Japan will risk "severe damage" to its leadership if it misses important opportunities on the horizon this year, South Korea's top diplomat said Sunday.
On a current affairs TV program, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se spoke in references to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's speech scheduled for next month at the U.S. Congress and his "Abe Declaration" set to be released in August.
Last week, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner announced that Abe will address a joint session of Congress on April 29, making him the first Japanese prime minister to do so. Critics of the decision have charged that Abe is not worthy of the opportunity because of his attempts to whitewash Japan's militaristic past and wartime atrocities. Abe has also refused to acknowledge Japan's responsibility for those atrocities and compensate victims, critics say.
Yun said Sunday that South Korea hasn't set its sights on trying to prevent Abe from making his speech, but insisted that South Korea isn't the only nation with an interest in Japan's attitude toward history.
"There is a consensus in the international community that Japan, as the German leaders did in the past, should take a clear stance on history," Yun said. "Japan should take this opportunity to clearly state its position on historical issues and show its new side to South Korea and the rest of the world. I sincerely expect Japan to use this golden opportunity to prove that it can make a contribution to Asia and the world."
Since the U.S. Congress extended its invitation, Abe has remained vague about Japan's responsibility for its sexual enslavement of women during World War II. In an interview with the Washington Post, Abe called the issue "human trafficking" without specifying the perpetrator.
Addressing a potential Seoul-Tokyo summit, Yun said the leaders of the two countries shouldn't just meet for the sake of meeting.
"I think the summit should allow the two countries to take a step forward (in their bilateral relations)," the foreign minister added. "Using different channels, we're trying to make progress in pressing issues, including historical matters. The Japanese government probably has some idea of where we stand, and I think Japan can make appropriate proposals and suggestions at an important juncture."
Yun also said that while South Korea doesn't have to be seen as obsessing over historical issues, it was important for Japan "not to regress" from its earlier stance on history. (Yonhap)
