LDP Urges Government to Strengthen Promotion of Japan's Position on Korea-Japan Historical Issues

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has prepared a resolution urging the government to strengthen publicity regarding Japan's position on historical issues between Korea and Japan, including compensation for forced labor victims.

According to Kyodo News on the 20th, the LDP's Foreign Affairs Committee held a meeting the previous day, organized a resolution related to strengthening diplomatic capabilities, and entrusted Nobuteru Ishihara, chairman of the Foreign Strategy Subcommittee, to deliver it to the government.

The resolution states that the historical war between Korea and Japan is intensifying concerning Korea's forced labor victims and comfort women issues, and urges the government to strengthen "outbound communication" to inform Japan's position.

The LDP delivers such resolutions to the government before the "Honebuto" policy, an economic and fiscal management guideline used as a reference by each ministry during the next year's budget formulation process, is decided around June every year, organizing measures to strengthen diplomatic capabilities in the form of a resolution.

If the intent of this year's resolution is reflected in the Honebuto policy, the Japanese government's publicity budget related to historical issues could significantly increase.

Meanwhile, the resolution points out in its opening section that maintaining an international order based on universal values is "critically important for world stability," and calls for actively conducting diplomacy based on 'universal values' such as human rights and the rule of law.

It also proposed a China containment strategy by asserting the need to "counter challenges to the international order" through cooperation with the United States, Australia, India, and others forming the four-country consultative group known as the "Quad," in which Japan participates.

Kyodo News reported, "It is unusual for the LDP to put emphasis on values in the diplomatic strengthening resolution adopted annually."

However, Kyodo News pointed out that this year's resolution avoided issues related to sanctions based on human rights violations, as seen in Europe or the United States, by using the phrase "promote human rights diplomacy in a manner befitting Japan."

This appears to be a measure considerate of the Japanese government's stance of not participating in sanctions led by the U.S. and others, citing lack of legal grounds, regarding the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region issue in China, where human rights violations are controversial, and the Myanmar situation where citizens opposing the military coup are suppressed by force.

In this resolution, the LDP claims that the human rights situations in Xinjiang Uyghur and Hong Kong, which China opposes as interference in internal affairs when mentioned by other countries, are "legitimate concerns of the international community."

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