Episode 3: The Divide Between Japan and South Korea

Professor Yoshihide Soeya describes how Japanese society has grappled with this complex bilateral relationship and how the new Korean administration might change the equation for Japan. 

Play Button Pause Button
0:00 0:00
x
Episode Guests
  • Sheila A. Smith
    John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies
  • Yoshihide Soeya

Show Notes

Japan’s relationship with South Korea has long been complicated by historical grievances. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pursued reconciliation, but much work remains to be done. Professor Yoshihide Soeya describes how Japanese society has grappled with this complex bilateral relationship and how the new Korean administration might change the equation for Japan and the United States.

 

This podcast series is part of a project on Northeast Asian Nationalisms and the U.S.-Japan Alliance, which is made possible through support from the U.S.-Japan Foundation.

Japan

The United States has become more inward-focused and nationalistic, but as Toshihiro Nakayama argues, Japan does not have a back-up plan to its alliance with the United States.

United States

Toshihiro Nakayama evaluates today’s politics in the United States and argues that the fundamental shift that has taken place under President Donald Trump is not likely to end with his presidency.

China

Jessica Chen Weiss discusses the nature of activism in China and how the Chinese government is responding to these new challenges.

Top Stories on CFR

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Biden administration released new export controls on Monday, January 13, placing restrictions on advanced AI chips, cloud access, and model weights. The measures’ implementation will rely on the Trump administration’s support.

Conflict Prevention

U.S. foreign policy experts rank the thirty global conflicts that could most significantly affect the United States in 2025.

United States

Each Friday, I examine what is happening with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition to the White House. This week: The forty-seventh president wants a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program and faces a big decision if he cannot get it.