Japan–South Korea relations

Japan-South Korea relations

Japan	South Korea

Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) were established in 1965.

Japan–South Korea

Article 9 of Japan's constitution is interpreted to bar Japan from entering into security relations with countries other than the United States. Consequently, Japan had no substantive defense relationship with South Korea, and military contacts were infrequent. However, Japan backed United States contingency plans to dispatch United States armed forces in Japan to South Korea in case of a North Korean attack on South Korea. It also supported the opening of relations between South Korea and China in the 1980s. Since the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, Japan has recognized South Korea as the only legitimate government of the whole Korean peninsula.

Since normalizing relations at the urging of the United States in 1965, Seoul and Tokyo have held annual foreign ministerial conferences. The usual issues discussed have been trade, the status of the Korean minority population in Japan, the content of textbooks dealing with the relationship, Tokyo's equidistant policy between Pyongyang and Seoul, and the occasional problems.

Roh Tae-woo's Nordpolitik somewhat relaxed Seoul's vehement opposition to Tokyo's approach to Pyongyang. The Japan Socialist Party, in particular, has become active in improving relations not only between Pyongyang and Tokyo, but also between itself and Seoul. As the Japan Socialist Party abandoned its posture favoring Pyongyang, Seoul has welcomed the new equidistant policy, inviting a former secretary general of the Japan Socialist Party, Masashi Ishibashi, to Seoul in October 1988. Ishibashi's visit was unusually productive, not only in improving his party's image in Seoul, but also in his reported willingness to mediate between Seoul and Pyongyang. While Tokyo appeared willing to assist Seoul in improving relations not only with Pyongyang but also with Beijing, it did not seem to welcome the much-improved Seoul-Moscow relationship. Further, Seoul-Tokyo relations became somewhat strained when in 1989 Tokyo began steps to improve relations with Pyongyang.

Japan's trade with South Korea was US$29.1 billion in 1991, with a surplus of nearly US$5.8 billion on the Japanese side. Japanese direct private investment in South Korea totaled US$4.4 billion in 1990. Japanese and South Korean firms often had interdependent relations, which gave Japan advantages in South Korea's growing market. Many South Korean products were based on Japanese design and technology. A surge in imports of South Korean products into Japan in 1990 was partly the result of production by Japanese investors in South Korea.

In 1996 FIFA announced that the two countries would jointly host the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The next few years would see leaders of both countries meet to warm relations in preparations for the games. Though citizens of both countries were initially unhappy about having to share the honors with the other, and the Liancourt Rocks controversy flared up again, it turned out to be very successful.

The year 2005 was designated as the "Japan-South Korea Friendship Year". However, the Liancourt Rocks controversy erupted again when Japan's Shimane prefecture declared "Takeshima Day", inciting mass demonstrations in South Korea.

Cultural exchange

Censorship of Japanese media in South Korea

Cultural exchange has been hampered by the continued censorship of Japanese media in South Korea.

From South Korea to Japan

In recent years, South Korean pop culture experienced major popularity in Japan, a phenomenon dubbed the"Korean wave" (韓流) in Japan. The Korean Wave has sparked a fad for Korean movies, dramas and pop music in Japan.

A Korean television series entitled Winter Sonata, which first appeared in Japan in April 2003, became a runaway hit in Japan, and has often been identified as a landmark in Korean-Japanese cultural exchange. The female K-pop artist BoA is one of the most popular singers in Japan with six consecutive albums topping the billboard charts.

In more recent years various K-pop artists, including, Super Junior, TVXQ, Choshinsung, Big Bang, Kara, Girls' Generation, and 2pm, have made their debuts in Japan, and these groups have contributed to the rebirth of the Korean wave in Japan. Kara and Girls' Generation in particular has been topping numerous charts and awards in Japan. Numerous other groups, such as F.T. Island, SHINee and BEAST have also entered the Japanese market.

From Japan to South Korea

After the end of World War II, South Korea banned "Japanese cultural imports" such as music, film, video games, literature (manga). In South Korea, the ban was partially lifted under the Kim Dae-jung administration in 1998. In January 2004, the ban on imports of Japanese CDs and DVDs was finally lifted in South Korea. Despite this, there were some South Korean DVD imports of movies that were identical to Japanese DVDs sold from 1999 to 2003.

Korean drama production companies have sought to secure the rights to Japanese novels (manga). In the film industry, movies based on Japanese works have begun to appear. Hayao Miyazaki's anime film Howl's Moving Castle drew 3,000,000 viewers in the South Korean market.

References

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