Japan’s Stance on a United Korea: Ambivalence or Realpolitik?

Introduction:

Northeast Asia is at a critical juncture amid the gross uncertainty and chaos brought upon by geopolitical forces not just in the region but globally too.

A wide range of factors have resulted in increasing the threat levels in the region.

• The ongoing China-US rivalry;
• Debilitating aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the region’s stability;
• Russia-China collusion that started prior to the invasion of Ukraine;
• China’s continued tacit approval of Russian actions during the ongoing war in Ukraine;
• Japan’s rising perception as a global power and the increasing hostilities with some neighbors;
• South Korea’s election of the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol as the country’s 20^th president, which has raised hopes and fears; and
• North Korea’s resumption of ballistic missile tests (and a prospective seventh nuclear test).

You can read the full article on JAPAN Forward’s website.