HONOLULU -- Deteriorating relations among Japan, South Korea and China underscore the failure of leadership in all three countries. Recent events have triggered a downward spiral in relations, but this shift hasn't occurred in a vacuum. All three governments share the primary burden to set a strategic vision that promotes cooperation over conflict; the United States can contribute by providing reassurance to the three.
The proximate cause of rising tensions in Asia is history: disputes over territory (the Takeshima/Tok-do islets claimed by Japan and South Korea, the Senkakus/Daioyus claimed by Japan and China) and the natural resource rights that attach to them; visits by Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro to Yasukuni Shrine; approval of Japanese history textbooks that gloss over ugly incidents in the nation's history.
Dig deeper and it quickly becomes evident that these incidents have triggered deep-rooted emotions. The leadership in each of the three countries is exploiting these situations for short-term political gain rather than demonstrating the leadership they all acknowledge is needed -- and demand from their partners. All three are quick to point fingers, but have been reluctant to look in the mirror.