Some adroit national security analysis from South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo:
Around this time last year, when the island country’s Shimane Prefecture instituted a “Takeshima Day” even as the increasingly prominent right wing in Japan put out textbooks whitewashing the country’s wartime atrocities, the president said, “We can no longer sit idle before fresh attempts at hegemony. They will be struck down one and all.” You can almost hear Japan snicker at the presidential promise as it turns up the provocation over Dokdo again this year.If a country is to rebuff another’s designs on its territory, it must plumb for one of two options: rely on its own strength or, failing that, enlist the help of an ally capable of the job. That has been a basic principle of international politics for millennia. If you are merely bluffing, the other side will call your bluff.
For Korea to stand up to a country like Japan with an economy 10 times the size of ours is impossible without a powerful ally. The Korea-U.S. alliance that once sustained us and maintained stability when Seoul-Tokyo relations became brittle, has been shaken to the core in the three years the Roh administration has been in power. Tokyo knows that Seoul has maneuvered itself into a diplomatic corner: that is why it is acting so shamelessly in the Dokdo question.
All very true. Japan has called Seoul’s bluff, and can afford to do so because Tokyo’s relations with the US are great, whereas Seoul’s relations with the US are awful.
ALSO: Domestically, Koizumi’s East Asia diplomacy is the least popular aspect of his administration: more than half opposed the Yasukuni Shrine visits, almost four-fifths of the country want improved relations with China, and I’d wager that figure is even higher for Korea.
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COMMENTS / 13 COMMENTS
snow added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 3:26 amI agree that the present Korean administration has stupidly damaged its relationship with the US, but I don’t think the recent moves by the Japanese government do anything but add fuel to the fire. It will get the Koreans pissed off yet again and could cause more problems for Japanese businesses trying to do business in Korea. I can see it being fun rattling the cage a bit, but what’s the point? It could be damaging.
I just can’t see why the Japanese government would do this, though I very much suspect it’s for similar reasons that the Korean government jumps on the anti-American and anti-Japanese bandwagon every chance it gets: as a cynical opportunity to pump up ratings at home.
Curzon added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 3:42 amSnow: what’s wrong with Japan asserting its claim to Takeshima? Are you saying that if another country protests about something vigorously enough, they should throw in the towel? If Europe protests enough about the Iraq war, should we withdraw so as not to hurt US businesses in Europe? The Japanese national government has been remarkably patient on this issue.
adamu added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 3:52 amMan I wrote a comment and it hasn’t shown up yet. What gives?
snow added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 3:54 amNo, I’m not sure that that’s what’s going on here, Curzon. Is this a serious play to make a claim here or just a political move to bump up the popularity at home? Not knowing the situation in Japan, I’m not sure, but in Korea, the making of this into a big issue is mostly alot of hot air. As far as I can tell, nothing’s going to happen over this issue. It’s just a bunch of windbags stirring up shit for political gain.
Curzon added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 4:55 amAdamu: Your comment is not in moderation and may have been lost. I apologize. Please repost.
Snow: Japan has a territorial claim on the Liancourt Rocks under international law. The island is currently occupied by Korea, which also claims the territory. Japan has requested international arbitration; Korea has refused. Tokyo has neither changed nor unilaterally reasserted its position on this issue since 1954, shortly after the military skirmish when the ROK military kicked the Japanese off the island.
The island only became an issue recently because the Prefectural Government of Shimane proclaimed Takeshima Day, thus reminding the easily excitable Korean electorate of Japan’s claim. That is the origin of the current situation.
The current textbook incident is neither a “serious play to make a claim” nor “a bunch of windbags” trying for political gain. In this case, it’s the Ministry of Education correcting textbooks that were incorrect: “Senkaku, Takeshima, and the Kurils are currently having their sovereignty negotiated” is a sloppy statement. More accurately, Senkaku is claimed and occupied by Japan, and also claimed by China; Takeshima is claimed and occupied by South Korea, and also claimed by Japan. This was not an official reassertion, just a clarification of the school textbooks.
The only change that has resulted from the finger-chopping wackiness of the past few years is that because the issue is in the news, Civics courses feel obliged to teach it. And it was the clarification of teaching the issue that the Ministry was targetting.
snow added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 5:35 am“The island only became an issue recently because the Prefectural Government of Shimane proclaimed Takeshima Day, thus reminding the easily excitable Korean electorate of Japan’s claim. That is the origin of the current situation.”
Is this really the only reason why it’s turned into such a big issue recently? Doesn’t it have something to do with fishing rights and reneging on treaties or something like that? Why are we hearing about this issue at all, other than as a back page filler about fishing treaty negotiations?
What I hate about the issue is that it’s been blown so out of proportion. Ideally, both Japan and Korea could agree to disagree on their competing claims and go ahead and work on sorting out their disagreements on the treaties that are already in place. Nothing will get solved by making it into a big nationalistic fight over claims to the islands. Maybe you’re right that the Japanese government is dealing with the situation relatively matter-of-factly while the Korean counterparts have been freaking out, but I think there are elements in the Japanese government who are happy to stir things up.
Curzon added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 6:28 amSee Wikipedia for the current timeline. To wit:
1996: ROK builds wharf on island
1998: ROK builds lighthouse
2002: Declared natural monument (in reaction to one Japanese textbook claim that ROK control is illegal)
2004: ROK issues postal stamps with the islands on them; Japan updates it’s position paper on the issue in response.
2005: Takeshima Day issued by the hicks in Shimane, and the diplomatic shit hits the fan.As a realist with a strong interest in organizational behavior, I believe there are interests in both countries using the issue for personal gain: in Korea, certain interests use it to whip up national pride/fury, distract from domestic issues; in Japan, certain interests find it useful to show that Korea appears feverishly irrational. Neither countries are helped internationally by this being an issue.
snow added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 6:36 amThanks for the info, Curzon. Very interesting. Well, it does look like it’s been a brewing issue for the last dozen years. It’s just too bad that some on the Korean side have taken the issue to extremes, probably mostly due to resentment over the colonial period than to any inherent interest in Dokto/Takeshima.
Curzon added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 7:25 amAs ROK sees it as an issue of national pride, and Japan sees it as an issue where they shouldn’t submit to pressure and give up sovereignty, it would be best if there was arbitration to settle the matter, or b.) both sides could agree to give Seoul the islands with generous concessions to Tokyo regarding the exclusive economic zone. Keeping this issue on the table does bilateral relations no favors.
snow added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 7:30 amWell, I think you’ve summed up the way to go very nicely there. Unfortunately, diplomatic relations between Asian countries often seem to defy rationality.
speaking of added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 7:43 amMaybe we can have a US isolationist day. US will turn its back for a day and not intervene in this or Taiwon and let them go at it without US third party far away influence, then the next day what happened happened and we go back to normal.
Dumb Idea?
Well i tried
snow added these pithy words on 31 Mar 06 at 8:08 amHey Curzon, I’m trying to be nice (some might say politically correct) in my comments. Some things are handled rationally, I’m sure, just don’t ask me to list them.
And no, speaking of, I don’t think it would be a good idea cause that would give the US’s enemies a leg up. I know there’s a sense of wanting to walk away when they’re always getting unfairly critiscized, and I do want them to reduce the number of troops in Korea, to a small amount, but isolationism of any kind would give our enemies an advantage. It might also scare the crap out of some of our allies, which wouldnt necessarily be a bad thing, but it seems that no matter what the US does, it’s always wrong, in the minds of those who hate us.
