Japanese Media: "Focus of ROK-US-Japan Cooperation Expands from North Korea to China, India, and the Indo-Pacific"

On the 18th (local time), South Korea, the United States, and Japan emphasized at the Camp David summit in the U.S. that they have opened a new chapter in their cooperative relationship. Japanese media reported that the focus of cooperation, which was previously centered on responding to North Korea, has expanded to include Indo-Pacific issues involving China.

The Yomiuri Shimbun evaluated on the 20th that "the three countries?South Korea, the U.S., and Japan?clearly demonstrated an attitude of expanding cooperation to defense and economic security sectors, keeping in mind China’s increasingly hegemonic behavior."

Yomiuri analyzed the phrase "geopolitical competition," which appears at the beginning of the joint statement adopted by the South Korea-U.S.-Japan leaders called the "Camp David Spirit," as "a strong awareness of China, which is engaging in hegemonic competition with the U.S. over the Indo-Pacific."

President Yoon Suk-yeol listens to the remarks of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the joint press conference of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit held at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat near Washington DC, on the 18th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

It further introduced that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan will establish a new framework to support the enhancement of maritime security capabilities so that Southeast Asian and Pacific island countries can counter China, adding, "The deepening of cooperation in the economic security sector also prominently featured new measures targeting China."

The Asahi Shimbun also pointed out that "South Korea, the U.S., and Japan strengthened cooperation not only in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development but also with China in mind."

In an editorial, Asahi stated, "It has become clear that the true purpose of strengthening the three-country alliance is to respond to China," and reported that "the South Korea-U.S.-Japan leaders agreed to cooperate in engaging with the Indo-Pacific region as well."

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) also analyzed that "South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have come closer together in both security and economic aspects to prepare for China-related risks," highlighting that this summit was characterized by a significant expansion of cooperation areas and response regions.

However, Japanese media pointed out that since differences in views among the countries were confirmed regarding issues such as Taiwan and attitudes toward China, a challenge remains in securing the effectiveness of future consultations to some extent.

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