Leaders meet, but enduring rifts remain in Japan-S. Korea ties

TOKYO/SEOUL -- South Korean President Lee Jae-myung paid a two-day visit to Japan earlier this week, during which he held bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

While the Japanese side portrayed the meeting as a diplomatic success, statements from both leaders underscored significant divergences on issues like regional security. Additionally, long-standing territorial and historical disputes remain unresolved. Observers suggest that, in the near term, Japan-South Korea relations are likely to be more instrumental than strategic in nature.

Diverging signals

Takaichi welcomed Lee with a formal bow upon his arrival, according to South Korean media. Their talks lasted approximately 90 minutes and covered economic cooperation, regional security, artificial intelligence and historical issues.

Yonhap News Agency noted that sensitive topics such as the "comfort women" issue, compensation for forced labor, and the sovereignty dispute over Dokdo (referred to as Takeshima by Japan) were not formally addressed during the meeting.

Although Tokyo played up the meeting's outcomes, statements released by the two leaders signaled clear divergence. At a joint press conference, Takaichi called for strengthening trilateral cooperation among Japan, South Korea and the United States on regional security, while Lee stressed the importance of broader cooperation among countries in Northeast Asia.

Min Jeong-hun, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, observed that the leaders' opening remarks reflected divergent perspectives. Takaichi described Japan-South Korea relations as having "strategic importance" for regional stability, whereas Lee avoided adopting that framing, instead stressing the cooperation under the current international order.

Japanese analysts believed Takaichi sought to use the summit to deflect criticism over her government's diplomatic challenges and to counter perceptions that Japan has become increasingly isolated in the region.

Domestic political considerations are also at play. Takaichi is preparing to dissolve the lower house later this month and call a snap election, a critical test for her administration. Amplifying the significance of the meeting may help showcase her foreign policy credentials ahead of the vote, analysts said.

Territorial dispute remains

Analysts also argued that structural tensions between the two neighboring countries persist, particularly over the disputed islets, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan.

In December 2025, Takaichi told Japan's parliament that the islets constituted Japan's "inherent territory" from the perspectives of historical fact and international law.

The remarks triggered strong backlash in South Korea, with the presidential office reaffirming that Dokdo is unequivocally South Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law. Major South Korean media outlets condemned Takaichi's comments as provocative and damaging to bilateral relations.

Japan's annual celebration of the so-called "Takeshima Day" on Feb 22 remains another flashpoint. Japanese government officials routinely attend the event, drawing strong protests from South Korea.

Since taking office, Takaichi has declined to rule out upgrading the level of official participation, a stance widely seen as a potential trigger for renewed diplomatic friction.

Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported that for the Lee administration, there is virtually no room for compromise on territorial issues.

Historical issues unresolved

At the joint press conference, both leaders announced agreement on cooperation to recover and identify the remains of victims from the Chosei coal mine, an undersea mine in Yamaguchi prefecture, which experienced flooding in 1942 and claimed the lives of 183 people. The victims included 136 Koreans who had been forcibly mobilized.

Cho Jin-goo, a researcher at South Korea's Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, noted that this incident is virtually the only historical issue currently manageable for bilateral discussion, largely because Japanese victims were also involved and domestic calls for resolution have long existed in Japan.

By contrast, issues such as "comfort women" and compensation for forced labor remain deeply contentious between the two sides and are effectively excluded from the bilateral agenda, the expert added.

Ahead of the summit, South Korean civic groups held protests in Seoul, urging Japan to confront issues related to "comfort women" and Dokdo.

A day before his visit, Lee told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that concerns persist within South Korea about whether deep mutual trust can be established, given Japan's history of aggression.

Analysts from both countries noted that the visit relied on temporarily shelving disputes rather than resolving them. Given the current Japanese government's stance on historical issues and its confrontational security outlook, bilateral ties are likely, in the short term, to remain instrumental rather than strategic in nature.