politics

S Korean president meets Tokyo governor

29 Comments

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

© (c) 2014 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

29 Comments
Login to comment

Hats off to Tokyo Gov. Masuzoe for his constructive efforts to get the Tokyo-Seoul sister city relationship back on track. This is a much needed step in a positive direction.

7 ( +13 / -6 )

Now President Park should get off her high horse and visit the Big Mikan for some R&R. I'm sure Matsuzoe has a generous expense account.

1 ( +8 / -8 )

Masuzoe made a courtesy call at the presidential Blue House, which Park used to reiterate Seoul’s demand that Tokyo make proper redress for grievances related to its 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

She will always demand that Japan pay, pay, pay and pay some more. Her daddy signed the agreement and she is hell bent on destroying it.

It's always about the money.

3 ( +15 / -13 )

Increase the Peace!

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I guarantee Masuzoe won't see his second term. He might be recalled.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Around 200,000 women, mainly from Korea but also China, Taiwan, Indonesia and other Asian countries, were forcibly recruited into the wartime brothels

So why aren't the other countries making their own headlines with their on quest in this pressing issue?

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Her father was educated by Japan. She was by Korea. Do you see difference?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I guarantee she won't see a second term.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Her father made a name for himself, She was his daughter, Do you see difference?

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Around 200,000 women, mainly from Korea but also China, Taiwan, Indonesia and other Asian countries, were forcibly recruited into the wartime brothels

china and the southeast asian countries do voice their opinions about this. just because its not picked up globally or in japan papers doesnt mean it people dont talk about it.

Now President Park should get off her high horse and visit the Big Mikan for some R&R. I'm sure Matsuzoe has a generous expense account.

this is not about being on her high horse, president hu jingtoa and president xi have expressed the same concerns with the japanese government about the sex slavery issues. germany has publicly said they were wrong, but japan continues to back track.

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

He is a more mellow and considerate person than Abe. Something good will come out of it. In the end, Japan and Korea will be friend, the two Koreas will become one, and there will be the fake call of peace. Do not get deceived with it.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Japan and Korea need each other and Ms. Park needs to realize that. She needs to show her diplomatic side and reach out to Abe. So far she has failed dismally in this area.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

The number of Japanese tourists to SK in June fell further again. I just don't know what Korea is trying to achieve by hate-Japan on this and other historical materials.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Masuzoe met Female mayor and femael President. Maybe he will encourage Mrs Abe to have her Domestic Opposition Party to register as a Political Party and encourage more capable Japanese Tokyo women to join in Tokyo Political scene?

S. Korean Pres. is on her own, Her father is not instructing her as he waas dead. Just visiting Korea by Masuzoe is good enough but now he even visited Pres. Park ! No misogyny by Masuzoe.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Now wait until another Japanese official with a big mouth say something stupid again to totally undo what little this meeting did. It never fails every time. It's like clock work.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

Japan and Korea need each other

I don't think this is true, even if I always support diplomacy, maybe it would be better if these countries would broke any kind of relation. There's not real hope of dialogue between them, for many complex reasons.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Masuzoe made a courtesy call at the presidential Blue House, which Park used to reiterate Seouls demand that Tokyo make proper redress for grievances related to its 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

So the current Governor of Tokyo can't be received as a guest, but is used by Park as the lighting rod/conduit for transgressions from 70 years ago, which he had nothing to do with?

In particular, she highlighted the plight of so-called 'comfort women' forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, the Blue House said.

SK was not worried about the plight of comfort women when Japan paid reparations to SK. They took the money and used it instead for their own political purposes, and the 'plight' which Park speaks of was conveniently ignored by the SK government. If they really cared about the 'plight' they would have used the reparation money JUSTLY to compensate the victims at a point in their life when it might have actually made a difference to them. Braying on about it now 50 years after the fact is disingenuous, and shows that SK is once again putting political motives ahead of the 'plight' of the comfort women.

'The issue of comfort women is not merely a bilateral one, but an issue related with general human rights,' Park was quoted as saying.

