Time to Forge Greater Private Sector Partnerships to Strengthen US-Japan-South Korea Cooperation
Anthony B. Kim /
The U.S. hosted a summit at Camp David with Japan and South Korea just over a year ago, so this is a timely opportunity to reflect on the strategic significance and imperative of making trilateral cooperation more pragmatic, especially in enhancing economic security and freedom partnerships.
The summit on Aug. 18, 2023, paved a path forward in geopolitics as the leaders of the three longtime allies refreshed their commitment to a forward-looking trilateral partnership to take on global challenges.
Indeed, now is the time for Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington to take their pivotal alliance to the next chapter with steadfastness, particularly through elevated partnerships in the private sector.
In a joint statement issued Aug. 17 to mark the first anniversary of the trilateral summit, the three leaders unambiguously said: “We hold an unshakeable belief that cooperation [among] Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States is indispensable for meeting today’s challenges and will set the stage for a prosperous future.”
These words reflect the three nations’ shared interests and strong desire to work together.
During the summit, President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed upon a comprehensive package of cooperation initiatives encompassing high-level consultations, avenues for greater security cooperation, economic and technology cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.
The renewed collaborative spirit and reaffirmed commitment to forge greater cooperation among the three nations are more critical than ever, especially at this critical juncture of challenging global security and economic environments.
That’s what really matters, and that’s why the three allies should work together more closely to ensure these positive developments live on and are institutionalized further at the practical levels of government and business leaders.
The trilateral summit at Camp David—highlighting a shared recognition of the imperative to move beyond historical grievances to meet common challenges—affirmed and expanded allied cooperation on wide-ranging security, diplomatic, and economic topics.
This deepening relationship among Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington is the path forward for a greater future together. Washington should build on it regardless of who wins the Nov. 5 presidential election.
South Korea and Japan, which next year will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations, have a viable path forward together. However, it will not be without challenges.
The United States must remain proactively engaged by maintaining forward-deployed forces in Asia and seeking ways to promote reconciliation between Seoul and Tokyo. Washington shouldn’t take these critical alliances for granted.
It’s notable that since the summit last year, the evolving economic partnership has focused on reducing supply chain vulnerabilities, particularly in critical technologies such as semiconductors. South Korea and Japan, both key players in the global chip industry, have worked more closely with the U.S. to safeguard supply chains.
But more that can and should be followed through on.
The U.S. has critical national interests in Asia but can’t preserve and advance them alone. It must work with indispensable allies such as Japan and South Korea to achieve mutually beneficial policy goals that will enhance peace and prosperity in the region.
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., who recently led a bipartisan congressional delegation to South Korea and Japan, underscored this by saying:
My firm belief is that deeper economic ties among our three nations will reinforce and strengthen our shared economic and national security interests. As a senator and former U.S. ambassador to Japan, I know firsthand how critical our alliances with Japan—the world’s third-largest economy and host to some 55,000 U.S. service members—and South Korea—the world’s 14th-largest economy and host to nearly 29,000 U.S. troops—are to advancing the security and prosperity of the American people and to countering Communist China’s growing threats to the free and open Indo-Pacific.
Indeed, forging greater strategic partnerships for economic security between South Korea and Japan in advanced technology, particularly initiated and shaped by the private sectors in the three nations, would augment allied deterrence and defense capabilities among other key fronts.
Such forward-looking collaboration based on the challenging geoeconomic reality would not only boost the economic resilience of the three nations but strengthen their shared influence in reconfiguring and guarding the rules of the global economy.
Looking ahead, the Camp David summit’s real success will depend on the ability of Japan, South Korea, and the United States to sustain and deepen their practical cooperation amid evolving challenges.
The summit laid a strong foundation. Building a durable trilateral alliance, however, will require continued political will, more focused strategic clarity, and greater private sector support in all three countries.
Now is the time to act on that.