In an interview with The Sankei Shimbun and JAPAN Forward, Yuichi Hosoya, a professor of international politics at Keio University, discusses the significance of the Japan-United States-South Korea summit meeting on August 18.
The leaders of the three countries reached a landmark agreement during the summit. Professor Yuichi Hosoya explains that the United States “chained together” Japan and South Korea so that they would not sit idly by in the event of a Taiwan contingency. He points out that the center of gravity of trilateral cooperation has shifted to the realization of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), away from traditional responses to North Korea.
One of the major concerns for the United States in the region is a possible Taiwan contingency. The joint statement issued during the trilateral summit meeting in Cambodia in November 2022 confirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The recent summit in Washington DC also called for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. Professor Hosoya believes that this signifies opposition to the armed unification of Taiwan by China.
The agreement also highlights the commitment of the three leaders to consult among themselves and coordinate their responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats. However, the content of these consultations is somewhat limited and focused on sharing information and coordinating external messaging. Each country will be free to determine its actual actions.
The trilateral agreement marks a major shift for South Korea, which has previously pursued equidistant diplomacy between the United States and China while limiting the threat from North Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has chosen to emphasize ties with Japan and the United States as fellow members of the democratic camp. Despite domestic outcry over the wartime labor lawsuit, his administration has presented a proposal to resolve the issue and prioritize the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations.
According to Professor Hosoya, the trilateral agreement is truly groundbreaking as it calls for a wide range of cooperation, including regular summit meetings and joint exercises. The United States is attempting to bolster cooperation among its allies by promoting integrated deterrence, as seen through arrangements like the Quad and AUKUS. The Japan-US-South Korea agreement fills the missing link in the US strategy.
Hosoya concludes that the agreement is of tremendous significance for Japan and ensures international trust. He credits former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s sound historical understanding and the proposal of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific as important groundwork for achieving this agreement.
Note: This article is based on an interview conducted by Hideo Miyashita. Full article in Japanese can be found here.