Japan and South Korea are Western-style democracies with open-market economies, are committed to the rule of law, and are also U.S. allies. However, despite their shared interests, shared values, and geographic proximity, divergent national identities have driven a wedge between the countries. Brad Glosserman and Scott Snyder discussed the roots of this split and its ongoing threat to the region and the world. In their new release, The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash, Glosserman and Snyder identify competing notions of national identity as the main obstacle to a productive partnership between Japan and South Korea. Through public opinion data, interviews, and years of observation, they showed how fundamentally incompatible, and rapidly changing, conceptions of national identity in Japan and South Korea—and not struggles over power or structural issues—have complicated territorial claims and international policy. Despite changes in the governments of both countries and concerted efforts by leading political figures to encourage U.S.-ROK-Japan security cooperation, the Japan-Korea relationship continues to be hobbled by history and its deep imprint on ideas of national identity. They recommended bold, policy-oriented prescriptions for overcoming problems in Japan-Korea relations and facilitating trilateral cooperation among these three Northeast Asian allies, recognizing the power of the public on issues of foreign policy, international relations, and the prospects for peace in Asia.

The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash
East Asian Security and the United States

with

Brad Glosserman and Scott A. Snyder

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | 6 PM

If you have any questions, please contact Nikita Desai or (212) 759-7525, ext. 355.

Of Interest:

Book Details: Columbia University Press - The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash

‘The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash’ reveals a minefield of political opportunism