Japanese-Korean Contradictions in U.S. Politics, 1951—1954

Abstract

The article focuses on U.S. policy toward the process of settling Japan-Korea relations from the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty until the failure of negotiations between Tokyo and Seoul in 1954. Many items on the modern agenda of Japan-Korea relations were formed during this period with the direct involvement of U.S. diplomacy. The United States sought to build a military-political triangle between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. Japan were designated as a key ally and conduit of American policy. At the same time, South Korea was to become a continental foothold and a defensive barrier against communism. The situation was complicated by Japanese-Korean antagonism, manifested in the conflict over the demarcation of territorial waters and material claims by South Korean authorities against the former colonialist. Under such conditions, the Americans were solving the task of strengthening their own positions in the region and did not show any persistence in harmonizing relations between their allies.