Japan and Korea still have historical disagreements that have yet to be solved. Animosity between the two countries stem from the use of comfort women and historical discrepancies. For instance, Japan has yet to issue a written apology for the atrocities that they committed when colonizing Korea. Many politicians have gone so far as to say that the Koreans would inevitably be colonized because they could not modernize themselves. Many Korean artifacts have also not been returned to Korea by the Japanese government. The visit of Japanese Prime Minister’s to Yasukuni shrine, which houses many war criminals, is also a contentious problem.

The Japanese have also refused to recognize the plight of comfort women, who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese. The Japanese government have called comfort women “liars,” justifying this statement by stating that in prostitution was normal in Korea because there were already many brothels.

These, and many other reasons, cause the hostility between Japan and Korea, that have made K-pop’s entrance into Japan controversial and problematic.