Seoul and Tokyo should increase high-level dialogue to enhance mutual understanding, trust and respect and mitigate their historical tensions, a Japanese scholar said.

Junya Nishino, political science professor at Keio University in Tokyo, noted that dialogue was crucial to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation to cope with the changing contours of regional politics and security.

“The two sides need to talk to bridge their differences. The absence of top-level dialogue has resulted in a lack of mutual understanding and amplified mistrust between them,” Nishino told The Korea Herald.

“Of course, they can hardly strike the same chord on historical issues, but dialogue would allow them to grasp why their views diverge, and seek common ground, based on which they can pursue future-oriented cooperation.”


Amid ongoing historical and territorial feuds, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have yet to hold a bilateral summit. The two sides met for a trilateral summit arranged by U.S. President Barack Obama in March 2014.

Among various issues that require bilateral coordination, Seoul and Tokyo need to address “perception gaps” concerning China and North Korea ― two major factors that affect the regional security landscape, the scholar pointed out.

Japan has viewed a rising China as a potential security challenge in light of its long-simmering territorial conflict with China over a set of disputed islands in the East China Sea, while South Korea views China as a crucial strategic partner.

Views on the North have also differed at times. Under the liberal Seoul governments between 1998 and 2008, cross-border ties improved with the two sides holding summits twice and Seoul viewing Pyongyang as a neighbor to embrace.

But negative views about the provocative regime prevailed in Tokyo during the period, due to Pyongyang’s persistent nuclear and missile threats and the issue of Japanese nationals adducted by the North.

“Due to differences in terms of geopolitical conditions, historical experiences and national power, the two sides have divergent views on China. To narrow their differences, the two sides need to consult on the issue,” he said,

“Different views about North Korea could affect the issue of peninsular unification. The two sides thus need to sit down and discuss how they can work together to ensure a stable, prosperous post-unification era.”

Mentioning a set of reasons why historical issues have been highlighted in recent years, Nishino noted that there had been moves in both countries to “reevaluate their identities,” which led to the politicization of historical issues.

Some Japanese have sought to use the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II this year to review the historical path that their country has taken since then.

In Korea, which has developed into a vibrant, pluralistic democracy featuring a broad spectrum of opinions, voices have also been rising to reevaluate their history and redefine Korea-Japan relations, the professor explained.

Coupled with people’s focus on history, domestic social and economic challenges have made bilateral efforts to improve the strained ties “stagnant,” he noted.

“After the ferry disaster in Korea in April 2014, things in Korea seemed to come to a standstill, while there have been moves in Japan to extricate itself from the so-called ‘two lost decades’ with a major earthquake in eastern Japan in 2011 having shocked the Japanese,” he said.

“Thus, people in both nations have paid more attention to domestic issues and been affected by nationalism in a sense, which has made it difficult for the two sides to make progress over history issues and move their relationship forward.”

Commenting on the five decades since the two countries normalized their diplomatic ties, Nishino expressed dismay that the cooperative aspect of the Korea-Japan relations has been overshadowed by the inordinate focus on historical issues.

“In the relations, economic issues have taken a larger portion while there has been an increase in people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Since 1990s, the two sides have also cooperated over security issues involving North Korea,” he said.

“We should look at the relations through this whole, entire picture accurately.”

Despite seemingly endless historical disputes, Nishino painted a positive outlook for relations, pinning hopes on the younger generations in both nations who share largely positive feelings towards one another.

He suggested that each government encourage civic groups to bolster their exchanges and cooperation and push for various youth exchange programs such as school field trips to help future generations better understand one another.

“Cooperation in civil society sectors has already been active. I hope politicians can help bolster such cooperation rather than hindering it,” he said.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)