The United States And Japan And South Korea Diplomatic Normalization

In regard to the normalization of the relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, the academic circles both home and abroad focus their attentions on the negotiations while their research about the role America played in the normalization are relatively weak. This paper will discuss the part the U.S.A. played in the talks of Japan and ROK in the light of the newly declassified NSC documents, FRUS and will have the aid of existing achievements so as to grasp American's East Asia policy precisely and make the cause, the process, the peculiarities, the impact of the normalization distinct. In doing so, it can make a contribution to the study of America-Japan-ROK relations.This paper consists of three parts:Prologue introduces the present study situation in this field. Of the studies about Japan-ROK negotiations, there were some talking of American's role, which scratched the surface of it while lacking in realization of the changes of American policy. So it is indeed necessary to have further studies on American's role in the Japan-ROK talks.Part one analyzes the background of the normalization of the relations between Japan and ROK. American policy toward Asia was Containing China after the Korean War. The U.S.A. wanted to construct a west-Pacific collective defense system so as to surround China. But Japan and ROK, the core states of the system, were hostile to each other due to historical causes. In order to carry out its strategy, the United States encouraged Japan and ROK to become reconciled with each other and pushed the normalization forward actively. American's Asian policy and Japan and ROK's position in American's strategy were the focal point of this part.Part two narrates how the U.S.A. affected the normalization of Japan andROK on the basis of Japan-ROK negotiations. In 1950s, America pursued the policy of No Intervening. There made no substantial progress of the negotiations. At the beginning of 1960s, America showed indirect influence on negotiations by cooperating with the activists in Japan who advocated positive policy toward ROK. While at the same time, America did its utmost to avoid direct interposing. The talks during this period ended fruitlessly because of the collapse of Chang Myon regime. During Pak Chung Hee-Sato regime, America pressured ROK with American's aids and actively meddled in the talks. Japan and ROK cleared Up enmity and realized normalization of the relations.Part three discusses the impacts of American's propelling the negotiations forward. Japan settled the problem of request rights in the way of economic cooperation and expanded its domestic market. The normalization changed ROK'S unitary international relations and made the resources of the funds which were needed by ROK become many-faceted. The normalization is also the victory of American's policy toward northeast Asia But for China, the normalization threatened its safety because the normalization made ROK and America combine more closely.The epilogue sums up the major opinions of this paper. The normalization is not the result of Japan-ROK negotiations but the product of the joint efforts of America, Japan and ROK.