hankyoreh

Kan Kimura, Korea expert and professor at Kobe University

Kan Kimura, a professor at Kobe University and one of Japan’s best-known experts on Korea, tends to examine the two countries’ bilateral relations with a dispassionate eye. Since their relations are already as bad as they’re going to get, Kimura says, South Korea should go ahead and liquidate assets that its courts have seized from Japanese companies.

“If the situation drags on like this, it’s obvious that neither the Japanese government nor the Korean government will make the first move. Since neither country can cause each other much harm during the COVID-19 crisis, it would be better to take all available measures and see what happens,” Kimura said in a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh on June 29.

Kimura’s extremely pragmatic opinion is that Korea-Japan relations will have to hit rock bottom before they can rebound.

Hankyoreh (Hani): How do you see Korea-Japan relations at the moment?

Kan Kimura (Kimura): The designation of Battleship Island [Hashima Island] as a UNESCO world heritage site has emerged as a new factor in the deterioration of Korea-Japan relations. But the current situation merely uncovers what had been on pause because of COVID-19. The serious problem is that Korean and Japan don’t need each other as much as they used to because exchange has been cut off over the past three months. Many people had been worried about decreasing tourism and the semiconductor issue [tougher management of exports of hydrogen fluoride imposed by the Japanese government in July 2019], but those don’t feel like big problems because of the pandemic. COVID-19 has interrupted exchange and travel, eliminating the need for mutual consideration. Diplomats don’t take action unless there’s something to be gained from improving relations, and that incentive has disappeared.

Hani: Korea hopes that Japan will be more flexible on the issues of compensation for victims of forced labor and the economic retribution measures it took in July.

Kimura: The Japanese government isn’t going to make the first move. The Japanese government and public think that Korea is at a disadvantage and will have to move first. Koreans appear to have the same attitude: they think that Japan is at a disadvantage because Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approval rating is falling. Neither side is able to make the first move.

Hani: What if the Japanese assets are liquidated?

Kimura: The Japanese government has promised to take retaliatory measures. In ordinary times, its toughest move would be suspending visa-free travel. But that’s meaningless because of COVID-19. And under WTO rules, Japan has few options for economic retaliation.

Hani: Even so, there are serious concerns that liquidating the assets would cause a rupture in Korea-Japan relations.

Kimura: Emotionally speaking, their relations are already near rock-bottom. Because of COVID-19, Japan has already put everything on pause and is completely preoccupied with domestic politics. If the assets are going to be liquidated, it should happen right now. Because of the gap between the Japanese and Korean positions, there’s no way to end this standoff. The Korean Supreme Court isn’t going to reverse its decision, and there’s no chance of the Japanese government changing its position. That means the stalemate will continue. If that’s the case, the two sides ought to take all available measures and see what impact they have.

By Gil Yun-hyung, staff writer

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