BEIJING, March 16 (Sweet) It took only ten days for South Korean President Yin Xiyue to start his visit to Japan on the 16th local time since he announced that he would "pay out his own pocket" to compensate the victims of forced labor in World War II on behalf of Japanese enterprises.
According to the schedule, the leaders of South Korea and Japan will hold summit talks and a joint press conference. Japanese Prime Minister kishida fumio will also specially take Yin Xiyue to eat his favorite rice stuffed with eggs, so as to establish a trust relationship.
However, Yin Xiyue’s visit to Japan caused strong opposition in South Korea. Korean media commented that in the criticism of "humiliating diplomacy", it is still unclear whether the visit can achieve results.
Yin Xiyue visited Japan.
Kishida wants to invite him to eat egg-wrapped rice.
Yin Xiyue’s visit to Japan lasted for two days. This is the second visit to Japan by the then South Korean President Moon Jae in after attending the G20 leaders’ meeting in June 2019.
According to reports, Yin Xiyue’s visit to Japan will have the following schedule:
On the 16th, Yin Xiyue held a discussion and had lunch with Koreans living in Japan.
In the afternoon, Yin Xiyue held a summit meeting with Kishida and met with reporters together, but no joint declaration will be issued.
After the talks, Yin Xiyue had dinner with Kishida.
It is worth noting that Kishida will prepare two special dinners, the first in a sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, and the second in a western restaurant founded in 1895.
According to Japanese media, Yin Xiyue told the Japanese side that it was unforgettable that she had eaten egg-wrapped rice in this western restaurant during her previous visit to Tokyo. To this end, Kishida considered arranging a rare "second meeting" in a western restaurant to let Yin Xiyue relive the "taste of leaving memories" and establish a trust relationship.
On the 17th, Yin Xiyue met with politicians belonging to the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Union and the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee, and attended the "Korea-Japan Business Roundtable" to meet business people.
During this period, Yin Xiyue will meet with Taro Aso, vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Suga Yoshihide, the new president of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Union.
Finally, Yin Xiyue gave a speech to Japanese college students and Korean students, and returned to Korea that night.
Strengthen military cooperation and coordinate the resumption of security dialogue.
The leaders of South Korea and Japan may talk about this.
Then, during Yin Xiyue’s visit to Japan, what topics may South Korea and Japan hold consultations on?
— — Implement the compensation scheme for forced labor victims in World War II.
Yin Xiyue’s government recently announced a solution to the problem of forced labor victims’ compensation in Japan during World War II, with Korean enterprises as the third party to raise funds to pay compensation for the defendant Japanese enterprises.
Despite the domestic controversy in South Korea, the South Korean Presidential Palace insists that the two heads of state will negotiate and implement relevant solutions.
— — Strengthen military cooperation between South Korea, the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Discuss the resumption of the Korea-Japan Military Intelligence Protection Agreement (GSOMIA). In August 2019, South Korea announced the termination of the agreement in protest against Japan’s export control to South Korea, and then changed to a temporary maintenance policy. At the Japan-ROK summit, how to normalize the agreement may become an issue.
Re-adjust the security dialogue between Korea and Japan. The Korea-Japan security dialogue has been suspended since March 2018. According to sources, Yin Xiyue and Kishida will enter the final coordination on the direction of confirming that the foreign affairs and defense departments will restart the security dialogue.
— — Deepen economic cooperation between Korea and Japan
Since 2019, Japan has strengthened the export control of semiconductor materials to South Korea. Recently, Yin Xiyue said that the two countries will restart policy dialogue and look forward to deregulation measures.
In addition, South Korean economic giants such as Lee Jae-yong, the head of Samsung Group, and Cui Taiyuan, the president of SK Group, will also visit Japan with Yin Xiyue to explore economic cooperation plans with Japanese financial circles.
After 12 years
South Korean and Japanese leaders "shuttle diplomacy" or restart
The President’s Office of South Korea believes that with Yin Xiyue’s visit as an opportunity, the leaders of South Korea and Japan are expected to strengthen communication and enhance mutual trust, and the "shuttle diplomacy" of the leaders will return to the right track after 12 years.
At that time, Japanese Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko visited South Korea in October 2011, and then South Korean President Lee Myung-bak returned to Japan in December.
However, in August 2012, as the leader of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak landed on the disputed islands between Japan and South Korea for the first time (called "Bamboo Island" in Japan and "Dokdo" in South Korea), which aroused strong opposition from Japan and brought the relationship between South Korea and Japan to a deadlock.
In addition, the "comfort women" issue, the forced labor victims’ claims in World War II, the Fukushima nuclear sewage discharge and other contradictions, the relationship between South Korea and Japan became colder, and the "shuttle diplomacy" between the two heads of state was interrupted.
Japan’s Kyodo News mentioned that in terms of diplomatic etiquette, it should have been the Japanese Prime Minister’s turn to visit South Korea next, but Yin Xiyue showed his willingness to visit Japan as soon as possible, so this time it was received by the Japanese side.
Regarding the reconciliation signal released by Yin Xiyue’s government, Kishida responded on the 10th that he would "frankly exchange views" with Yin Xiyue in order to strengthen future relations.
A number of Japanese diplomatic sources also revealed that Kishida has begun to explore the possibility of visiting South Korea in the summer of 2023 as soon as possible after the Group of Seven summit in May (G7 Hiroshima Summit).
South Korea is not optimistic
"I seem to hear Japanese jeers."
One day before his visit to Japan, Yin Xiyue once again expressed his expectation in the interview, hoping that the nationals of South Korea and Japan would "move towards the future together". But the reality is that South Korea has repeatedly expressed its opposition to its foreign policy.
Li Zaiming, leader of the South Korean Common Democratic Party, bluntly said that "Yin Xiyue’s visit to Japan has not yet started. However, the news of a whole concession, concession and further concession, such as raising the white flag to surrender to the Korea-Japan Military Intelligence Protection Agreement and handing over a blank check on the sewage problem of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, has already come. "The country has fallen to the bottom. I seem to hear the laughter of Japan. "
Some Korean netizens questioned Japan’s "tailor-made" trip to a western restaurant for Yin Xiyue. "How can a formal dinner between leaders be held in such a humble restaurant?" "Take him (Yin Xiyue) to the egg-filled rice shop with a score of 3.5?" "Too speechless. Do you want to have dinner with the president of the United States in that place? "
In this regard, the Korean National Daily commented that it is unclear whether Yin Xiyue’s visit can achieve results in the criticism of "humiliating diplomacy".
Some analysts pointed out that although Yin Xiyue’s measures have received positive responses from the United States and Japan, whether he will pay the domestic political price and whether the reconciliation between South Korea and Japan promoted will change course after the next change of owner in Longshan Presidential Palace remains variable. (End)
























































