The potential ousting of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol threatens to undo recent progress in ties between Tokyo and Seoul, as analysts say the Japanese government is bracing for a policy shift under a prospective successor critical of Japan’s regional role and the two countries’ trilateral security alliance with the US.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was scheduled to travel to South Korea for talks with Yoon in January to discuss issues including joint security. Tokyo and Seoul have forged closer ties and clashed less frequently over Japan’s colonial rule in the Korean peninsula since Yoon came to power in May 2022.