To Washington via Seoul

By George Russell

Nakasone tries to show he is a strong and reliable ally

The scene of international camaraderie in Seoul's presidential Blue House last week was truly extraordinary. Following a formal state dinner, South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan, 51, and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, 64, retired for a "second session," a hard-drinking Oriental stag party. As the liquor flowed, the two leaders took turns belting out favorite songs at each other. Among Nakasone's three choices was a hit Korean romantic tune from 1961: Noran (Yellow) Shirts. For his part, Chun serenaded his guest with Kage O Shitaite (Searching for Your Shadows), a pre-World War II Japanese love song. As midnight approached, the party broke up with the duo embracing to the applause of their fellow revelers.

The unusual display was only one highlight of a lightning diplomatic foray by Nakasone that was intended to burnish Japan's political image, not only in Korea but also in Washington. During his 24-hour visit to Seoul, the outgoing Japanese politician who became Prime Minister seven weeks ago was laying some shrewd groundwork for his meeting with President Ronald Reagan this week. At a time of fraying U.S.-Japanese relations on such issues as regional defense spending and international trade, Nakasone was hoping to demonstrate that Japan intended to be a strong and stabilizing U.S. ally in Asia. Said a foreign observer: "Nakasone is going to Washington by first stopping off in Seoul."

Nakasone's choice of the South Korean way station was a deliberate signal to the Reagan Administration. Despite their strong mutual ties to the U.S., Japan and South Korea have long had only the chilliest diplomatic regard for each other. From the Korean side, the attitude is understandable: for 70 years, the country was systematically bullied by Japan's rising military might, including the outright Japanese annexation of the Korean peninsula in 1910. South Korea regained its independence following World War II, but even today polls indicate that Japan is the country most hated by South Koreans, ranking higher in their contempt than Communist North Korea.

The prickly relationship began to change almost as soon as Nakasone landed at Seoul's Kimpo Airport. For the first time since 1945, the Japanese Rising Sun flag was hoisted alongside South Korea's white, red, blue and black emblem atop the city's squat Capitol Building. Nakasone pledged that his country would grant $4 billion in preferential aid to South Korea and declared that "my visit may mark the beginning of a new and vital stage in our relationship." Replied Chun: "Your visit is a historic, indeed monumental, milestone in our relations." From Washington's point of view, the rapprochement has two benefits: a strengthening of ties between non-Communists on the Asian periphery and a further emphasis on mutual self-help in the region.

In anticipation of Nakasone's visit to the U.S., his government also unveiled a package of trade-liberalizing measures, the third in 13 months. It included tariff cuts on such items as tobacco products, chocolate and biscuits. The measures will do little to shrink Japan's huge (estimated $17.5 billion for 1982) trade surplus with the U.S., but Nakasone has promised a review of such nontariff barriers as complex customs requirements and byzantine distribution systems.

Despite his efforts to set a friendly tone, Nakasone will probably hear expressions of concern in Washington on both the commercial and military fronts. Officials will explain to Nakasone that as U.S. unemployment continues to rise, so will pressure for further measures designed to protect the domestic market from Japanese imports. The Administration also feels that Japan, which spends less than 1% of its gross national product on defense, vs. 6.3% for the U.S., is not shouldering a fair share of the military burden in the Pacific. So far, Nakasone's efforts to boost military spending have been disappointing to Washington. In his first draft budget, presented last December, Nakasone lowered the planned purchase of U.S.-built F-15 fighters from 20 to 13, dropped one of three destroyers from its naval buildup, and reduced tank orders from 75 to 60. State Department Spokesman Alan Romberg later declared that Japan's defense commitment "falls short" of its responsibilities, although he noted that the country faces "domestic financial difficulties."

Nakasone's response to this criticism is to say that "Japan is like a supertanker. It takes effort to change the course of such a ship." But even while counseling patience, he is counting on his image as a decisive leader to win understanding in Washing an. Already the Japanese bureaucracy is complaining about the speed with which Nakasone demands action, a habit that he is said to have learned from one of his idols, the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Having convinced the skeptical South Koreans of his good will, Nakasone may find the going easier with a politician as amiable as Ronald Reagan.

--By George Russell.

Reported by S. Chang/Seoul and Edwin M. Reingold/Tokyo

With reporting by S. Chang/Seoul, Edwin M. Reingold/Tokyo This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.