ASSESSMENTS

In U.S.-North Korea Talks, Japan Makes Three

Mar 21, 2018 | 09:00 GMT

A huge map on the street in Tokyo shows the course and distance of a North Korean missile that flew over Japan in a test launch in 2017.

Now that Pyongyang and Seoul are working together to arrange bilateral talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Japan is worried that it will lose its say over the Korean Peninsula's future.

(KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

As the United States considers following South Korea in holding a direct dialogue with North Korea, Japan will be increasingly sidelined from discussions over the Korean Peninsula.
But the vital importance of the Korean Peninsula in Japan's geopolitics will push Tokyo to try to find a role for itself in the emerging outreach to Pyongyang.
Japan's poor relations with both North and South Korea will leave it little room for influence, and so it will have to rely instead on following the United States' lead to the best of its ability.

For Japan, like China, Korea's division has been something of a blessing, keeping the "dagger" of the peninsula dull and diverted. By the same token, the warming ties between Pyongyang and Seoul since the start of the year have been a cause for concern. Each side is a menace in its own right. While North Korea is striving to shift the balance of power in Northeast Asia with its nuclear weapons program, South Korea represents a strong economic competitor sharing the U.S. security umbrella. And now that Pyongyang and Seoul are working together to set up direct negotiations between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Japan fears losing its say in how the Korean Peninsula shapes up. The alarming prospect will compel Tokyo to stay as involved as it can in Washington's plans while also trying to improve its relations with North and South Korea...

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