The 20th Korea-Japan Forum was held in Tokyo on December 20–22, 2012, convening 57 participants from the two countries in Tokyo. It opened with a dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba. In sessions held on December 21, the Korean and Japanese participants exchanged views on the role of Korea-Japan cooperation in facing security issues in northeast Asia, global economic challenges, and cross-border issues such as disaster relief. In view of the recent elections in both countries, the morning session on December 22 was then devoted to updates by politicians and political analysts from both countries on the new governments and likely foreign policy approaches that both countries would see. The wrap-up session that afternoon commemorated the 20th anniversary of the forum and focused on overcoming the various challenges facing bilateral ties and reconstructing a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship.
At the end of the forum, a joint statement (Japanese only) was issued to further strengthen and ensure a mature bilateral relationship between Korea and Japan, which share so many common values and interests.
About the Korea-Japan Forum
The Korea-Japan Forum was initiated in November 1993 during a summit meeting between South Korean President Kim Young-sam and Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa where they called for the formation of a new, forward-looking relationship between the two countries. The forum was modeled after the Shimoda Conference (a private forum on bilateral relations established in 1967 and cosponsored by JCIE) and was designed to address common issues and challenges that the two neighboring countries will face in coming years. This continuing dialogue has played a critical role in promoting mutual understanding and expanding the network of cooperative relationships between the two countries. JCIE and the Korea Foundation serve as the secretariats.
Leading citizens from Japan and Korea in the fields of politics, government, business, academia, the nonprofit sector, and media attended the first forum in Seoul on December 57, 1993. Since then, the forum has taken place annually and is held alternately in Korea and Japan.
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Korean Participants |
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Chairman |
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Ro-myung Gong |
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Chairman, Korea-Japan Forum |
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Byung-joon Ahn |
Visiting Professor of International Relations, KDI School of Public Policy and Management |
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Choong Young Ahn |
Foreign Investment Ombudsman |
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Je-kuk Chang |
President, Dongseo University |
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Seongwhun Cheon |
Director, Center for North Korean Studies, Korea Institute for National Unification |
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Seok-rai Cho |
Chairman, Hyosung Group |
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Byoung-Gug Choung |
Member of the National Assembly (Saenuri Party) |
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Jae-jeong Chung |
Professor, University of Seoul; Former President, the Northeast Asian History Foundation |
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Ku-chong Chung |
Chairman, Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Council; Chairman of the Korea-Japan South Korea Forum |
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Chang-soo Jin |
Director, Japan Center, the Sejong Institute |
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Ku-Hyun Jung |
Visiting Professor, College of Business, KAIST |
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Jeong-Woo Kil |
Member of the National Assembly (Saenuri Party) |
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Eun Mee Kim |
Dean and Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Ewha Womans University |
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Se Yeon Kim |
Member of the National Assembly (Saenuri Party) |
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Woosang Kim |
President of the Korea Foundation |
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Young Hie Kim |
Editor-at-Large, JoongAng Ilbo |
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Dong-kwan Lee |
Ambassador for Press & Cultural Cooperation |
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Kyung-soo Lee |
Minister, Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Japan |
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Nak-yon Lee |
Member of the National Assembly (Democratic United Party) |
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Won-deog Lee |
Professor, School of International Area Studies, Kookmin University |
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Chung-in Moon |
Professor, Department of Political Science, Yonsei University |
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Kyun-pil Nam |
Member of the National Assembly (Saenuri Party) |
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Tai-kyu Oh |
Editorial Writer, Hankyoreh Daily |
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Cheol-hee Park |
Professor, Seoul National University; Director, Institute for Japanese Studies, SNU |
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Joon-woo Park |
Former Ambassador to the European Union |
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Kyu Sun Shim |
Associate Executive Director, Dong-a Ilbo |
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Kak-soo Shin |
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan |
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Sung-joon Yim |
Senior Advisor, Lee International IP & Law Group; Former President of the Korea Foundation |
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Myung Iwan Yu |
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Senior Advisor, Kim & Chang Law Firm |
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Duk-min Yun |
Professor, Korea National Diplomatic Academy |
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Japanese Participants |
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Yuzaburo Mogi |
Honorary CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kikkoman Corporation |
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Aso Wataru |
Former Governor, Fukuoka Prefecture; President, Fukuoka Airport Building Co., Ltd. |
