Due to a slew of disputes, including compensation for forced laborers during the colonial era, South Korea has largely given Japan the cold shoulder since late 2018.

However, with the 2021 Tokyo Olympics drawing near, President Moon Jae-in now appears willing to work with Japan to create another inter-Korean diplomatic spectacle like the one he achieved at the 2018 Pyeongchang winter games.

However, whether Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and especially North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be interested is a different story.

Back at the beginning of 2018, Moon achieved a detente at