Seoul-Tokyo tension setback for US

A FLARE-UP in tensions between South Korea and Japan marks at least a temporary setback for the United States, which has sought to boost cooperation between its allies as part of its focus on Asia.
South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak paid an unprecedented visit Friday to largely uninhabited but resource-rich islands that are controlled by Seoul and claimed by both countries, infuriating Japan, which recalled its ambassador.
Relations between the two close US allies are frequently rocky due to Korean resentment over Japan’s harsh 1910-1945 colonial rule, and friction is especially common in August due to sensitive anniversaries. But the latest tensions represent a swift and substantial shift from just a few months ago, when officials in Washington hoped Japan and South Korea had turned the page and that the three countries could increasingly work together.
The United States has encouraged better relations between its allies but steered clear of taking sides over the islets, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan in waters respectively called the East Sea and Sea of Japan.
“We take no position on this territorial dispute. We want to see our two strong Pacific allies work this out together and work it out through consensus,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday.
President Barack Obama has put a growing emphasis on Asia, where economies are expanding, and where an assertive China has concerned several neighbors. The United States, which stations more than 75,000 troops in Japan and South Korea, has been highlighting its military presence in Asia.
Among Asian leaders, Lee has developed one of the closest relationships with Obama. US officials had repeatedly praised the businessman-turned-politician for looking at the big picture in international affairs, including seeking to end rifts with the United States and Japan after taking office in 2008.
In June, Lee’s administration had been set to sign a landmark agreement to share sensitive information between South Korea and Japan, the first military accord between the two countries since 1945. But South Korea postponed the signing at the last minute, with both ruling party and opposition parties concerned about public opposition. Presidential elections are due in December, though Lee cannot seek another term.
Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank, said that the pact would have allowed Japan and South Korea to share information on the North Korean and Chinese militaries and helped in developing a US-backed missile shield for the two allies.
“The flare-up of tensions between Seoul and Tokyo has national security repercussions for both countries as well as impeding US security objectives in Asia,” said Klingner, cautioning that the United States should be careful not to take sides but rather find ways to encourage three-way cooperation.
Washington could increase military exercises involving all three countries and establish annual meetings of US, Japanese and South Korean foreign and defense ministers, similar to talks Washington now holds separately with each ally, Klingner suggested.
Scott Snyder, director of the program on US-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that Lee’s trip to the disputed islands showed he was nearing the end of his term.
“With a diminishing sense of power may come a diminishing sense of responsibility on some of the issues, or at least a willingness to take into greater consideration the domestic political environment versus longer-term interests,” Snyder said.
Snyder said that the tensions could be short-lived, with the next South Korean president again seeking a fresh start with Japan.
“But the concern would be that actions could spill over and affect the tone of the relationship” after Lee leaves.
Snyder likened the situation to Japan during the 2001-2006 premiership of Junichiro Koizumi, who each year visited the Yasukuni shrine which honors war dead including war criminals.
Koizumi’s pilgrimages angered China and South Korea whose leaders refused to meet him. Japan’s conservative Sankei newspaper said Monday that Tokyo was considering scrapping talks with South Korea at an upcoming summit due to Lee’s island visit.

— Agence France Presse