Leaders of Japan, South Korea Repair Relations at First Summit in Twelve Years |
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol sought to put tensions behind them (Nikkei) at today’s summit in Tokyo, where they announced new cooperation on intelligence sharing and trade. Ahead of the meeting, Japan lifted export controls on South Korea, while Seoul dropped a complaint against Tokyo that it had filed at the World Trade Organization. The leaders also pledged to cooperate against the threat posed by North Korea, which test-fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile ahead of the talks.
Today’s meeting comes after Seoul announced a compromise (NYT) on a long-running dispute with Japan over forced labor during World War II. Though a Korean court ruled that Japanese firms must compensate South Koreans they had forcibly employed, Yoon said a new South Korean government-run fund would pay the victims and their families instead. A poll this week found that nearly 56 percent of South Koreans disapproved of Yoon’s move.
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“Both Yoon and Kishida recognize that the worsening geopolitical environment has created an imperative for Japan and South Korea to work more closely with each other,” CFR’s Scott A. Snyder writes. “But the sustainability of such efforts will be subject to future reversals in the absence of acts of statesmanship by both Yoon and Kishida to build a lasting consensus capable of insulating the relationship from domestic political influence in both countries.”
“Both governments need to engage in deep diplomacy to mend and manage this relationship, learning lessons from the frostiness of the past few years. Since the issues that lie between Japan and South Korea are closely intertwined, it is appropriate to aim for a comprehensive agreement,” Nikkei’s editorial board writes. |
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Biden Administration Says TikTok’s Owner Must Sell App or Face Ban |
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) issued the warning to TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, due to security concerns, the Wall Street Journal reported. TikTok said a forced sale would be an inappropriate response.
This Backgrounder breaks down CFIUS’s role in protecting national security.
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Russia Urges Bangladesh to Establish Direct Central Bank Payment System |
Russia requested the system be created after Bangladesh fell behind on payments (Bloomberg) for a Russia-funded nuclear power plant. A direct payment system between the countries’ central banks would limit the effects of sanctions Western governments have imposed against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Pakistan: A court extended a pause (AP) on efforts to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his supporters repeatedly fought back against police trying to carry out the arrest. The new extension will expire tomorrow.
For Foreign Affairs, Madiha Afzal discusses how Khan’s politics have divided Pakistan.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel’s Netanyahu Rejects Proposed Compromise on Judicial Overhaul |
Israeli President Isaac Herzog presented a compromise (Haaretz) on the judicial reform plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which categorically rejected it. The initial plan has sparked weeks of protests.
Libya: Around 2.5 tons of natural uranium have disappeared (AP) from a Libyan storage site, UN monitors said. Natural uranium can’t be used to make energy or bombs, but tech-savvy actors could refine it to weapons grade with enough time and resources.
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As great-power rivalries usher in a new era of competition, experts discuss the top global threats the United States could face this year for the season premiere of the Why It Matters podcast. |
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Blinken Becomes First U.S. Secretary of State to Visit Niger |
Secretary Antony Blinken is set to meet with Niger’s president and foreign minister to discuss advancing bilateral relations in several areas. Niger’s profile as a U.S. security partner in Africa’s Sahel region has risen (Al Jazeera) in recent years as the the Sahel struggles with extremist violence and a spate of military coups, including in Burkina Faso and Mali.
Uganda: Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Uganda’s president of nearly forty years, Yoweri Museveni, tweeted that he will run for president in 2026 (Al Jazeera). It is the first time he has publicly announced a timeline for his presidential ambitions.
For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Ebenezer Obadare looks at the continent’s “leaders for life.” |
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Credit Suisse to Borrow Up to $54 Billion From Swiss Central Bank |
The Swiss National Bank said it will provide the funding (FT) to shore up confidence in Credit Suisse, whose stock plunged this week following bank failures in the U.S. financial system.
France: The Senate officially gave its support (AFP) to President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform bill, and Macron will choose today to either put it up for a vote in the lower house or advance it by decree. Meanwhile, some seven thousand tons of trash have piled up on the streets of Paris as municipal garbage collectors continue a strike against the bill.
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Bolivians Line Up to Buy Dollars Amid Falling Confidence in Local Currency |
Bolivians are lining up (FT) outside the country’s central bank after it announced that it would sell U.S. dollars directly to the public following complaints of dollar shortages at trading houses. Falling reserves of natural gas, the country’s top export, and a delay in the publishing of official foreign reserves data have sparked fears of a devaluation of the boliviano, which is pegged to the dollar.
U.S./Mexico: The Mexican government said it will appeal a U.S. court’s dismissal (Reuters) of its lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers, who Mexico says abet the illegal flow of arms to Mexican gangs.
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U.S. Military Releases Footage of Drone’s Encounter With Russian Fighter Jets |
U.S. European Command released a video (WaPo) that appears to show the moment when two Russian fighter jets release fuel on a U.S. surveillance drone flying over the Black Sea. Washington says the jets caused the drone to crash, while Russia disputes that narrative. |
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