Japan’s Stance on a United Korea: Ambivalence or Realpolitik?
Jagannath P. Panda
Introduction:
Northeast Asia is at a critical juncture amid the gross uncertainty and chaos brought upon by geopolitical forces not just in the region but globally too.
A wide range of factors have resulted in increasing the threat levels in the region.
- The ongoing China-US rivalry;
- Debilitating aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the region’s stability;
- Russia-China collusion that started prior to the invasion of Ukraine;
- China’s continued tacit approval of Russian actions during the ongoing war in Ukraine;
- Japan’s rising perception as a global power and the increasing hostilities with some neighbors;
- South Korea’s election of the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol as the country’s 20th president, which has raised hopes and fears; and
- North Korea’s resumption of ballistic missile tests (and a prospective seventh nuclear test).
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