and the day of his declaration of martial law.”
However, with the imprisonment of President Yoon and the view of growing division within Korea, Japanese observers have grown more worried and concerned about an absence of purchase. These issues can be seen in senior officials ‘ cautious words, which are still friendly, and in the articles of big Japanese newspapers.
” We are watching the internal situation ]in South Korea ] with great interest”, Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi , told , the conservative monthly Gekkan Nippon. ” But I want to think in the endurance of Korea’s democracy”. Iwaya echoed the general worries that the democratic transitions in Seoul may have caused a deterioration in diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan.
” This is the year of the]60th ] anniversary of normalization of relations between Japan and Korea”, Iwaya said. There have been intervals of cooling down and different aspects of Japan-Korea connections. But, Japan-Korea relationships have improved substantially during the Kishida management. We may make every effort possible to carry on this momentum.
The political fragmentation in Korea has caused the traditional community to grow in importance, and there are concerns that North Korea may profit from it.
” The public may also have a growing a sense of disgust toward the opposition, which has exacerbated the turmoil” , , wrote , Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest paper, in a January 16 editorial. ” North Korea has increased its actions this time, such as by firing two nuclear weapons. It is now necessary for both the ruling and opposition parties to attempt to resolve the conflict through peaceful conversations conducted in accordance with judicial methods.
” Ruling and opposition parties cannot afford to remain fixated on their political strife and neglect external vigilance” , , advised , the right-wing daily , Sankei Shimbun , on January 20. Doing so only opens the door for neighboring authoritarian countries to profit from the situation. Those countries include North Korea, which is strengthening its nuclear skills”.
Yet the liberal , Asahi Shimbun , worried about the consequences of the democratic split within Korea on both security and economic concerns. ” In this lawless condition, both ruling and opposition parties are challenged to laid aside their persistent partisan politics and small party interests to maintain elections through dialogue”, it , wrote , in a January 16 newspaper.
Korea has significantly decreased since mid-January in Japanese news coverage. Japanese interest waned noticeably as the legal system and courts were tipped over by the Korean conflict, which was followed by street demonstrations.
” The volume of news reports declined as the situation became prolonged with domestic legal procedures”, explained the veteran , Asahi Shimbun journalist. He noted that the idea of a descent into political partisanship fed that waning interest.
The author explained that as the conservative party’s approval ratings turned a V-shaped, even beating the progressives, the Japanese public voices that praised the Korean people as faithful defenders of democracy began to decline. It appeared that those developments occurred not as a protest of democracy but as a political game driven by social and ideological divisions.
Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump’s return to power has stifled the attention of the Japanese government as a result of both preparations for Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s recent trip to the White House and the need to deal with the constant flow of events in Washington.
However, the Japanese government maintains its confidence in Korea and emphasizes the significance of the Korea-Japan relationship and the trilateral cooperation established during the Joe Biden administration.
The concern about North Korea’s resurgence as a result of its security alliance with Russia fuels these official Japanese sentiments in some ways. Foreign Minister Iwaya recently stated in the monthly Bungei Shunju,” North Korean soldiers have been deployed to the Ukrainian front and there are concerns that the repercussions will extend to Asia.”
Prim Minister Ishiba’s trip to Washington primarily aimed to avoid a serious disagreement with the Trump administration regarding economic issues, from trade to investment. However, it is obvious that the Japanese government is driven by the need to maintain American presence in East Asia.
Japanese policymakers are concerned about the possibility of a new effort by Trump to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to de facto accept their status as a nuclear power. Following the February 7 meeting, the two governments issued a joint statement that reflected Japanese concerns and viewpoints, which was remarkably similar to those made by the previous US administration.
According to a senior Japanese official, President Trump did not make any mention of the statement, but Prime Minister Ishiba and others put a lot of emphasis on it. This is likely because the Japanese Foreign Ministry was largely responsible for creating it, according to a senior Japanese official.
On Korea, the statement read:
The two leaders reiterated their unwavering support for the DPRK’s ( DPRK) nuclear and missile programs and expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address them. They also reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK. Both nations stressed the need to stop and combat the DPRK’s growing military ties with Russia and its vile cyber-crimes. In addition, both countries affirmed the importance of the Japan-U. Trilateral cooperation between the DPRK and supporting regional harmony and prosperity Japan reiterated its support for a quick resolution to the abductions issue in the United States.
For now, this concurrence of views exists, at least on paper. However, it’s likely that the events in Korea will re-appear.
Daniel Sneider is both a lecturer in East Asian Studies at Stanford University and a professor of international policy at Stanford’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy.
This article was first published in The Peninsula, a publication owned by the Korea Economic Institute of America. It is republished with permission.