Similarities Between Japan And South Korea

Introduction

Japan and South Korea are "close but distant neighbors." This is how their relations have been described for long time. Japan and South Korea are geographically close but it is difficult to say that their relations is good. Japan and South Korea share many common elements such as similar culture, customs, and language, moreover, both nations have same political and economic system. In fact, Japan’s official view of South Korea is “our most important neighboring country”. Meanwhile, South Korean government stated that “Japan and South Korea are important neighbors that are endeavoring together to pursue peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.” Although both Japan and South Korea acknowledge that they are important to each other, …show more content…
I can develope my research by knowing what other literatures say about Japan-South Korea relations between the two nations. In addition to literatures about Japan-South Korea relations, I also researched about public opinion and policy making in order to understand other scholars’ perspective on whether public opinion affect policy …show more content…
Cooney and Alex Scarbrough. The article explains Japan-South Korea relations from a classical realist perspective. Realism is one of the theory in international relation, which has main principle: only “states” (sovereign countries) can be players in international relations and they defend their interests, protect their resources, create alliances, react to outside threats, and impose their will on others. The authors applies these realist views to Japan-South Korea relations. Firstly they analyze economic relations, mentioning South Korea’s economic interdependence on Japan and cultural exchanges between Japan and South Korea. Secondly, they state that North Korea is the natural enemy of South Korea from a realist perspective, which makes Japan and South Korea allies Japan and South Korea logical allies, based on the old realist adage “my enemy’s enemy is my friend.” Thirdly they argue that the United States could be barrier to Japan and South Korea to cooperate with each other because they have American power to fall back on. Finally they conclude that Japan and South Korea should establish security cooperation based on classical realism, while cooperation between them has been limited because classical realism focuses on present realities rather than historical