politics

Japan, S Korea mark 50 years of diplomatic ties

30 Comments
By Jack Kim and Kiyoshi Takenaka

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


30 Comments
Login to comment

Japan, S Korea mark 50 years of diplomatic ties

The South Korean ambassador should've presented Mr Abe with a photo-book of the sex slaves instead. Facing the truth shouldn't be avoided. Solving that issue would greatly improve Korean-Japanese relations

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Best score 50 marks and likely to remain same after another 50 years (!)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If South Korea and Japan doesn t tie the relationship VERY FAST ... China will increase his power over Asia ... with that Bank Fund for Asian countries ... and countries with territories issues with China ... like Phillipines , Taiwan , Indonesia and others ... even Korea and Japan ... will have big problems in the future ...

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Japan - Korea problems blame wise I wud say 705 & 30% respectively!

Both need to do better but Japan has really blown it & the damage to its image & economy are both increasing, what a waste!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Let it go!!! And commenters ignoring the whole landmark apology thing. Seriously? Numerous apologies have been issued. Why can't China and Korea drop this already and show they're dedicated to peace? Japan's not perfect but they're only ones trying. Learn from the past and move on. Don't keep it alive. Don't see Japan and America still at each other's throats over nukes and Pearl Harbor do you? No. Because keeping past alive is pointless.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Numerous apologies have been issued.

Numerous denials have also been issued.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Welcome development in mutual relations between two countries .Leave past behind and move forward to future with confidence.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japan blow it??

Why... because as part of the apology give money in cash to the Korean government? Or Because for nearly 40 years Japan provided non refundable assistance to South Korea for construction of roads, water treatment, power generation, schools, hospitals, etc... also as part of several actions as apology for past acts?

Or Japan blow it, because, for decades Japanese companies assisted (in order to gain money, but still), and invested heavily in South Korea. Partly because of this, present Korea is capable of manufacturing electric appliances, cars, ships and computers?

For a lot of time, Japan has payed in spiritually and in physical form (money, cooperation, investment) for what it caused during the first part of the past century. I suppose Japan blow it, because after it collaborated so much in making Korea what it is now, Korea is not willing to forgive, and it doesn't even recognized all that Japan and its people has done to help them....

By that you are referring of "blowing it"?? or you just saying that because of you limited knowledge and/or unwillingness to recognize what Japan has done for the Korean people life?

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Japan's not perfect but they're only ones trying.

Yeah it's not like the Japanese Prime Minister is hellbent on sanitising Japan's past war crimes, drumming up nationalism , and making offerings to the Yasukuni shrine..

8 ( +10 / -2 )

And sending his wife to visit

1 ( +5 / -4 )

By that you are referring of "blowing it"?? or you just saying that because of you limited knowledge and/or unwillingness to recognize what Japan has done for the Korean people life?

@Daniel Neagari - Yes Koreans in general tend to be dismissive of any positive influence the Japanese occupation has had on Korea, but how is it ANY different from your dismissiveness of the rape, murder, and torture of the Korean people by the Japanese? You are accusing people of bias while openly demonstrating your own..

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@cajun

Don't see Japan and America still at each other's throats over nukes and Pearl Harbor do you?

No, because they don't deny or downplay what happened. Were they to do so, it would be controversial to say the least. Were they to do so repeatedly, it would cause major difficulties in their relationship.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

CajunH2O JUN. 22, 2015 - 05:50PM JST Don't see Japan and America still at each other's throats over nukes and Pearl Harbor do you? No. Because keeping past alive is pointless.

America may have caused brutal massacre like trail of tears and vietnam wars, I have never once seen any politicians denying and downplaying those incidents. Japan on the other hand has been well-known for revising the history for their own benefits.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I wud say 705 & 30% respectively!

Should have been 70% & 30% respectively, oops!

Let it go!!! And commenters ignoring the whole landmark apology thing. Seriously

Cajun

And your ignoring all the history of denial, denial of SEX SLAVES, Japan STILL cant even agree on what WWII was after 70yrs & the white washing is just nasty! Do you understand what the word sincerity means??

Why... because as part of the apology give money in cash to the Korean government? Or Because for nearly 40 years Japan provided non refundable assistance to South Korea for construction of roads, water treatment, power generation, schools, hospitals, etc... also as part of several actions as apology for past acts?

etc etc

DanielN,

Wow just wow, you think Japan can just BUY off Korea, China & SE Asia eh, all the while denying its atrocities & now be all shiny clean............sorry it DONT work that way! Again I ask do you understand what the word sincerity means because Japan has shown precious LITTLE of it for 70yrs.

Yeah Japan threw a bit of ca$h around that in case you didn't know J-Inc reaped back in a lot of!

Sorry but a bit of cash aint going to buy Japan much as is evidenced the last few years BIG TIME.

Hint instead of the PM NHK, right wing media all lying to themselves & their people a little truthful reflection would go a long way BUT I suppose after 70yrs of denials we cant expect much can we!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

To those who have a piece of rock instead of a brain..... Enlight us with thy knowledge on to how and what to do to seek forgiveness?

