Japan-South Korea Relations and Prospects for a U.S. Role in Historical Reconciliation in East Asia
Overview
Expectations are high that a landmark agreement on the legacies of World War II reached between Japan and South Korea will allow the two countries to further bilateral relations. Under the December 2015 agreement, Tokyo and Seoul stated they reached a “final and irrevocable resolution” regarding Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves under Japanese occupation. The deal is expected to allow the two countries to work more closely together on issues of mutual concern amid a rapidly changing economic, political, and security landscape in East Asia. For the United States too, successful implementation of the agreement is critical to bring its two closest allies in the region together and to establish a strong trilateral alliance that would work together to face common challenges. In this forum, scholars of history and international relations will discuss how to address issues of historical contention, and they will also discuss what role the United States could play to ensure that historical reconciliation between South Korea and Japan continues to move forward.
9:00am to 10:30am
Panel 1: Prospects for a New Framework to Assess Historical Legacies
Speakers:
Toyomi Asano: Former Wilson Center fellow and Professor of Political Science, Waseda University
Alexis Dudden: Professor of History, University of Connecticut
Sung-Yoon Lee: Professor in Korean Studies, Fletcher School, Tufts University
Park Yu-ha: Professor, Sejong University
Moderator: Blair A. Ruble, Vice President for Programs, Wilson Center
10:30am to 12 noon
Panel 2: U.S. Challenges and Opportunities to Enhance Trilateral Cooperation
Speakers:
Christine Kim: Associate Professor of Asian Studies, Georgetown University
Mike Mochizuki: Associate Professor of Political Science, George Washington University
Naoyuki Umemori: Professor of Political Science, Waseda University
Moderator: Jordan Sand, Professor of Japanese History, Georgetown University
Speakers
![Toyomi Asano](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media/images/person/Untitled.png)
Toyomi Asano
Professor of Political History, Chukyo University, Japan
Alexis Dudden
Professor of History, University of Connecticut
![Sung-Yoon Lee](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media/uploads/images/sung-yoon_Lee_bio.png)
Sung-Yoon Lee
Former Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies and Assistant Professor, the Fletcher School, Tufts University
Park Yu-Ha
![Blair A. Ruble](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media/images/person/blair_ruble.jpg)
Blair A. Ruble
Former Wilson Center Vice President for Programs (2014-2017); Director of the Comparative Urban Studies Program/Urban Sustainability Laboratory (1992-2017); Director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies (1989-2012) and Director of the Program on Global Sustainability and Resilience (2012-2014)
Christine Kim
Mike Mochizuki
Naoyuki Umemori
Jordan Sand
Hosted By
Indo-Pacific Program
The Indo-Pacific Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on US interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region. Read more
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