Will Japan and South Korea friction pose a problem for US peace push in Asia?
- Analysts point out that it is unrealistic to expect Tokyo and Seoul to agree on their approach to China across all areas, despite US efforts to unite them
- Seoul is hesitant to join any efforts that anger Beijing, such as the Quad, as it needs China’s cooperation on challenges such as North Korea
Sherman told reporters that the trio were “shoulder to shoulder” when it came to North Korea, with the meeting also discussing the importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait – a comment that prompted resistance from Beijing as an attempt to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.
Her counterparts, Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and South Korean First Vice-Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, also agreed on the importance of trilateral cooperation, a stance that belied the friction between the two US allies.
Ties between Seoul and Tokyo have been at their lowest ebb in many years due to disagreements over wartime history such as compensating Koreans forced into labour during Japanese colonial rule, with fresh tensions sparked by Tokyo’s planned discharge of treated water from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.