Forward with Japan?

By Bernard Rowan

Japan and South Korea have more national interests in common than many believe. Too many South Koreans and Japanese obviously do not think so. Despite Japan's 20th century history of fascist and misguided imperial atrocities against Korea and other nations, the present era is one of "old enemies become friends."

Recent actions bode well for the future of Korean-Japanese relations, with all that depends on them. However, South Korean leaders and citizens still harbor too much suspicion, as do the Japanese.

There was a ray of brighter light recently. If we want to speak of national security about North Korea, this is a place to start. South Korean and Japanese foreign ministers met American Secretary of State John Kerry to restate a point of unity. All three warned against North Korean provocations at the 70th anniversary celebrations of the lost regime's ruling party. The world is tired of the North's game of provocations for attention.

More importantly, President Park has agreed to join Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang within the next month or so at a trilateral meeting. South Korea, China, and Japan are the three pillars of Northeast Asia. These three economies center Asia. In a related way, they have a critical impact on the global economy and society.

Let's hope this summit will result in positive gains for Korea's relations with Japan, indeed for the mutual relations of all the trilateral partners. By that I mean resulting bilateral summits among all three countries, and an agreement to continue the three-way meetings.

These three leading countries of Northeast Asia can set up more partnerships for regional and international trade, navigation of waters, and national security. Korea, Japan, and China have more to gain from a trilateral approach.

President Park has not achieved anything too praiseworthy, mind you. She continues to drone on about past issues, pleasing her base and a great part of the Korean population. But Park does not use the Japan cudgel except as rhetoric. Korean leaders must press on to address the important and mutual interests Japan and South Korea share.

And there are theories of foreign affairs that explain why leaders choose to underline points of past conflict with other nations in times of domestic transition and stress. None suggest that it is a model strategy for long.

A similar context plagues Abe. He appears unwilling or powerless to distance the Japanese people and himself from ultranationalist opinions. He humbly goes to the shrines that remind the world of what alienated Japan from so many. Japan chooses to keep the anachronistic institution of emperor, although the country has no empire. Clinging to bygone delusions will not make relations improve. But old dreams die hard. Thankfully, Abe also can be pragmatic.

A few other suggestions for the leaders of Korea and Japan follow: First, work together on a comprehensive solution to the Dokdo matter, and in doing so, set a new pattern for addressing matters of conflict over sovereignty in international and territorial spaces. Mind you, that will not be easy, because emotional, nationalist sentiment about Dokdo is high on both sides.

Seize the opportunity to lead in a way neither China nor the United States imagines. Aim for a model transcending one-sided and total ownership of spaces. Develop relations that deconstruct "ownership claims." Some spillover effects might even benefit China regarding the South China Sea's development.

Second, get over protectionist impulses. Make free trade agreements, as your nations' representatives also have discussed. When South Korea develops free trade to a greater extent with Japan and China, the three countries will realize a singular contribution to civilization for this century.

The lesson of missed chances over the Trans-Pacific Partnership cannot stop the Korean people forever. Trying to one-up Japan led to losing your advantages it seems. There is more to gain from joining regional free trade arrangements. That is the tendency of liberal economic arrangements over time as an economic philosophy.

Many Koreans and Japanese already practice what the future holds. Many students and professors study and appreciate the other culture and society. Many businesses have partnerships for mutual interest and advantage. Many Koreans have Japanese friends and vice versa. The many Japanese citizens of Korean ethnicity stand as examples of survival and persistence.

Between the Lands of the Morning Calm and the Rising Sun lies a horizon of peace and harmony. The more both countries talk about past sins and present grievances, the less good will occur. Your interrelations call forth a different era of concord. Here's hoping the Korean and Japanese peoples heed the call.

Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University, where he has served for 22 years. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com.