Should Japan be on it knees and plead for forgiveness?

One sided views only from Korea is not a neutral position, nor it is to say that both sides are guilty but "70% and 30%". If both sides are guilty then 50% both sides it is no matter from where you see it.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Enlight us with thy knowledge on to how and what to do to seek forgiveness?

Few things Japan has to do:

1) PM should stop visiting the Yasukuni, but should instead, endorse the other memorial to the war dead 2) Stop rewriting history in Japanese classroom text books 3) Stop writing provocative statements in Japanese foreign ministry web sites 4) Issue an unequivocal apology and compensation to the sex slave victims of WWII, passed by the Japanese parliament into a law (like how the American Congress passed the apology and compensation to the Japanese American war internment, as officially backed by the American government. 5) Fire any Japanese ministers who make revisionist remarks.

Japanese don't need to get on their knees and beg for forgiveness, but these are concrete steps that Japan can do to earning full trust and respect from the Koreans. I don't think steps 1 to 5 are that hard to do, nor are they unreasonable requests. However, Japan has never tried them, yet they want full credit for doing very little and act as if they are victims.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Good post Papi.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@ Daniel Neagari.. Even people with a piece of rock instead of a brain WILL know a sincere apology from a fake one. They will feel it.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

You know, if Abe is not going to retract the 1993 apology, then he should be able to repeat it. Of course, the flip side is: If he's not going to repeat that apology, then he should retract it, and start a war... but he doesn't have the balls to do that.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Tahoochi Abe does not have the ability to start a war. Then start a war with who? As for the apology it has been issued though perhaps compensation to the "comfort women" would be in order. Straight from the government of Japan to all of the comfort women.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@Vincehwr"America may have caused brutal massacre like trail of tears and Vietnam wars, I have never once seen any politicians denying or downplaying those incidents."

Please, show us example of American politician who brought official apology to Natives in reservations for Trail of Tears or to people of Vietnam for infamous Vietnam war. Show us any American politician who brought apology to people of Japan for brutal fire bombings of Japanese cities and atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And we know American politicians who voted for and actively supported the erection of so-called "comfort women" statues on American soil.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

YuriOtani: Uh, yeah.... "start a war" was kind of a joke...

I'm just saying, if Abe is not going to retract past apologies made by Japan, and if relations with S. Korea are so important, then why not make another apology?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is different. I see Abe's big smile for receiving his father's picture. Abe family has been proKorean. Mrs Abe loves Korean TV dramas and she speaks Korean language. I believe both countries will be friendly now. China might worry but China itself wants to help S. Korean and Japan become friends. Hope China and Korea forgive Japan's atrocity until 1945. This time Japan will show sincerely and I sense Abe is ready. LDP conservatives are losing popularity and now youngsters will not vote for ultra conservatives. When SK, Japan and China become friends, who care of N Korea. When these three become friends, Japan can get tid of US bases and can stop paying more than $2 billion a year to USA .

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Christopher Glen "This is called deflection. It doesn't work. Keep trying."

Any arguments instead of emotions?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Abe family has been proKorean.

If they were, they would avoid doing the one thing that irks both Koreas above all else - visiting Yasukuni shrine

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Because for nearly 40 years Japan provided non refundable assistance to South Korea for construction of roads, water treatment, power generation, schools, hospitals, etc... also as part of several actions as apology for past acts?

Why do Japanese still continue to propel this kind of nonsense? Loans from Asia Development Bank, are loans, they are not free. They have interest rates tacked onto them. Japanese banks made money on those interests.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

USD 300 million in grants.

I thought Japan is claiming that grant as war reparations and token of apology? Now you're saying it's economic aid? Which was it? If it was aid, then Japan still owes war reparations.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Japan provided non refundable assistance to South Korea for construction of roads, water treatment, power generation, schools, hospitals, etc... also as part of several actions as apology for past acts?

-First of all, those were loans.

-Secondly, this was done after 35 years of brutal colonization, heavy taxation, and forced labor of Koreans (which Japan heavily benefited from). Japan still hasn't returned more than 200,000 cultural artifacts that it stole during this period.

-Third, Japan profited heavily from supplying the Americans during the Korean war. Its what jump started your economy.

-Fourth, Korea doesn't owe Japan anything. Those loans were paid back decades ago.

-Fifth, If the Japanese government is so bothered by this, then maybe they shouldn't have rampaged across asia.

-Sixth, Japan continues to whine, cry, and pretend to be the victim. Its laughable how immature a country can be.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

So China's sidekick wants to latch on to Japan again because their TVs, smartphone, and other electronics aren't selling well anymore because big brother(China) became major player and threat in same field? Korea's economy must be really tanking after MERS and world tech saturation. Japan should proceed with caution.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

There were no loans.... Loans means that you have to pay the money back Those (most of them) were "none refundable assistance"

and also most project were channeled through JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and JBIC (Japan Bank of International Cooperation) and not so much through ADB.

Sorry you guys are a bit off and ignorant in those aspects... but you can keep it up.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites