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CNN
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Harmony and togetherness -- that's the overriding theme behind the upcoming 2002 World Cup football finals co-hosted by Korea and Japan.
"Arm in arm" is the title given to the festivities leading up to Friday's opening ceremony while "Let's get together" is one of the official songs, recorded by Japanese and Korean musicians to mark the nations' joint hosting of the tournament.
Even the official poster of the event -- a football field represented by colorful East Asian calligraphy -- was created by artists from both countries.
Cup organizing officials are eager to portray such symbols as signaling hope for warmer ties and a more harmonious future between two former foes.
But perhaps the most important gesture has been the arrival of Japan's Prince Takamado and Princess Hisako in Seoul Wednesday for a six-day visit which coincides with the opening ceremony of the World Cup which starts May 31.
It is the first official visit of a member of the Japanese royal family since the end of World War II in 1945 brought an end to Japan's colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean President Kim Dae-jung had hoped that Emperor Akihito would make a historic visit for the World Cup, but the plan fell through because of lingering animosity between both countries.
Imperial legacy
| The official poster was a collaboration between Korean and Japanese artists | |
The East Asian neighbors share a lingering enmity and several unresolved issues that dates back to Japan's often brutal 35 years of colonial rule.
Japan's imperial legacy has not been forgotten in Korea and despite the gloss of the World Cup harmony campaign, there have been several spats in the run-up to the tournament.
On the football-front there was a dispute over which country's name should go first on the World Cup logo. Korea prevailed and also won the right to host the first game in return for Japan staging the final on June 30.
Relations then further soured last year during a row over Japanese history textbooks that many South Korean said glazed over Japan's wartime past.
More anger surfaced in Korea following a visit earlier this year by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to a shrine in Tokyo which commemorates Japan's war dead, including several convicted war criminals.
But there are signs that relations are getting smoother.
During a much-heralded trip by the Japanese leader to Seoul in March, Koizumi and Kim agreed to work on fostering better bilateral ties between both nations.
New chapter
Continuing the easing of old animosities, Japan's ambassador to South Korea says that the World Cup will boost Korean-Japanese relations.
"Among neighboring nations there are always ups and down of political and diplomatic relationships and this is often the case for us," Ambassador Terusuke Terada told CNN.
"The coming games will improve bilateral relations tremendously. We have this World up ... to give a helping hand to reconcile this relationship."
Terada points to the youth of Korea as holding the best prospect to help heal old wounds.
"I don't have a bad attitude to Japan," says 20-year-old South Korean football fan Ho Lo Young. "I think Korea can't forget the past, but I have nothing against Japan."
Analysts say that a successful staging of the World Cup can only improve relations between the historic adversaries and ease some bitter memories.
With so much riding on the tournament, hopes are high that the upcoming football spectacular may herald a new chapter for Korea and Japan.
