Japan-South Korea: So Close, Yet So Far

Less than three months in, 2018 has already been a challenge for Japan-South Korea relations. The two governments have dealt with the domestic fallout of Seoul’s assessment of the 2015 bilateral comfort women agreement and the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, including North Korea’s overture to the South, have strained the bilateral relationship. To their credit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have maintained a working relationship and even made some progress. But tensions are increasing and it will take confident leadership and far-sighted diplomacy to ensure that a rupture does not occur. Neither is guaranteed.