Summary
The 2024 Spring International Conference of the Korean Association of Contemporary Japanese Studies, co-hosted by the Center for Future Human Resource Studies, Institute for Japanese Studies, Atsumi International Foundation, SGRA, and The Korean Association of Contemporary Japanese Studies, was successfully held on Saturday, May 18th. The conference focused on evaluating the past year of Japan-Korea relations and discussing the future direction for both countries under the theme, "Rollercoaster Japan-Korea Relations: What Is a Mirage?"
Since the "Joint Declaration for a New Korea-Japan Partnership in the 21st Century," relations between the two countries have experienced periods of thaw, yet have also undergone repeated ups and downs, including the so-called "lost decade" of the 2010s, marked by what many consider the worst period in Japan-Korea relations. The Korean government's proposal of a third-party compensation solution in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on forced labor led to seven summits in 2023, bringing relations back on a path toward normalization. However, it remains difficult to discern what constitutes true progress and what may be illusory in the context of Japan-Korea relations. This conference was organized to reflect on the achievements and challenges one year after the Korean government's proposal regarding the forced labor ruling, and to explore the desirable direction for future Korea-Japan cooperation.
Schedule
The first session, moderated by Professor LEE Wondeok (Kookmin University), was titled "One Year of Restored Korea-Japan Relations: Evaluation and Challenges." NISHINO Junya (Keio University) presented on politics and security, LEE Changmin (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) on economics and trade, and KOHARI Susumu (Shizuoka University) on society and culture. The second session, moderated by Professor NAM Kijeong (Seoul National University), featured a roundtable discussion under the theme "New Visions and Cooperation Strategies for Japan-Korea Relations," allowing for a free exchange of ideas among the panelists.
