Japan’s claims that it is restricting the export of hi-tech materials to South Korea on ‘national security’ grounds are clearly absurd: Tokyo is trying to avoid paying compensation to victims of wartime atrocities for which it is still liable.
Japan’s use of trade restrictions to force South Korea to back down, while publicly justifying them as necessary for national security reasons, echoes U.S. President Donald Trump’s cavalier approach to trade rules and alliance relations. If the dispute is not resolved quickly, it could complicate efforts to deal with North Korea as well as other regional threats, while also dealing another blow to the World Trade Organization and the rules-based trading system.
Trump would have to engage in roll-up-your sleeves diplomacy — but that’s the last thing he wants to do. He prefers to bluster and bloviate — to play at being president without doing the hard work required. He prefers to speculate about the “deal of the century” between Israelis and Palestinians — something that is never going to happen — rather than try to resolve a less sexy but still vitally important crisis in East Asia.