Washington Post (November 1)
The dysfunctional relationship between Japan and South Korea “threatens to undermine U.S. security interests, including dealing with a rising China and an aggressive North Korea.” Relations between the two countries “have descended to another low, fueled by issues of wartime history and the still-poisonous legacy of Japan’s harsh colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945. The two countries’ leaders have not met since May 2012, and polls show that three times more Koreans view China favorably than Japan.” The U.S. is going to have to abandon neutrality and encourage a solution. “The reality is that neither Japan nor South Korea seems capable of finding a path toward reconciliation on its own.”
Tags: China, Japan, North Korea, Reconciliation, Relationship, Security interests, Solution, South Korea, U.S.
