A trilateral summit between planned for later this year between Japan, South Korea, and China may not happen due to ongoing tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over wartime forced labor. Kyodo News quoted diplomatic sources saying that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had reportedly notified South Korean authorities that he would skip the meeting uncles “proper measures” were taken to address Tokyo’s concerns.
The two states are at loggerheads over issues regarding compensation for victims of forced labor during World War II and the treatment of women during Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
Tensions have further escalated in recent weeks, due to a South Korean court initiating proceedings against Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. for damages to four former World War II workers. Japan has maintained that the South Korean court ruling is a “violation of international law” because it counters the 1965 bilateral agreement signed between the countries. According to the treaty, Japan paid $300 million in grants and $200 million in low-interest loans on the understanding that all of South Korea’s “claims were settled completely and finally”.
In response, South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that agreements such as those signed in 1965 do not “impede individual victims’ rights to seek redress”. Therefore, if Japanese companies operating in South Korea do not pay the said compensation, local courts can seize the company’s assets in South Korea. More than a dozen such cases are pending in South Korean courts and could impact about 70 Japanese companies.
The conference, which has been held roughly once a year since 2008 between the three countries to discuss economic cooperation and regional issues, was slated to be hosted by South Korea this year. The Korean foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it would continue to consult with the participating nations and did not comment on the reports regarding Japan, which also stated that PM Suga had demanded assurances from Seoul that the assets seized from Nippon Steel Corp. will not be liquidated, as a precondition for his visit. Tokyo has warned multiple times that such an action would do “irreparable” damage to bilateral ties between the two nations, and PM Suga has urged Seoul to work with Japan to establish “forward-looking ties” by overcoming “difficult issues” between them.
Though South Korean President Moon Jae-in has also expressed willingness to cooperate with Tokyo to improve relations, it is unlikely that he can make such a promise, given that his administration has said that it cannot overturn a decision made by a judicial branch due to the separation of powers.
Trilateral Asian Summit May Be Called Off Due to Seoul-Tokyo Feud
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has reportedly notified South Korean authorities that he will skip the meeting, unless “proper measures” were taken to address Tokyo’s concerns.
October 14, 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (L) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R). SOURCE: THE STRAITS TIMES