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Current Affairs

How Trump is inadvertently bringing Japan, South Korea together

Japan and South Korea are closing ranks as they prepare for high-level meetings aimed at steadying ties amid growing regional volatility, with analysts saying the…

By Samantha Johnson / May 2, 2026
Japan and South Korea are closing ranks as they prepare for high-level meetings aimed at steadying ties amid growing regional volatility, with analysts saying the diplomatic push reflects shared concern over China, North Korea and the reliability of US commitments under President Donald Trump.

Both countries appear willing to put past differences aside, at least for now, as they confront an assertive China and an unpredictable US administration that has unsettled long-standing allies and threatened to withdraw troops from Europe.

When Lee Jae Myung became president of South Korea last year, “many people in Japan initially expected bilateral relations to deteriorate because of remarks about Japan that Lee had made previously”, said Tadashi Anno, a political-science professor at Tokyo’s Sophia University.

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“But he has taken a more conciliatory line and that has been much appreciated in Tokyo.”

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Table tennis diplomacy: a sign of warmer ties between South Korea and Japan

Table tennis diplomacy: a sign of warmer ties between South Korea and Japan

That easing of tensions, combined with the deteriorating security situation in the region, has allowed the resumption of shuttle diplomacy between the two capitals.

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