1. Japan-South Korean Relations

2. Historical Legacies
Relations between Japan and Korea date back two millennia
Cultural proximity
Language family
Written characters
Confucianism
Buddhism
...

3. Japanese Invasions
, Japanese invasion was defeated by joint China-Korea forces.
war between Qing China and Japan over control of Korea.
war between Russia and Japan
1910 Japan annexed Korea

4. Japan’s Occupation 1910-1945 Current historical issues:
Japanese statements of remorse for World War II
Korean laborers during World War II
Korean “comfort women” during World War II
Yasukuni Shrine (convicted war criminals)
...

5. Wartime Atrocities in the Relations
Kono Statement of 1993
The statement, named after then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, contained a landmark apology to the sex slaves known euphemistically in Japan as “comfort women.”
Murayama Statement of 1995
Then socialist Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama ( ) apologized for wartime suffering inflicted by Japan on its Asian neighbors.

6. Normalization of Relations 1965
President Park Chung-Hee of South Korea established diplomatic relations with Japan.
Economic benefits
Resentment

7. Territorial Dispute Dokdo (in Korean) / Takeshima (in Japanese)
South Korean government position:
“Dokdo ... is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law.”
Japanese government position:
“Takeshima is clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in the light of historical facts and based upon international law.”

8. Trading Partners South Korea is Japan’s Japan is South Korea’s
3rd largest export market (8%)
6th largest source of imports (5%)
Japan is South Korea’s
3rd largest export market (7%)
2nd largest source of imports (12%)
Japan => South Korea $64 billion
South Korea => Japan $39 billion

9. Trade and Investment
2010
2011
2012
2013
Japan-South Korea total trade growth
5.96%
-4.35%
10.55%
Japanese investment in South Korea
$1.085 billion
$2.439 billion
$3.996 billion
$3.286 billion
South Korean investment in Japan
$559 million
$47 million

10. Role of US and China
US bilateral alliances with Japan and with South Korea respectively
Common concerns over North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s rising power
China is the top trade partner of Japan and of South Korea