Barack Obama has been drawn into the tense relations between Japan and South Korea, the two closest US allies in the region, even before the president has officially revealed his planned Asia trip in April.
The sensitivities surrounding his itinerary highlight the difficulties facing the US as it seeks to implement its “pivot” to Asia amid a contest for power in the region with an increasingly confident China.
Tensions in the Pacific are high because of territorial disputes between China and its neighbours, in addition to concerns in Beijing and Seoul about the actions and rhetoric of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister.
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