The U.S.-Japanese-South Korean relationship deepens, as does China’s threat

SEOUL — From Gaza to Ukraine, the world is a pretty bleak place right now. One bright spot is the nascent trilateral relationship among the United States, Japan and South Korea that was heralded less than a year ago at the historic Camp David summit by President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Seoul-Tokyo relationship had been fraught since the end of Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea in 1945. The Camp David meeting was a breakthrough moment when Biden announced a “new era” of partnership that would strengthen deterrence not only against North Korea but also China.