Read The Diplomat, get to know Asia-Pacific
The United States inspires trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan to combat the pandemic, with the purpose of saving the Tokyo Games.
Will the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ever take place?The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government have already announced the postponement of the Games until the summer of 2021, but, as the head of the Japanese Medical Association recently stated, if there is no vaccine before then, the Games risk being cancelled altogether. As the United States and its Northeast Asian allies battle the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 15,200 people affected by the disease in Japan and more than 10,800 in South Korea, the question arises as to how to advance trilateral cooperation to combat the disease. It deserves our attention, especially considering that, without success, the Tokyo Games may never take place. Could the U. S. use its relations with Japan and South Korea, described as “the cornerstone” and “the linchpin” of stability in Asia, respectively, to inspire trilateral medical cooperation during the pandemic, ensure the Tokyo Games, and contribute, in doing so, to improving relations between Seoul and Tokyo?
As Georgetown University’s Victor Cha explains in Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sports in Asia, one of the reasons sports “matter in global politics [is] because they can lead to diplomatic breakthroughs. “In fact, Moon Jae-in’s leadership obviously believes this to be true, as it hosted the 2018 Winter Games under the rubric of the “PyeongChang Peace Olympics” and last year submitted a proposal for South Korea and North Korea to co-host the 2018 Olympics. There is also a precedent for Seoul and Tokyo cooperating on a global event, as the two sides jointly hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Hosting the Olympic Games carried certain risks, even before the COVID-19 outbreak, and the risks posed by terrorism and cyberattacks were widely considered among the most pressing. But today, the pandemic is by far the biggest risk to the Tokyo Olympics. South Korea’s offer on May 1 to cooperate with Japan on the COVID-19 response is an incredibly promising signal that Tokyo and Washington could embrace and build on. While Richard Samuels of MIT concludes, in his 3. 11: Disaster and Change in Japan, that post-disaster assistance from a neighbor with whom one has difficult relations rarely leads to a permanent improvement in bilateral relations, this does not It means that Washington, Seoul and Tokyo deserve not to try to generate positive momentum through collaborative efforts to combat the disease and allow the Tokyo Games to take place. This means that such cooperation deserves to be considered only one step in a much larger effort to deepen and mend broken ties.
Since about 2012, relations between South Korea and Japan have deteriorated due to tensions over history, territory, divergent strategic testing by North Korea and China, and industrial and military disagreements. Starting in late 2019, things started to improve somewhat, with both sides stepping back from the abyss, but any diplomatic progress lost momentum due to COVID-19, with Seoul and Tokyo exchanging expressions of dissatisfaction with each other’s quarantines and travel. Restrictions. Still, South Korean President Moon suggested that it would be possible to focus on cooperation with North Korea in the fight against COVID-19. If this is imaginable, it deserves to be even less difficult to achieve in a liberal and democratic Japan, where transparency, accountability, and shared interests are even more evident. By encouraging allies to cooperate in this non-traditional area of security, the U. S. could simply concentrate its efforts on strengthening an “already thickening internet of Asian security cooperation” among its allies and partners.
Moreover, given that Moon is limited to a single term and that his Democratic Party recently won a primary victory in South Korea’s Legislative Assembly elections, South Korea’s ruling party could possibly now devote some political capital to improving relations with Japan, which was already committed to before the COVID-19 outbreak. While it would probably be unrealistic to expect South Korea to take primary and costly measures that were likely to go unreciprocated, a strategy of focusing on capable, cost-effective, and politically sustainable projects makes sense. This is a strategy that Japan can also take into account when considering how it can improve its relations with South Korea. In fact, South Korea has always shown the generosity of its society afterwards. of errors in Japan, sending aid and assistance after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and back after the Kumamoto earthquake in 2016.
Today, the most urgent responsibilities facing Japan, South Korea and the United States are to ensure that the economy’s recovery is not hampered by localized COVID-19 hotspots or device shortages. Coordination between the three countries can be incredibly valuable. South Korea has already demonstrated the importance of being able to detect, trace, isolate and break transmission pathways, while Japan’s technique for tackling cluster outbreaks also looks promising, although it is obviously too early to say whether Japan is on the sidelines. Additionally, the three parties could work together to boost efforts to develop an effective drug for treatment and find a vaccine or cure for the virus.
