Strengthening South Korea–Japan Relations

East Asia's International Order and a Rising China

Dennis Patterson, Jangsup Choi

• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780813199221
• eBook ISBN: 9780813199245
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Asian Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

At the conclusion of WWII, no part of the world experienced a more dramatic transformation than East Asia. The region's political stability throughout the postwar period prompted exponential economic growth that ultimately established South Korea, Japan, and China as East Asia's most important powers.

While many citizens of these nations now live in a time of unprecedented prosperity, the arrangement that supported this region's transformation is fragile. With the second largest economy and a burgeoning military sector, China is widely acknowledged as the preeminent rising world power. The onus of maintaining balance in the region now rests primarily with South Korea and Japan in partnership with the United States. However, because of long-standing weaknesses in South Korea–Japan relations and an inconsistent US commitment to the region, the possibility that China could usher in a more uncertain era of revisionism has never been more likely.

In Strengthening South Korea-Japan Relations: East Asia's International Order and a Rising China, Dennis Patterson and Jangsup Choi address the historical roots of this weak alliance. Combining decades of research with current public opinion data, the authors warn that the tendency of these nations to rely on the United States to maintain the status quo has become dangerously unstable. A new strategy, one of cooperation and collaboration, is needed to prevent China from upending the region's current liberal international order.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Figures and Tables
• Preface
• 1. Introduction: The East Asian Alliance System and the Problem of South Korea–Japan Relations
• 2. The Origins of the East Asian Alliance System and Its Impact on South Korea and Japan
• 3. China’s Rise and the Asia Pacific’s International Order
• 4. South Korean and Japanese Views of China and the United States
• 5. Public Attitudes and Relations between South Korea and Japan
• 6. Territorial Disputes, Human Rights, and Court Case Challenges in South Korea–Japan Relations
• 7. US Leadership and the Evolution of Interstate Relations in the Asia Pacific
• 8. The Challenge of Maintaining the Liberal International Order in the Asia Pacific
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• References
• Index
• Asia in the New Millennium
• About the Authors