No, in this case it IS a bilateral one. Seoul needs to be (very) publicly brought to task over what happened to the money the Japanese government paid in the 1960's that was meant to alleviate the plight of the 'comfort women', as it was earmarked for that purpose and that purpose alone. The South Korean government CHOSE to use it to industrialize the nation and build infrastructure. That was their choice. See below:

South Korea agreed to demand no further compensation, either at the government or individual level, after receiving $800 million in grants and soft loans from Japan as compensation for its 1910–45 colonial rule in the treaty.

Take note of the point " SK agreed to demand no further compensation" above. They have obviously broken that term of the contract, and Japan should consider any financial claims permanently resolved. No matter what anyone thinks or feels here, this was an agreement willingly signed by both parties, with neither one of them under duress or coercion. If you owed a debt to a bank, paid it in full (or paid a settlement amount that both parties agreed to) and then continues to send you bills saying your debt was not paid off because the president chose to "take his directors out on the town" with your money, and not apply it to your debt, then that is the bank's problem and not yours. The bank's claim would never stand up in court, and this is pretty analogous to what SK did with the reparation money. Japan paid in good faith, and SK used it for a purpose that it was not meant for. Again, their call and they need to be taken to task over it in front of the world.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Thank you, China.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

would broke* any kind of relation. break

Fixed my grammar mistake in my earlier post.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Any slowing down of the Japanese denials is progress! Germany holds a solemn commemoration ceremony for Von Stauffenberg and the Valkyrie attempt to assassinate Hitler and Japan goes to worship Class A CRIMINALS??? Give this guy some credit for at least trying something within his capability to stop the lying about the kidnapping of 11 year olds as sex slaves.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

IlbonPaboJul. 26, 2014 - 05:57AM JST Any slowing down of the Japanese denials is progress! Germany holds a solemn commemoration ceremony for Von >Stauffenberg and the Valkyrie attempt to assassinate Hitler and Japan goes to worship Class A CRIMINALS???

Get a clue. NOBODY goes to worship the Class A War Criminals of which there are 14 out of 2,466,532 men women and children enshrined. It's the constant repeating of fallacies like this that keeps the controversy going with no resolution in sight.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

@OssanAntiAmerica. Get a clue??? "On October 17, 1978, 14 Class A war criminals (convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East), including Hideki Tōjō, were enshrined in the middle of the night as "Martyrs of Shōwa" (昭和殉難者), The enshrinement was only revealed to the media on April 19, 1979". Regular visits started after that decision. Have you been to Austria? 90+% of the visitors to Hitler's birthplace are Japanese. "Yasukuni Shrine also operates a war museum of the history of Japan,the museum fails to portray any atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army. On the invasion of Nanking, the museum omits any mention of the massacre" . This brave Japanese Mayor went on a mission to put a stop to the hate the deniers in Japan and on this board are spewing.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Think it is time to break diplomatic relations with South Korea and inform the Americans they can not use their bases in Japan to support South Korea. The vast majority of Japanese do not worship the war criminals. The shrine is a private not government place. Japan refuses to allow foreigners to dictate policy within Japan. If the south wants to annual the friendship treaty with Japan I say let it happen. Then slap economic sanctions against the south. If they want to be enemies of Japan and friends with the Peoples Republic of Japan let it be said it was their choice. When they get attacked by the North backed up by the Peoples Republic they would have earned their destiny.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

President Park is by far the worst leader South Korea has had in the last 30 years. She is a train wreck that just keeps giving. Her leadership skills are akin to a bull in a china shop, but the only folks that don't see it are the blind nationalist who support her and the Communist sympathizers that surround her.

President Park believes that by siding with Communist China against her old allies it will bring her one step closer to achieving her dream of clearing her family name. She believes that the giant reunification Carrot trap will bring Korea into a new age of growth and prosperity. She thinks that this age will launch Korea from a simple pawn on the world stage and vault it into a Superpower.

But, the truth is that this Communist Carrot trap will only bring doom and despair for the South Korean people and her name will be scorned for ages to come. And in typical Korean fashion what will follow right after that will be scorn for the US and Japan for allowing this mad-women to do what she is planning. The Korean's will claim that it was all a plan to keep the Korean people down and then create silly conspiracy theories to try and pass blame for their own mishap.