Given the well-established importance of trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and Korea, the three sides could simply construct a high-level tripartite discussion to ensure that, if any, an effective cure or inoculation for the virus is found. discovered, there is a plan to mass produce it and distribute it equitably among themselves and other nations as soon as possible. All three parties will have to be alert to the threat that if a cure emerges and can only be obtained in a country with limited quantities in the first place, a “vaccine fight” may break out with calls for that country to provide the cure and a deep resentment if he doesn’t. Perhaps the time has come to implement a public and transparent cooperation strategy that helps mitigate these threats.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster that affects all humanity. It is possible that the United States will inspire and facilitate cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo to address this challenge, and that South Korea and Japan will take equal leadership in advancing this issue. temporarily settle for South Korea’s recent signs of openness to COVID-19 cooperation, and the United States could simply move toward building a trilateral COVID-19 response framework, a framework that other countries with Applicable experience and experience, such as Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan could also be invited to join. The United States and its allies and partners show a strong collective interest in ensuring that the Tokyo Games are held safely and in jointly demonstrating that liberal and democratic societies can work together to address the situation. with the not unusual threats they face.
Scott W. Harold is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation and an associate fellow at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
Understand Asia-Pacific’s biggest issues with a subscription to The Diplomat.
Will the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ever take place?The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government have already announced the postponement of the Games until the summer of 2021, but, as the head of the Japanese Medical Association recently stated, if there is no vaccine before then, the Games risk being cancelled altogether. As the United States and its Northeast Asian allies battle the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 15,200 people affected by the disease in Japan and more than 10,800 in South Korea, the question arises as to how to advance trilateral cooperation to combat the disease. It deserves our attention, especially considering that, without success, the Tokyo Games may never take place. Could the U. S. use its relations with Japan and South Korea, described as “the cornerstone” and “the linchpin” of stability in Asia, respectively, to inspire trilateral medical cooperation during the pandemic, ensure the Tokyo Games, and contribute, in doing so, to improving relations between Seoul and Tokyo?
As Georgetown University’s Victor Cha explains in Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia, one of the reasons sport “matters in global politics [is] because it can create diplomatic breakthroughs. “In fact, Moon Jae-in’s management obviously believes this to be true, having hosted the 2018 Winter Games under the rubric of “PyeongChang Peace Olympics” and last year submitted a proposal for South Korea and North Korea to co-host the 2018 Olympics. 2032. It also sets a precedent for Seoul and Tokyo to cooperate on a global sporting event, with both sides jointly hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Hosting the Olympics still carried some risks, even before the COVID-19 outbreak, and the risks posed by terrorism and cyberattacks were considered among the most urgent. But now, the pandemic is by far the biggest risk for Tokyo. South Korea’s offer Olímpicos. La May 1 bid to cooperate with Japan in the COVID-19 response is a hugely promising sign that Tokyo and Washington could adopt and take advantage of. While MIT’s Richard Samuels concludes in his 3. 11: Disaster and Change in Japan that crisis aid from a neighbor with whom you have a difficult relationship rarely leads to a permanent improvement in bilateral relations, which does not mean that Washington, Seoul and Tokyo do not try to generate positive momentum through collaborative efforts to combat the disease and allow the Tokyo Games to be held. This means that such cooperation will only be seen as one step in a much larger effort to deepen and mend broken ties.
Since about 2012, relations between South Korea and Japan have deteriorated due to tensions over history, territory, divergent strategic testing by North Korea and China, and industrial and military disagreements. Starting in late 2019, things started to improve somewhat, with both sides stepping back from the abyss, but any diplomatic progress lost momentum due to COVID-19, with Seoul and Tokyo exchanging expressions of dissatisfaction with each other’s quarantines and travel. Restrictions. Still, South Korean President Moon suggested that it would be possible to focus on cooperation with North Korea in the fight against COVID-19. If this is imaginable, it deserves to be even less difficult to achieve in a liberal and democratic Japan, where transparency, accountability, and shared interests are even more evident. By encouraging allies to cooperate in this non-traditional area of security, the U. S. could simply concentrate its efforts on strengthening an “already thickening internet of Asian security cooperation” among its allies and partners.
