The impact of identity on decision making has been receiving more and more attention since the 1970s. Hence, any institution will be affected by its positioning in the decision-making process. One example of this scenario was Germany's special attention to the European multilateral cooperation due to World War II. In view of the recent trade friction between Japan and South Korea, in addition to geopolitical factors pointed out earlier by ANBOUND, identity politics have an increasing impact on bilateral relations between the two countries.
South Korea is a country that gives high importance on geopolitical interests and aims to play a more crucial role on the global stage. Just like any other emerging country, South Korea needs to strengthen its positive identity. However, unlike other average countries, it is slightly more difficult for South Korea to achieve its goals due to its historic reason. This is also evident from its almost paranoid pursuit of the World Cultural Heritage project. The reason for this is because there had been no independent polities on the Korean peninsula since the end of the 14th century until the end of World War II. Although there have been large-scale independent movements and government in exile during the Japanese's occupation, these movements cannot be compared to the Free France movement led by Charles de Gaulle due to their longer time span. Unlike most anti-fascist countries, the Korean peninsula was incorporated into the Japanese territory in the 1910s. During the time of Japanese fascist aggression, the peninsula's government had played an awkward role, and it ultimately depended on outside forces to be liberated. With that, South Korea is essentially a new country. With the outbreak of the Korean War, the peninsula was once again divided. Because of the harsh international situation, the South Korean government urgently needed a positive identity to unite public opinion and build the country. "Victorious nation of the Second World War" and "victim of fascist aggression" have become two important aspects of South Korean, and even North Korean national identity. As a result, despite sharing common strategic interests with Japan, South Korea is still very sensitive to issues like comfort women and forced labour. For the sake of national interests, South Korea is forced to establish normal relations with Japan. However, at the same time, the Korean government cannot change the history as this will negatively impact the core identity of the country.
Identity politics have also profoundly affected Japan's post-war national policy. The Japanese society as a whole has been greatly influenced by Japan's Heiwa-Kenpō, or Peace Constitution despite disagreements from the extreme right-wing parties. Although Shinzo Abe's government has a firm control on the congress, they still face challenges in further advancing the constitutional agenda. The identity of an "aggressor" has haunted Japan, and the Japanese are desperate to get rid of that. To a certain extent, "normal nationalization" is an attempt by Abe's government to remove Japan's negative identity. It is becoming more difficult for the Japanese government and people to bear as the Koreans have continuously taunted them with Japan's dark history.
On this basis, identity politics have provided us with a new perspective on understanding this Japanese-South Korean trade dispute. The Korean court's previous ruling on slave workers of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has minimal influence on the macroeconomic policies of the two countries. However, this incident has gotten on Japan's nerves, which in turn drove the Japanese government to overreact. Moreover, the rapid expansion of trade frictions into other fields has also illustrated the growing influence of identity politics. Four days after Japan announced its restrictions on exports, the Koreans have begun their movement to boycott Japanese goods. There were even extreme incidents where several Koreans self-immolated in front of the Japanese embassy. On the other hand, more than half of the Japanese supported their government's restrictions on exports, and this was a rare phenomenon during the governance of Abe's administration. Abe's government has issued a statement that the Korean ruling on slavery was far from an economic issue. In fact, they believed that it was an issue of trust between the two countries. It is without a doubt that Japan and South Korea's future policies on this matter will be restricted by their identities, which will eventually limit the flexibility of those policies.
Final analysis conclusion:
According to ANBOUND researchers, in addition to geopolitical factors, identity politics are crucial to the future success of Japan and South Korea in managing differences and negotiations to resolve trade disputes. The development of this event will change the perception of Japan and South Korea on this bilateral relationship and thus affect the nature of Japan-Korea relations. Along with the growing momentum of ethnic groups and global populism in recent years, the limitations and influences of identity on national policies deserve continuous attention and further research.
