HONOLULU -- We are dismayed by the current state of Japan-South Korean relations. The two countries are natural partners. Both are U.S. allies, democratic societies, and share similar values and security concerns. During the Cold War, both Japan and South Korea feared expansion of communism from the Soviet Union and China, and a North Korean invasion of the South. Today, both face the North Korean nuclear threat and share mutual concern about the rise of China.
In addition to common interests, Japan and South Korea share similar customs, culture and language. All these suggest that it is logical and desirable for the two countries to have a strong and cooperative bilateral relationship.
But this logic is negated by distrust, suspicion and hatred in Japan and South Korea. These feelings manifest themselves in protests -- a cycle of action and reaction -- in both countries. The causes vary: territorial and fishery disputes as well as differing views about the Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The list includes Japanese history textbooks, "comfort women," crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial Army, and the politicization of the relationship -- the tendency (if not eagerness) of politicians in South Korea to play the anti-Japan card.