Moreover, given that Moon is limited to a single term and that his Democratic Party recently won a primary victory in South Korea’s Legislative Assembly elections, South Korea’s ruling party could possibly now devote some political capital to improving relations with Japan, which was already committed to before the COVID-19 outbreak. While it would probably be unrealistic to expect South Korea to take primary and costly measures that were likely to go unreciprocated, a strategy of focusing on capable, cost-effective, and politically sustainable projects makes sense. This is a strategy that Japan can also take into account when considering how it can improve its relations with South Korea. In fact, South Korea has always shown the generosity of its society afterwards. of errors in Japan, sending aid and assistance after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and back after the Kumamoto earthquake in 2016.
Today, the most pressing responsibilities facing Japan, South Korea, and the United States are to ensure that economic recovery is not hampered by localized outbreaks of COVID-19 or shortages of appliances. Coordination between the three countries can be incredibly valuable. South Korea has already demonstrated the importance of being able to detect, trace, isolate and break transmission routes, while Japan’s technique for tackling cluster outbreaks also looks promising, although it is obviously too early to say whether Japan is out. In addition, the three parties could work together to boost efforts to develop an effective drug for treatment and find a vaccine or cure for the virus.
Given the well-established importance of trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and Korea, the three sides could simply build a high-level tripartite discussion to make sure that, should an effective cure or inoculation for the virus be found. discovered, there is a plan to mass-produce it and distribute it equitably among themselves and with other nations as soon as possible. All three sides will have to be alert to the threat that if a cure emerges and is only available in a country with limited quantities in the first place, a “vaccine fight” may erupt with calls for that country to provide the cure and deep resentment if it doesn’t. Perhaps the time has come to implement a public and transparent cooperation strategy to help mitigate these threats.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster that affects all humanity. It is possible that the United States will inspire and facilitate cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo to address this challenge, and that South Korea and Japan will take equal leadership in advancing this issue. temporarily settle for South Korea’s recent signs of openness to COVID-19 cooperation, and the United States could simply move toward building a trilateral COVID-19 response framework, a framework that other countries with Applicable experience and experience, such as Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan could also be invited to join. The United States and its allies and partners show a strong collective interest in ensuring that the Tokyo Games are held safely and in jointly demonstrating that liberal and democratic societies can work together to address the situation. with the not unusual threats they face.
Scott W. Harold is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation and an associate fellow at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
Will the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ever take place?The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government have already announced the postponement of the Games until the summer of 2021, but, as the head of the Japanese Medical Association recently stated, if there is no vaccine before then, the Games risk being cancelled altogether. As the United States and its Northeast Asian allies battle the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 15,200 people affected by the disease in Japan and more than 10,800 in South Korea, the question arises as to how to advance trilateral cooperation to combat the disease. It deserves our attention, especially considering that, without success, the Tokyo Games may never take place. Could the U. S. use its relations with Japan and South Korea, described as “the cornerstone” and “the linchpin” of stability in Asia, respectively, to inspire trilateral medical cooperation during the pandemic, ensure the Tokyo Games, and contribute, in doing so, to improving relations between Seoul and Tokyo?
As Georgetown University’s Victor Cha explains in Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia, one of the reasons sport “matters in global politics [is] because it can create diplomatic breakthroughs. “In fact, Moon Jae-in’s management obviously believes this to be true, having hosted the 2018 Winter Games under the rubric of “PyeongChang Peace Olympics” and last year submitted a proposal for South Korea and North Korea to co-host the 2018 Olympics. 2032. It also sets a precedent for Seoul and Tokyo to cooperate on a global sporting event, with both sides jointly hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup.