South Korea suffers from its alternating approach toward Japan

TOKYO -- Japan is again falling victim to South Korean politics, most recently in relation to the decades-old wrangling over the wartime "comfort women" issue, which itself reflects a long-running power struggle in the country.

In South Korea, presidents wield so much power they are often likened to an emperor. As a result, the inauguration of a new president can dynamically alter society as a whole -- and foreign policy can be turned on its head.