Attention on Suga's Early Moves After Inauguration... First Call with Trump "Agreement to Strengthen US-Japan Alliance"

Prime Minister Suga Holds First Call with President Trump... Launching Summit Diplomacy
Discusses Strengthening US-Japan Alliance, Addressing North Korea's Abduction of Japanese Issue... Previously Held First Summit Call with Australian Prime Minister
No Mention of Korea-Japan Relations Since Inauguration

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the question of whether Japan-South Korea relations will change after Yoshihide Suga's inauguration as Japanese Prime Minister has become a hot topic, attention is focused on Suga's early moves after taking office. On the 20th, Prime Minister Suga held a summit call with U.S. President Donald Trump, exchanging views on key issues such as strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance, the Indo-Pacific strategy, and resolving North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens.

According to Kyodo News, Suga held a telephone summit with President Trump from 9:35 p.m. for about 25 minutes on the 20th. Suga stated, "We agreed to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance," adding, "We agreed to further develop the U.S.-Japan alliance." Regarding North Korea's abduction issue, he conveyed his stance of "responding decisively for an early resolution" and said he requested full support from President Trump. Earlier, Kyodo News reported that Suga also spoke by phone with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and agreed to cooperate with "regional comrades."

There is more concern than expectation regarding Suga's initial actions as Prime Minister. Although President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized "dialogue for the development of Japan-South Korea relations" in congratulatory letters, Suga has yet to make any remarks related to Japan-South Korea relations. Moreover, the new cabinet has issued sharp statements similar to those during former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration, accusing South Korea of violating international law.

In a press conference on the 16th after his inauguration, Prime Minister Suga said, "I will develop foreign policy based on the alliance with the United States," and "I want to build stable relations with neighboring countries including China and Russia," without mentioning South Korea. This has led some to speculate that Suga is deliberately avoiding mentioning South Korea.

While Japan-South Korea relations were omitted, Suga expressed his position several times, including during the call with President Trump, regarding Japan-North Korea relations. Suga said, "I aim to conclude postwar diplomacy and will devote all efforts to resolving the abduction issue." He added, "We will work closely with the United States and other related countries to ensure all abductees return home," and noted, "My close relationship with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was also due to the abduction issue, which remains the most important task, just as it was under the Abe administration."

Instead, statements about Japan-South Korea relations came from key ministers retained in Suga's cabinet from the Abe administration. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference after the first cabinet meeting, "There is no doubt that the side violating international law is South Korea," but added, "We want to firmly resolve issues through dialogue." Although he mentioned resolving issues through dialogue, this reaffirmed the Abe administration's stance accusing South Korea of violating international law.

The Democratic Party and the Justice Party immediately expressed regret. Democratic Party spokesperson Choi Ji-eun said in a statement, "This will result in remaining stuck in the past without improving the strained Japan-South Korea relations," while Justice Party spokesperson Jo Hye-min criticized, "We regret the immature actions of Japan's Suga cabinet, which is repeating the mistakes of the Abe administration."

Accordingly, the diplomatic community views that tensions in Japan-South Korea relations are likely to continue for the time being. The South Korean government plans to maintain a 'two-track' approach to Japan-South Korea relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a spokesperson's commentary after Suga's appointment, "The government will actively cooperate with Prime Minister Suga and the new cabinet to wisely overcome historical issues and strengthen future-oriented and mutually beneficial practical cooperation in areas such as economy, culture, and human exchanges."

Earlier, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha took a cautious stance on the outlook for Japan-South Korea relations during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee session on the 31st of last month, emphasizing, "Historical issues are difficult to resolve, but we have a two-track approach to consult on those issues while developing practical cooperation."

In the short to medium term, whether Japan-South Korea relations improve will depend on how the two countries resolve issues such as the cashing out of Japanese companies' domestic assets related to forced labor during Japanese colonial rule and South Korea's World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint against Japan's export restrictions.

Former National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang emphasized in a written interview with the foreign and security quarterly magazine 'Hanmi Journal' that "Neglecting Japan-South Korea relations is harmful to both countries," and "We must immediately work toward a solution, which may surprisingly be simple." He also mentioned the 'Moon Hee-sang Plan' he proposed for improving Japan-South Korea relations. Former Speaker Kim Hyung-o stated, "The longer discord in Japan-South Korea relations continues, the greater the damage we suffer in almost all areas including diplomacy, security, and economy," and argued, "The answer to the twisted Japan-South Korea relations is self-resolution."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.