Japan and South Korea
Two neighbouring, connected economies cooperate on regional issues and share concerns about North Korea. The relationship remains shaped by colonial history, disputes over redress and a territorial dispute. Government contacts can improve while those disagreements continue: present cooperation does not erase historical differences.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Diplomatic normalisation
The 1965 treaty established the framework for relations between the two states.
History and territory
Labour during the colonial period and Dokdo/Takeshima remain disputed issues.
Regional coordination
The trilateral consultation of October 2026 documents cooperation in response to a North Korean launch.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | ||
| Goods: Japan to South Korea | ||
| Goods: South Korea to Japan | ||
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Japan to South Korea | ||
| Export share: South Korea to Japan | ||
| Investment stock: Japan in South Korea | 6.05 trillion JPY | 2025 · BoJ / MOF |
| Investment stock: South Korea in Japan | 0.87 trillion JPY | 2025 · BoJ / MOF |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Investment stock: Japan in South Korea
- 2025 · BoJ / MOF · Direct investment position at the end of December 2025, according to Japanese reporting. South Korea, not North Korea.
- Investment stock: South Korea in Japan
- 2025 · BoJ / MOF · Direct investment position at the end of December 2025, according to Japanese reporting. South Korea, not North Korea.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Year-on-year inflation: different periods or frequencies; the two figures are not directly comparable.
| Indicator | Japan | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 4.44 trillion USD2025 · WB | 1.87 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 35,951.05 USD2025 · WB | 36,226.97 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 1.19 %2025 · WB | 1.01 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 1.25 %2026-09-24 · BoJ | 3 %2026-08-27 · Bank of Korea |
| Inflation · annual average | 3.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 2.12 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 1.9 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · Statistics JP | 2.9 %Headline CPI · 2026-09 · year-on-year · Ministry of Data and Statistics |
| Unemployment | 2.45 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 2.68 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -1.1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -1.4 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 206.5 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 52.3 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 4.86 %2025 · WB | 6.57 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 123,366,7342025 · WB | 51,684,5642025 · WB |
| Area | 377,969 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 100,450 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDJapan: 2025 · World BankSouth Korea: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personJapan: 2025 · World BankSouth Korea: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Japan: 2025 · World BankSouth Korea: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Japan: 2026-09-24 · Approximate target for the uncollateralised overnight rate · Bank of JapanSouth Korea: 2026-08-27 · Base Rate · Bank of Korea · Official central-bank decision; not a commercial lending rate or a bill yield.
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Japan: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World BankSouth Korea: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedJapan: 2026-08 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Statistics Bureau of Japan · Published: 2026-09-18 · National headline CPI, 2025 base; includes fresh food and energy. The measure excluding fresh food (1.7%) and the preliminary Tokyo release are not used.South Korea: 2026-09 · National headline CPI, change from the same month of the previous year · Ministry of Data and Statistics · Published: 2026-10-02 · Official monthly data. Not mixed with the annual average. · Alternative official source; verified 2026-10-07
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionJapan: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.South Korea: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, % of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Japan: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.South Korea: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Japan: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.South Korea: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPJapan: 2025 · World BankSouth Korea: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Population
- PeopleJapan: 2025 · World BankSouth Korea: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceJapan: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; source's territorial coverage · World Bank · FAOSouth Korea: 2023 · World Bank / FAO · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
Treaty on Basic Relations
1965Normalisation framework
This is distinct from resolving all historical or territorial disputes. [2]
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Japan to South Korea
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
South Korea to Japan
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Relations between societies cannot be inferred from a government dispute or a security meeting; mobility figures are documented separately. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Japan living in South Korea | ||
| Residents from South Korea living in Japan | ||
| Study and training: Japan in South Korea | ||
| Study and training: South Korea in JapanHigher education and Japanese-language schools; student residence status | 14,612 | 2025-05-01 · JASSO |
| Academic stays: Japan in South KoreaOutbound mobility reported by Japanese institutions | 8,360 | 2024/25 (FY2024) · JASSO |
| Academic stays: South Korea in Japan | ||
| Travel: Japan to South Korea | ||
| Travel: South Korea to JapanVisitors to Japan by nationality; final annual total | 9,459,711arrivals | 2025 · Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
- Study and training: South Korea in Japan
- Survey of enrolled students as of 1 May 2025. Includes Japanese-language schools and preparatory education; not visas issued or exclusively university students. 2025-05-01 · JASSO
- Academic stays: Japan in South Korea
- Students sent abroad by Japanese institutions in fiscal year 2024 (April 2024–March 2025), with and without an agreement. Not a stock of resident Japanese university students or visas issued. Academic credit is not assumed for every programme. 2024/25 (FY2024) · JASSO
- Travel: South Korea to Japan
- Foreign visitor arrivals by nationality, not residence or unique people. January–December 2025 total, page 2; not the partial cumulative figure for 2026 on page 1. 2025 · Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
The framework established in 1965
The 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations is the reference point for diplomatic normalisation between Japan and South Korea. Current contacts operate within that institutional framework, but perceptions of history and the scope of agreements cannot be reduced to their signing date. Understanding the relationship requires distinguishing the existence of diplomatic relations from the resolution of every issue dividing governments and societies. [2]
Historical memory and a territorial dispute
The Japanese portal brings together documentation on former civilian workers from the Korean Peninsula and on the islands called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. These are distinct disputes: one concerns responsibility and redress related to the colonial period; the other concerns territorial claims. This article identifies these issues and attributes official positions without adopting either side's interpretation as an independent conclusion. [1]
Practical cooperation on shared risks
Contact between Japanese, South Korean and US officials provides a channel for coordinating matters related to North Korea. This trilateral cooperation does not turn Japan and South Korea into a single bilateral mutual-defence alliance or eliminate their historical differences. Its usefulness lies in exchanging information and coordinating responses to specific events. The channel's continuity must be distinguished from each operational measure governments may agree. [3]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Maintaining channels despite disagreements
The bilateral-relations portal documents an agenda of government contacts and regional consultations continuing in 2026. This activity shows that disputed issues coexist with diplomatic work. A meeting does not by itself resolve territorial claims or questions of redress. To assess specific changes, it is more useful to observe implemented agreements, lifted restrictions and completed projects than to interpret every encounter as complete normalisation across all dimensions. [1]
The consultation of 3 October 2026
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports a trilateral telephone consultation on 3 October 2026 following a North Korean ballistic missile launch. Officials from Japan, South Korea and the United States participated. The statement identifies a recent coordination action and its reason. It provides no measure of bilateral trade or tourism and does not demonstrate that historical disputes have disappeared. It is a regional-security event within a broader relationship. [3]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
The 2013–2014 figures in the archived English basic-data profile are not reused as current data. Territorial and historical positions are attributed and are not turned into a ruling on sovereignty.
- Japan–South Korea relations and historical issues
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Trilateral consultation following a North Korean launch
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Document: 2026-10-03 · Accessed: 2026-10-07