Subscribe
E-Paper
Troubled relations between Korea and Japan are not expected to recover anytime soon, according to a source, despite the planned departure of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who adopted a hawkish stance toward Seoul.
 |
| Yoshihide Suga / Reuters-Yonhap |
The election took place after Abe, who has served as Japan's prime minister since December 2012, said on Aug. 28 that he was stepping down for health reasons. Abe also led as prime minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007.
The fractious ties between Japan and Korea turned hostile as the two sides have been engaged in numerous diplomatic disputes, including a trade war that has escalated from a Korean court's findings regarding compensation payable to surviving victims of Japan's wartime forced labor practices.
"A new prime minister may form an important foundation for fence-mending between the two countries, but it is a different matter whether it will really lead to reconciliation," said the source familiar with the diplomatic issue.
The source said given that Suga, Abe's right-hand man, has been involved in his predecessor's foreign policy, his own diplomatic initiatives are unlikely to be much different from the current ones.
"As Suga has worked with Abe with regard to recent diplomatic issues, he may follow in Abe's footsteps," the source said. "It remains to be seen how much Suga will get involved in foreign issues after taking office."
Suga said before his election that he planned to follow Abe's foreign policy as he said in Saturday's party leadership debate, "Continuity is what's important in diplomacy."
In terms of its icy relations with Korea and China, Suga said he would seek to maintain strategic relations with the neighboring countries.
Suga has been under fire for his lack of diplomatic experience, and the source concurred on the opinion, adding that it remains a big question mark until he begins handling diplomatic issues.
Korea is this year's host country for the annual trilateral summit between China, Japan and Korea which is scheduled for November, and the Korean government is considering a variety of options for the event, including an in-person summit as well as a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Nothing has been fixed yet and after monitoring the development of coronavirus, we will decide it," a government official said.
He added that should the summit be held here, a bilateral summit between President Moon Jae-in and Suga could take place as well.
