Foreign Relations of Japan - Debates and Frictions

Debates and Frictions

Japan has formally issued apologies for its military occupations before and during World War II, but that has done little in helping to improve its relationships with neighboring countries, especially the People's Republic of China, North Korea and South Korea. These countries still insist that Japan has yet to formally express remorse for its wrongdoings in the 20th century, despite some formal statements of regret from Prime Ministers Hosokawa Morihiro and Murayama Tomiichi. Japan’s official stance is that all war-related reparation claims have been resolved (except with North Korea). Unofficial visits to the controversial Yasukuni Jinja by past Prime Ministers belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party and the exclusion or generalization of some elements of Japan’s military history in a number school textbooks have also clouded the issue.

In 2004 the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea also criticized Japan for sending its Ground Self Defence Forces to Iraq, which was seen as signalling a return to militarism. The government of Japan insisted that its forces would only participate in reconstruction and humanitarian aid missions.

There is a strong anti-Japanese sentiment in the People’s Republic of China, North Korea and South Korea. Antagonism is not inevitable however. South Korea and Japan successfully dual-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup, bridging a physical and political gap between the two countries. The great popularity in Japan of Bae Yong Joon, a South Korean actor, has also been seen as a sign that the two countries have moved closer together.