Japanese Media: "No Meaning in Talks Unless President Moon Corrects Anti-Japan Stance"

▲Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Amid proposals for a Korea-Japan summit triggered by the Tokyo Olympics, Japanese media are making claims that pour cold water on the idea.

On the 14th, the Sankei Shimbun published an editorial titled "A Korea-Japan Summit Is Meaningless Unless Anti-Japanese Attitudes Are Corrected," questioning, "How meaningful would it be for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to hold talks with President Moon Jae-in, who 'does not correct his anti-Japanese stance'?"

The newspaper stated, "What Japan demands from South Korea is a concrete plan to resolve thorny issues in bilateral relations," adding, "Without such preparations, there is no need for a full-scale summit."

Sankei referred to Prime Minister Suga's earlier remark that "it is natural to respond politely in diplomacy" if President Moon visits Japan, arguing that until a change in President Moon's thinking is visible, the response should remain strictly ceremonial.

The newspaper noted that President Moon has taken an 'anti-Japanese stance,' such as denying the 2015 Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' agreement on the issue of comfort women, showing a negative attitude toward substantive dialogue between the two leaders triggered by the Olympics.

Sankei has shown a right-wing tendency on historical issues, claiming that problems such as the comfort women issue and forced labor during the Japanese colonial period have all been resolved, and that demands for apologies or compensation are a kind of anti-Japanese campaign.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that, on the premise that momentum for resolving current issues is established and appropriate formalities are in place, the possibility of holding a Korea-Japan summit is being considered, and that discussions are underway for President Moon to visit Japan during the Tokyo Olympics to hold talks with Prime Minister Suga.

However, the Japanese government is showing a passive attitude toward dialogue.

Additionally, the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee previously released a map on its website depicting Dokdo as Japanese territory, and on the 13th, the Ministry of Defense issued a defense white paper asserting that Dokdo is Japanese territory, thereby hindering the creation of an atmosphere conducive to dialogue.

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