hankyoreh

Yesterday, the defense ministers of South Korea and Japan held a meeting in Seoul where they reportedly exchanged opinions on establishing a pact for intelligence protection and mutual munitions support between the South Korean armed forces and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. It was reported that the talks went no further than a basic gathering of each other’s views. In any event, discussions toward a military pact between the two countries have officially begun.
A military pact between South Korea and Japan is problematic first and foremost because it legitimizes Japanese military expansion. Tokyo has been striving for some time to broaden the range of activity for the JSDF. In 1999, it enacted the Surrounding Situation Act, and has recently been mulling over an amendment of the law in connection with collective self-defense rights. The attempt to form a military pact with South Korea is part of this current. For example, the proposed agreement on munitions support would allow the two countries’ armed forces to loan out food, water, and fuel during times of emergency. Naturally, this would bolster the expansion of the range of JSDF activity. The account from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense suggests that this would be limited to working-level cooperation between the two nations’ militaries, but the issue is not that simple.
Moreover, Japan has recently been inquiring about dispatching forces to the Korean Peninsula in a time of emergency. Some time ago, Prime Minister Naoto Kan raised the possibility of the JSDF operating in North Korea and South Korea, on the pretext of rescuing Japanese refugees and abduction victims. At this point, our country should have grilled Japan on its true intentions at yesterday’s talks and strongly demanded that the misguided notion be withdrawn. Far from responding resolutely, however, the defense minister was reported to have discussed the military agreement in an unperturbed manner. It leaves remaining questions about South Korea’s basic approach to the situation.
There are also major concerns that military cooperation between South Korea and Japan will further develop the New Cold War structure taking shape in Northeast Asia. To date, the United States has been in the middle urging stronger military cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo, and Japan has actively welcomed this. The reason for this is that the strategic interests of those two countries coincide in their intent to curb Beijing. The objections from China have been considerable, with the government-run Global Times expressing concern about the possibility of this developing into a South Korea-Japan military alliance. It is not at all a desirable outcome for us if military cooperation with the United States and Japan leads to stronger military cooperation among North Korea, China, and Russia and the Korean Peninsula becomes a stage for confrontation between these two sets of forces. Moreover, now is a time when we need to look forward to a constructive role from China toward peace on the peninsula.
A military pact between South Korea and Japan is not something that can be worked out by adjusting the level or the speed of pursuit. Even discussing the matter is undesirable, as it could breed tensions on the peninsula. We look forward to the end of these rash discussions on a military pact.
　　
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