So, I for one say, President Park needs to end all this silliness and do what she is planning. First President Park needs to tell the US forces to leave her nation and then she needs to stand at the border and wait for what will come next.

What will come next will not be prosperity and happiness, no ladies and gents what will come next will be Communist North Korean tanks rolling down Cheong Wa Dae Road with Communist Chinese PLA troops in support. Seoul South Korea will be rename Kim Sung Ill city and President Park will be to blame.

So, I for one say, let the Korean's who support the hatred that she has been promoting get what is coming and let them wallow in their own makings.

ORDO AB CHAO

Those that have, must learn to love what they lose.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

@Yuri... I agree. Break relations with Japan and move all our bases to Korea. Stop digging into American wallets to protect a country that denies history. Let Japan defend themselves from the 400 road mobile ICMBs and 6 Chinese Nuclear subs which run silent and deep and carry multiple warheads per missile You said Korea wants to be friends with the "Peoples Republic of Japan". Your words. They don't. I don't. Americans don't. We choose Korea and China. Japan's time is over.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@Yuri... I agree. Break relations with Japan and move all our bases to Korea. Stop digging into American wallets to protect a country that denies history. Let Japan defend themselves from the 400 road mobile ICMBs and 6 Chinese Nuclear subs which run silent and deep and carry multiple warheads per missile You said Korea wants to be friends with the "Peoples Republic of Japan". Your words. They don't. I don't. Americans don't. We choose Korea and China. Japan's time is over.

Me thinks you are unfamiliar OPCON. There are no "move all our bases to Korea" for it's up to SK to defend against Lil Kim Jr. U.S. and Japan only cares about evacuating their own citizens out of SK when $hit hits the fan. Hence the recent reinterpretation of the ability of collective self defense.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

IlbonPaboJul. 28, 2014 - 02:08PM JST @Yuri... I agree. Break relations with Japan and move all our bases to Korea.

Strategically speaking doing this would leave the US forces in South Korea an easy target for attack with no way of escape.

Let's take a look at a map, to the North sits 5 million North Korean's to the East sits Chinese batteries and navy ready to block any withdraw from South Korea. So, if the US did what you want that would be the worst possible move for any army.

Japan is in the perfect spot, it's the doorway to Asia and with the vast amount of ocean at it's back a perfect place to supply.

Look at any map at any of your South (or North) Korean libraries and you will see what I am talking about.

IlbonPaboJul. 28, 2014 - 02:08PM JST Stop digging into American wallets to protect a country that denies history.

American wallets, what are you talking about? Japan pays around $2 Billion dollars per year while South Korea pays around $700 Million. Now, call me silly, but why would I move my bases to a nation that pays me less?

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/japan/japan-agrees-to-five-year-pact-to-pay-for-u-s-defense-1.128712

IlbonPaboJul. 28, 2014 - 02:08PM JST Let Japan defend themselves from the 400 road mobile ICMBs and 6 Chinese Nuclear subs which run silent and deep and carry multiple warheads per missile You said Korea wants to be friends with the "Peoples Republic of Japan". Your words. They don't. I don't. Americans don't. We choose Korea and China. Japan's time is over.

No, your nation choose to ally itself with Communist China because it has a very short memory. The U.S. will never abandon it's bases in Japan because it knows the worth of keeping bases here. If anything the U.S. would move it's bases out of South Korea before they would ever dream of leaving Japan.

Also, the way Park has been snuggling up to Xi it's only a matter of time before she tries to get the US forces out of South Korea.

The US should pull it's forces out of South Korea and it should do it soon.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

They met together, Masuzoe must be happy that Tokyo can welcome S Korean Olympic athletes in 2020.It is nice Park met Masuzoe. She is the head of S Korea while Masuzoe is only the head of Tokyo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Masuzoe san's gesture is commendable but he's still one of ABE's cronies and at the core he shares the same belligerent sentiment towards Korea and China.

-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