We Met, Period

As have long been, they made a sober and brief exchange of words without any delightfulness. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye had a conversation over the dinner table in the summit meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Beijing on Monday. One year and two months have passed since they had short conversation in St. Petersburg, Russia. The talking points of the dialogue are not the same between the announcements of both governments. For both leaders, the fact that they could talk each other was the only precious thing.

According to TV footage, it seemed to be Park who reached her hand to Abe for handshaking. Their seats were set side by side in the long dinner table. After clinking wine glasses for a toast, they exchanged their opinion on their bilateral relationship. “In some meanings, we could openly talked each other,” told Abe in his press conference.

A Japanese official told that both leaders exchanged “various issues.” But South Korean side announced that they talked about “various concerns.” In terms of domestic politics, Park needed to say something about frustration of her people, if she would have a chance to talk to Abe. “Concerns” might indicate assuring the standpoint of South Korea on comfort woman issue or strong sentiment against historical revisionism of Abe.

The two nations were not in a mood for constructive dialogue. Indictment of Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun by South Korean government spread broad antagonism in Japan, recognizing the action as oppression on freedom of speech. There is a growing skepticism on the involvement of Japanese government in recruiting comfort woman, which makes further apology to South Korea difficult. It is not easy to have a meeting in senior official level of Foreign Ministries on comfort woman issue, which South Korea strongly demands.

However, South Korea cannot be so aggressive in the dialogue with Japan, because it is a host nation of trilateral summit meeting with Japan and China. Park agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping that they shared a necessity to have the meeting within this year. Approach between Japan and China has made South Korea uneasy about isolation in international relationship in Asian nations.

Abe has been telling that the summit meeting with Park should be held in an unconditional manner. The South Koreans regard the attitude as unilateral. Both nations are still in a complexity to regain normal communication each other.