Korea, Japan kick off closer ties

It was a photo for the history books: South Korean President Kim Dae Jung sitting next to Japanese Emperor Akihito at the final soccer match Sunday of the first Asian World Cup, which was cohosted by the two nations.

Perhaps the only stronger image of mutual outreach, analysts say, would have been the Japanese emperor next to the Korean leader – in Korea. But such a move, given still unresolved tensions on both sides, might well have backfired and spoiled what has turned out to be a net gain toward better relations.

Indeed, as one of the globe's most avidly watched sports event ended, both Korea and Japan claimed a surge of good feeling, better communication, and comity in a relationship that has often been strained by history and Asian national competitiveness.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Korea for the opening kickoff. As enthusiasm built, both fans and officials gushed that the games were more successful than hoped. Viewers in Japan and Korea watched each other's cheering crowds and cultural features on TV for weeks.

"This is the first time the Japanese and Koreans have worked together to do something well," says Misako Kaji, deputy press secretary for Mr. Koizumi. "The benefits are more than we expected."

Japan and South Korea, whose tricky relations are sometimes compared to those of England and Ireland, have centuries of historical baggage.

Koreans still chafe at Tokyo's colonial rule of the peninsula from 1910 to 1945, and have continued to express great anger at what they take to be Japan's brushing off, or omitting in history textbooks, of Japanese crimes during World War II.

Talk to Japanese, and they hint that maybe Koreans are a bit raw, too aggressive. To Koreans, the stereotype Japanese is distant and superior.

Evidently trying to make hay while the sun shines, the two sides yesterday convened a Korea-Japan political summit in Tokyo. Picking up on the bonhomie, Koizumi and President Kim agreed to open talks on bilateral free trade. Today, Kim will attend a lunch hosted by Akihito at the emperor's residence.

However, how far the "good vibes" will take the two nations in overcoming history, regional alliance-building, or trade is not known. Nor is the central question of whether the shared games curbed growing nationalist or ethnic sentiments on both sides.

In the run-up to the Cup, it seemed that national competition could win the day. There was bickering over which side would place their nation's name first in advertising, and who would hold the final match. (The event took place under the official "Korea Japan Games," while the finals were held in Yokohama.)

Both sides did make efforts at mutuality: Visa requirements during the games were waived, Korean Air offered free flights for 300 Japanese during last week's final four, and after Japan lost to Turkey, Koizumi hinted he was rooting for Korea.

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