Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Joe Biden, master diplomat

The New York Times:

Why Washington is welcoming the détente between Seoul and Tokyo.

For decades, South Korea and Japan have been the two most important allies of Washington in East Asia. The United States keeps a large military presence in both nations. But Seoul and Tokyo could never get along, their relations soured by historical disputes rooted in Japan’s onetime colonial rule of Korea.

This year, Mr. Yoon began ​chipping away at the logjam. He offered a solution in March to settle the dispute over forced labor during colonial rule. In return, Japan lifted trade restrictions on South Korea’s semiconductor industry.

Here is why it is crucial for Japan and South Korea to get along as part of Washington’s broader strategy in Asia and beyond.