As Korea prepared to celebrate the 70th year of the end of WWII, there was much speculation over the content of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s August 15th message.

Shinzo Abe bows in front of the Peace Prayer statue in Nagasaki. It is expected he will include the word ‘apology’ in an anniversary statement later this week. Photograph: Kimimasa Mayama/EPA

China’s foreign ministry released a statement that it expected a “clear and correct message about the nature of the war and its responsibility for it.” The avid interest in Abe’s remarks indicates an opening out of decades of mutual disregard and, at times, open hostility between Japan and both China and Korea.

70 years after the end of WWII, Japan, South Korea and China have prospered as well as endured economic stagnation, usually attempting to exist independent of the others, cooperating only when it was of clear benefit to national interests.

Yet, cooperation among the three countries has economic, social, technological, cultural, scientific and especially regional security benefits. Even beyond the threat of a nuclear North Korea, China’s growing military might and Japan’s move towards “collective self-defense” speaks to the real and present dangers in Northeast Asia.

In an effort to move beyond and away from this pattern, Japan can take the lead into easing tensions for the region as a whole by focusing on larger regional interests. The foreword to the Japanese edition of the Korean Dream encourages the Japanese government and people to support and pursue Korean unification:

It is hoped that the nations of Japan and Korea and their people can bring closure to those issues that still tie us to the past and work together for the future peace and prosperity for the entire Northeast region. For a Korea unified on the basis of universal principles and shared values would free Japan from the current nuclear and missile threat and open the door for greater trade and investment as well.

There is a large population of Koreans from the two Koreas living in Japan and there are numerous opportunities to engage in talks on the vision, principles and values that can contribute to reunification of Korea.

Japanese business, political, social and even humanitarian interactions with both North and South Korea can have a bigger impact when guided by a larger vision of supporting Korean unification and Northeast Asia cooperation. Efforts to help Korea and the region will undoubtedly help both countries move beyond past resentments.

Moderator Victor Cha, Korea Chair of CSIS with forum panelists.

On July 7th in Washington DC, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Global Peace Foundation hosted the last of a five-part series examining key themes presented in Dr. Moon’s book, “Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea.” The final forum focused on Japan-Korea relations and the need for Japan to actively engage in Korean reunification.

The Chosun Times reported that:

A majority also [feels] that Japan does not contribute significantly to peace on the Korean Peninsula and promoting reunification. Some 53.9 percent said Japan actually hinders stability on the peninsula, even more than North Korea’s staunch ally China, which 42.1 percent see as an obstacle, and Russia at 37.9 percent.”

Sheila Smith of the Council of Foreign Relations proposed that Japan is undergoing “Korea fatigue,” due to ongoing demonstrations over resentments over Japan’s colonization. Michael Auslin of the American Enterprise Institute said that Japan would likely be positive about Korean unification, but cautious, clearly endorsing a unified Korea that sustains democratic values.

Clearly, the best way to ensure that this happens is to be a part of the process.

The experts at the forum were hopeful, emphasizing that cooperation based on mutual concerns such as regional security, health and economic development could serve as the foundation for improved relations, as well as grassroots civil engagement and education.

Smith referred to Kim Dae-jung’s appeal to view Korea-Japan relations from a wider lens, observing that the 20th century was just a small moment in the long history of Japan and Korean relations. “No leader since has done that,” said Smith, stressing the need for serious political leadership in both countries to establish a forward-looking vision of their relationship.

Korean reunification is one that reaches well beyond the scope of Korea and the Korean people. The global community – from Japan, China, Russia and beyond – would do well to recognize this and actively support the process.

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“This is a moment of decision. We stand at an inflection point in history where all factors are converging to accentuate the destiny of our people. Unlike the 20th century, the future of our peninsula, the region and the world lies in our hands. We hold all the cards, if only we are bold enough to seize this moment and shape what is to come.” Korean Dream: A Vision of a Unified Korea, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon

U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Sydney Seiler addresses changing relations of China, U.S. and the two Koreas at a Washington DC forum

A recent forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., jointly sponsored by the CSIS and the Global Peace Foundation examined changing relations between China the United States and the two Koreas.

According to Global Peace Foundation report, Ambassador U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Sydney Seiler told the full house that the United States and China have been working to “align and reconfirm” common goals, of which a high priority is Northeast Asian peace and stability.

“China seeks peace and stability in Northeast Asia; so do we,” Seiler said. “China seeks denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as a foundation for peace and stability. China understands the economic benefits of a peaceful and stable Korean peninsula, and so do we. And as a path toward these goals China seeks the return of North Korea to authentic and credible denuclearization negotiations; so do we. This consensus can form a firm foundation in the years ahead.”

The forum is a third in series that examines central topics concerning the unification of the Korean peninsula, many of which are raised in Dr. Moon’s award-winning book, “Korea Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea.” Dr. Hyun Jin Moon posits a new approach to unification focused on a common vision rooted in the Korean people’s indigenous spiritual heritage as opposed to the traditional frameworks of the cold-war and political economic perspectives.

Left to Right: Dr. Victor Cha, Korea Chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Amb. Sydney Seiler and Dr. Quansheng Zhao, Professor of International Relations and Chair of the Asian Studies Program Research Council at American University, discuss China’s role in securing Korean unification.

Among other contributing factors to China’s shifting perspective towards the Korean peninsula raised at the forum is China’s growing economic relations with the Republic of Korea. Comparatively, trade between China and the ROK is 45 times that of China and the DPRK.

Ambassador Selier also noted the significance of U.S. support of ROK President Park Geun-hye’s push for improved inter-Korea relations. He praised President Park’s “untiring efforts to move inter-Korea relations forward with a balance of principle and pragmatism.” President Park has proactively promoted the benefits of reconciliation and denuclearization for the Korean people and regional peace and security..

Dr. Quansheng Zhao, Professor of International Relations and Chair of the Asian Studies Program Research Council at American University, provided an introspective look at China’s changing political make up and how has factored into China’s shifting position towards the two Koreas. “China is much more pluralistic,” he noted, “with different schools of thought.”

In the early 90’s China began normalizing relations with the ROK, moving away from ideologically driven policy towards more pragmatic, national interest driven decisions. China has also adopted what Dr. Zhao called a “co-management approach,” that takes into consideration global governance. However, despite some consensus on issues such as denuclearization of the peninsula, internal debates about topics such as keeping North Korea as a buffer state still continue.

The forum acknowledged the multiple opportunities presented with unification. Unification would enable infrastructural development in the North, and open new avenues for trade with emerging regional partners like China and Russia. Korea shared history with China and the United States prior to its independence would also allow it to serve as a natural intermediary between East and West.

But, as Dr. Moon points out in Korean Dream, the final decision rests in the hands of the Korean people.

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