Nowadays, it seems like you cannot talk about international relations in East Asia without conjuring up an image of trade wars, territorial disputes, and politicians bickering. Whether right or wrong, Japan is at the epicenter of many of these conflicts, which means that it is imperative for Japan to strike a tone of unity.

Ending the diplomatic crisis that is gripping this region will require Japan to reevaluate its minority rights policy in regard to ethnic Koreans living in Japan. The treatment of this community has been an outstanding source of tension between Japan and the Korean Peninsula and has complicated the ability of these countries to work together.

Confronting this problem and revamping Japan's minority rights policy are essential to assuring its neighbors that it is ready to renew its commitment to peace and prosperity. Only then can Japan facilitate better relations and bring unity to this region.  

According to a report by Minority Rights Group International in 2007, about 600,000 ethnic Koreans live in Japan. This minority group is one of the most visible minority populations in Japan, and they have suffered in silence as Japan has orchestrated a systematic attack on their community. The Japanese government has put their well-being in jeopardy by routinely obstructing the ability of ethnic Koreans to gain economic mobility and social standing within Japanese society.

The country's naturalization process is an example. Koreans applying for Japanese citizenship, regardless of whether they were born on Japanese soil, are not only required to go through an arduous evaluation of their character and finances, but are even required to renounce their Korean citizenship.

But why does an advanced nation like Japan continue to perpetuate discrimination and bigotry within its borders? It is because the treatment of this minority group has attracted attention from the nations of their kin states, and Japan is using this minority group as a pressure point to agitate the two Koreas which it has historically had bad relations with.

The biggest challenge for Japan will be to confront the assumptions long used in the racial politicking in the country and convince its neighbors that it is serious about changing its relationship with the Korean people.

If Japan alleviated the plight of the Koreans by implementing common-sense reforms, it would send a symbolic message that Japan is ready for a new beginning. It can start by making the pathway to citizenship easier, protecting the rights of Koreans to express their culture, and enforcing stronger anti-discrimination laws. It could start by lending more support to Korean cultural schools.

While this international predicament seems like harmless squabbling between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, a continued breakdown in relations will have serious consequences that are in no country's interest.

Ending such senseless discrimination in Japan would be good faith gesture that could spark a new dialogue and end the political brinksmanship that is tearing this region apart. The Korean minority has been used and abused as political pawns in this international game of chess. Perhaps Japan can now use this minority in the play for peace.

Hayato Watanabe, a graduate student at the Department of Politics, New York University