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Keiko Chino |
Contributing Editor, Sankei Shimbun |
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Yukiko Fukagawa |
Professor, Waseda University |
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Tetsuro Fukuyama |
Member, House of Councillors (Democratic Party of Japan, DPJ) |
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Yuichi Hosoya |
Professor, Keio University |
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Tadashi Ideishi |
Executive Commentator, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) |
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Susumu Ishihara |
Chairman, Kyushu Railway Company |
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Takao Kawasaki |
President and Representative Director, The Nishinippon Shimbun Co., Ltd. |
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Akinori Kobayakawa |
Chairman, Fukuoka Association of Independent Entrepreneurs |
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Susumu Kohari |
Professor, Faculty of International Relations, University of Shizuoka |
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Kazuo Korenaga |
Senior Executive Director, Japan-Korea Economic Association; Senior Executive Director, Japan-Korea Industrial Technology Co-operation Foundation |
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Kenji Kosaka |
Member, House of Councillors (LDP); Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology |
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Seiji Maehara |
Minister for National Policy; Member of the House of Representatives (DPJ) |
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Masatoshi Muto |
Former Japanese Ambassador to South Korea |
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Yoshitaka Nagamori |
President & Chief Executive Officer, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Corp. |
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Seiki Nemoto |
Senior Staff Writer, Asahi Shimbun |
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Megumi Nishikawa |
Senior Editorial Writer, Mainichi Newspapers |
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Kunio Okamura |
Senior Special Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) |
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Masao Okonogi |
Research Professor, Kyushu University; Professor Emeritus, Keio University |
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Ken Shibusawa |
President & CEO, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) |
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Yoshihide Soeya |
Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University; Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, Keio University |
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Hitoshi Tanaka |
Senior Fellow, JCIE; Chairman, Institute for International Strategy, Japan Research Institute; Former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs |
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Yoshibumi Wakamiya |
Editor-in-Chief, Asahi Shimbun |
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Masanori Yamakuchi |
Deputy Editor, Asia and Oceania Department, Editorial Bureau, Nikkei, Inc. |
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Kunihiko Yamaoka |
Vice Chairman of Editorial Board, Yomiuri Shimbun |
Thursday, December 20
Dinner hosted by Foreign Minister, Koichiro Gemba
Friday, December 21
Opening Remarks
Yuzaburo Mogi, Japanese Chair
Ro Myung Gong, Korean Chair
Ken Shibusawa, President, Japan Center for International Exchange
Woosang Kim, President, Korea Foundation
Session I: Security Issues in Northeast Asia: Korea-Japan and China-Japan Relations, Leadership Transitions, and the Impact on the Region
The Impact of Leadership Changes in Regional Powers (including Kim Jong-il’s Death) on East Asian Security and the Regional Roles of Korea and Japan
China’s Growing Military Strength, China-Japan Tensions and the US Pivot to Asia
Yoshihide Soeya, Professor, Keio University; Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, Keio University
Chung-in Moon, Professor, Yonsei University
Session II: Korea-Japan Partnership in a Globalized Economy
Korea-Japan Economic Partnership in Third Countries
Implications of China’s Economic Growth for Korea and Japan
Korean and Japanese Approaches To EPA/FTA/TPP and the Future Outlook for Economic Cooperation
The Prospects for Korea-Japan Economic Cooperation, the Korea-Japan Strait Economic Zone, and Economic Growth in Both Countries
Kazuo Korenaga, Senior Executive Director, Japan-Korea Economic Association; Senior Executive Director, Japan-Korea Industrial Technology Co-operation Foundation
Ku-Hyun Jung, Visiting Professor, College of Business, KAIST
Session III: Realizing a New Era of Korea-Japan Partnership: Approaches to Global Issues and Domestic Challenges
Lessons Learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Disaster Relief Coordination
Prospects for Korea-Japan Cooperation in Developing Countries
Kunio Okamura, Senior Special Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Eun Mee Kim, Dean and Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Ewha Womans University
Dinner hosted by Japanese Chair, Yuzaburo Mogi
Saturday, December 22
Session IV: Political Change in Korea and Japan: The Outlook for Korea- Japan Partnership
The Korean Presidential Election, Japan’s Lower House Election, and the Implications for External Relations
Kenji Kosaka, Member, House of Councillors (LDP)
Yuichi Hosoya, Professor, Keio University
Kyung-Pil Nam, Member of the National Assembly
Nak-Yon Lee, Member of the National Assembly
Cheol Hee Park, Professor, Seoul National University; Director of Institute for Japanese Studies, SNU
Luncheon hosted by the Steering Committee of the “Korea-Japan Forum in Kyushu”
Susumu Ishihara, Steering Committee Chair; Chairman, Kyushu Railway Company
Wataru Aso, Former Governor, Fukuoka Prefecture; President, Fukuoka Airport Building Co., Ltd.
Wrap-Up Session: 20th Anniversary of the Korea-Japan Forum: Managing Crisis and Reconstructing a Future-Oriented Korea-Japan Relationship
Overcoming the Crisis in Korea-Japan Relations and Focusing on the Future
What Role for the Korea-Japan Forum on its 20th Anniversary
Yoshibumi Wakamiya, Editor-in-Chief, Asahi Shimbun
Byung-joon Ahn, Visiting Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Member of the Korean National Academy of Sciences
Closing Remarks by the Co-Chairs
