The contradictions between Japan and South Korea highlight the dilemma of the United States

On November 17, South Korean diplomatic first official Cui Zhongjian, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Sherman and Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mori Kenryo held talks in Washington.

At the joint press conference, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman weakly stated that the talks were fruitful-the three parties reached an agreement on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan issue, and finally did not forget to threaten China, the US, Japan, and South Korea, and the iron triangle will be firm. Maintain the status quo in Taiwan.

Attentive friends will find out why only the US Deputy Secretary of State is left in the "joint press conference"? Where are the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea allies? Originally, the South Korean Police Commissioner's landing on the disputed island "Dokdo" (called "Takeshima" in Japan) caused dissatisfaction from the Japanese side, and the joint meeting ended up unhappy.

Over the past three years, Japan and South Korea have continued to engage in hostility. From the use of fire control radars on Japanese military aircraft on South Korean warships to the mutual tearing of Japanese and South Korean leaders, to the trade war between Japan and South Korea, frictions between the two countries have continued and the people have become emotionally alienated. Looking through history, it is not difficult for us to find the source of the contradiction-World War II.

Historically, modern Japan underwent a cruel colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. During World War II, it was forced to recruit comfort women and laborers, which made South Koreans feel bad about it. Adding fuel to the fire is that Japan has never seriously reflected on this period of history. This has become the deepest thorn in the hearts of people in Japan and South Korea!

Economically, after World War II, Japan had to help South Korea because it was also an ally of the United States. However, in recent years, South Korea has been among the top ten economic powers with a per capita GDP of 30,000 U.S. dollars, and the economic gap with Japan is gradually narrowing. The condescending of the Japanese collided with the staunch and self-confidence of the Koreans and sparks of contradiction.

Politically, Moon Jae-in's left-leaning line of "getting close to China and North Korea and opposing Japan" formed a serious opposition to the continuous right-leaning of Japanese politics, and the trend of "anti-Korea and anti-Korea" in Japanese political circles spread. Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party has no intention of improving relations with South Korea during Moon Jae-in’s tenure, and hopes that South Korea’s conservative forces will come to power next year. However, no matter which party in South Korea comes to power, it will be difficult to make a major compromise with Japan, and the prospects are not optimistic.

Japan and South Korea, which are full of contradictions, pose a huge challenge to the Northeast Asia strategy of the United States. Although the "Leader" of the United States deliberately intervenes in mediation, it has to be handled carefully because the conflict involves national sentiments. If it is not handled properly, it will threaten the overall situation of its alliance and cooperation, weaken its Northeast Asian alliance system, and lose a solid frontier position.