Japan and the Korean Peninsula endured a fraught history marked by colonial domination under the guise of Japan’s annexation of Korea between 1910 and 1945. With the culmination of World War II in Japan’s defeat and the consequent liberation of the Korean Peninsula, the latter was subsequently divided into North and South. Against the backdrop of the Korean War (1950–1953), Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951 and later, as part of the postwar settlement process, finally entered into diplomatic normalization with the Republic of Korea (hereafter, South Korea) in 1965 after almost 14 years of negotiations. It is also important to note the instrumental role played by the United States, an ally to both nations, in fostering collaboration both bilaterally between Japan and South Korea, as well as trilaterally among Japan, South Korea, and the US.
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