US-Japan-South Korea security ties still face domestic hurdles – and Fukushima’s only the start
- High-flown rhetoric trumpeting a new ‘alliance’ between the three nations conceals political realities that were swept under the rug at Camp David
- Ties have already been put to the test by the release of treated waste water from Fukushima – and a glaring lack of economic strategy isn’t helping
The summit documents offered both a vision of partnership and a variety of practical agreements. They include everything from annual leadership summits to meetings at the ministerial and official levels to coordinate on economic security, supply chains and cybersecurity, as well as classic security steps such as joint military exercises.
Perhaps the most striking outcome of this summit was the assertion of shared security interests that bind Japan and South Korea and their alliances with the US. While it falls short of a collective security agreement, the two-paragraph “commitment to consult” on responses to “regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security” was itself a stunning achievement.
Japan’s US, South Korea accord won’t help unpopular Kishida at home: analysts
But the high-flown rhetoric trumpeting a new “alliance” conceals political realities that were swept under the rug at Camp David. All three leaders face serious challenges at home that undercut the promises made at the summit.
Senior US officials are aware of the fragility of the progress gained and the danger of overselling the outcomes. In a post-summit briefing, National Security Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell, who is widely acknowledged as the architect of the summit, was notably cautious. He emphasised that “we cannot get ahead of the political context that each of us deals with”.
Political constraints were more evident in the brief press conference that concluded the summit than in the official documents. The three leaders offered upbeat summaries of the agreements. But the reporters present, one from each country, pushed back.
The US reporter asked how confident allies can be in Washington’s pledges of extended deterrence against nuclear threats from North Korea when Trump, who may return to office, was ready to withdraw from the Korean peninsula. He asked Yoon how much confidence Japan and the US can have in rapprochement when most South Koreans disapprove of the handling of wartime-justice issues. And he asked Kishida what he would tell Japanese people who oppose “an ‘economic cold war’ with China”.
The South Korean reporter was even sharper, describing Japan’s response to Yoon’s efforts at mending relations as “passive efforts to resolve our issues that still remain”. Meanwhile, the Japanese reporter raised the issue of the Fukushima release.
Nuclear energy is still ‘on the cards’ for Asian countries despite Fukushima row
The answers were at best evasive, mostly content to repeat bland pledges of cooperation and partnership. But Kishida notably took the opportunity to soften any impression that China was their common foe, referring to Japan’s efforts to maintain “positive momentum” in their relations.