The U.S. has stepped in to defuse a rising furor after a top official openly expressed frustration over ongoing historical feuds in Northeast Asia, tacitly blaming South Korea and China for exploiting “nationalist feelings” toward Japan for domestic interests.

At a seminar in Washington on Friday, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said historical and territorial “disagreements” between the three countries are “understandable, but it can also be frustrating.”

“Nationalist feelings can still be exploited, and it’s not hard for a political leader anywhere to earn cheap applause by vilifying a former enemy. But such provocations produce paralysis, not progress,” she said.

The remarks instantly sparked a stir over Washington’s apparent lack of adequate understanding about the deeply intertwined history and its significance in relations between the three Asian countries. Critics blasted the U.S. for refusing to rein in Tokyo’s ongoing revisionist push in pursuit of its own security and economic interests ahead of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Washington.

Seeking to calm the uproar, the U.S. State Department issued a statement on Monday endorsing Japan’s previous apologies for wartime atrocities which it said marked an “important chapter” in improving its ties with neighbors.

“We continue to emphasize the importance of approaching historical legacy issues in a manner that promotes healing and reconciliation,” the statement read.

It also reiterated President Barack Obama’s description last year of the Japanese military’s sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II as a “terrible, egregious violation of human rights.”

Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf also said Sherman’s remarks “in no way” represented any change in U.S. policy and were not directed at any one leader or country in the region.

“Obviously, we think that constructive relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, our most important allies in East Asia, are helpful to advance peace and prosperity in the region,” she told a regular news briefing.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, for its part, sought to align its messages with Washington, saying it has reaffirmed via diplomatic channels that U.S. policy remains unchanged. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong also pledged Monday to respond “sternly” to the situation during a parliamentary session.

“The department’s statement once again demonstrated that South Korea and the U.S. share a common position on historical issues including the issue of the so-called comfort women,” ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Yet the backlash showed no signs of abating, with lawmakers, former officials, scholars and activists here relaying criticism over the speech and South Korea’s complacent initial response.

Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that only by sincerely respecting history and coming clean about related issues will Tokyo be able to earn the true understanding from neighbors and the future.

Chung Se-hyun, president of Wonkwang University who served as unification minister under the liberal presidents of late Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, dismissed the State Department’s explanation as “preposterous,” saying Sherman’s remarks exposed Washington’s “real intentions” and Obama simply paid “lip service.”

“I think her comment reflects the U.S.’ calculations that it could help extract Japan’s concessions in the ongoing negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and form a coalition between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan against China,” he told SBS Radio on Tuesday.

“South Korea should clearly say that the U.S. cannot take sides like this.”

The Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea, a Seoul-based progressive civic group, staged a one-man protest in front of Cheong Wa Dae and the U.S. Embassy against what it calls Washington’s attempt to maintain hegemony in Northeast Asia and keep China in check by fostering Japan’s reemergence.

“We urge the Park Geun-hye government to reject Japan’s exercise of its collective self-defense and the formation of a three-way alliance with the U.S. and Japan, which will damage our national interests, sovereignty, peace and security,” the organization said in a statement.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)