Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, right, and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung after signing the Japan-South Korea Joint Declaration in Tokyo on Oct. 8. 1998 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The recent Japan-Korea Exchange Festival held in Tokyo attracted more than 50,000 people, prompting all sorts of friendly exchanges. Eager attendees lined up at Korean food stalls while Japanese and Korean youngsters held animated conversations in another corner.

The event attested to Japan’s embrace of “Hallyu,” the Korean culture boom that shows no sign of waning. From fans who first became hooked on Korean TV dramas after watching “Winter Sonata” two decades ago to today’s youth captivated by K-pop and Korean cosmetics, the Korean cultural phenomenon transcends age and genre in Japan.

At the same time, Japanese anime has gained widespread popularity among filmgoers in South Korea, with films like “Suzume” becoming big hits.

The foundation of these extensive and robust cultural and citizen exchanges between Japan and Korea is rooted in the Japan-Korea Joint Declaration, signed 25 years ago.

Back then, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed “deep remorse” and offered a “heartfelt apology” for Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

In response to this gesture, South Korea’s President Kim Dae-jung championed a future-oriented relationship, encouraging mutual efforts to improve bilateral ties. The president also unlocked the doors to Japanese popular culture, which had long been kept at bay due to fears of it triggering a “cultural invasion.”

However, despite the leaders’ bold and weighty decisions, the bilateral relationship has not been without challenges or setbacks. In particular, the two countries remained locked in a bitter dispute over historical issues that the declaration had aimed to address.

For instance, an agreement on the issue of “comfort women” between the two countries was effectively turned into a dead letter by the subsequent administration in Seoul. A bitter dispute over wartime laborers drafted from the Korean Peninsula further mired the relationship, with Japan taking retaliatory measures in response to South Korean judicial decisions concerning the matter.

The political leaders of both countries bear a heavy responsibility for failing to adopt policies that embody the spirit of the 1998 joint declaration.

Yet, citizen-level exchanges have prevented a complete breakdown of the bilateral relationship. The lesson from the experiences of recent years is that Tokyo and Seoul should learn that merely chanting the mantra of “future-oriented” is insufficient for building a stable relationship.

South Korea proposed a solution to the wartime laborer issue this spring, and bilateral relations finally seem to be on the mend.

Yet, achieving the “true mutual understanding” called for by the declaration is a work in progress, and there is no guarantee that ties won’t sour again.

The two nations will need to adopt a multifaceted approach that goes far beyond cultural interactions if they are to foster meaningful mutual understanding while seeking to share perceptions of history-related issues. One idea that merits serious consideration is to set up a bilateral student exchange program modeled on the Erasmus Program (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) in the European Union, where member countries recognize each other’s university credits.

While the spirit of the joint declaration remains undiminished, the circumstances surrounding Japan and South Korea have changed radically.

It is said that the ties between the two countries, now on a par economically and in living standards, have transitioned from a “vertical relationship” to a “horizontal one.”

Japan and South Korea face some common challenges aside from aging populations with low birthrates. They included a security threat from North Korea and deepening U.S.-China conflict.

It is a time for the two neighbors to step up their efforts to forge a relationship fit for the new age of healthy competition and mutual learning for a better future.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 9

Related News