South Korean officials incensed over PM Abe’s remarks on colonization

Apr 24, 2013 Ida Torres Features, Politics 52

Another day, another reason for people to be mad at Japan. South Koreans woke up today to newspapers splashing headlines like “Abe even denies Imperial Japan’s aggression,” “Japan reveals true color” and “Diplomatic provocations made by Abe regime on back of popularity.” This comes after reports came out of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s statements during a parliamentary meeting suggesting that the colonization of Korea may not be an “act of aggression”, depending on your perspective on the situation.

While he may not have said the exact words, the reports from that meeting indicate that he said that the definition of aggression is subjective, depending on what side of the situation you’re looking at it. Following that logic, then the 1910-45 colonization of Korea may not be considered an aggressive act. This did not sit well with a country that until now has scars from what they suffered at the hands of Japanese militarism.

In what may be one of the few issues they agree on, both the ruling and opposition parties in South Korea are united in saying that those statements are unacceptable. Rep. Lee Hye-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party said that they are concerned that under Abe’s leadership, Japan’s militarism might be making a comeback. Opposition leader Rep. Moon Hee-sang of the Democratic United Party urged President Park Geun-hye to deal with it as early as now so that Japan will not “shatter peace in Asia.” A foreign ministry official said in order for Japan-Korea relations to stabilize, there needs to be a “correct perception of history”. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se urged Abe to become a “responsible leader with a correct understanding of history.”

The past few days have seen relations between the two countries worsen, as Yun canceled his visit and planned bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in protest of the visit of several ministers to the Yasukuni Shrine. Two days later, around 170 senior officials made a trip to the controversial war memorial which earned more criticism from South Korean officials. A proposed meeting between PM Abe and President Park is now in jeopardy, as well as the scheduled trilateral summit between Japan, China and South Korea.

[ via Yonhap News ]

History, Park Geun-Hye, Shinzo Abe, South Korea, World War II, Yasukuni Shrine

Far East

I don’t know why there is so much fuss about this. The statement is well balanced, and is correct, ie the “definition of aggression is subjective” and it depends “on what side of the situation you’re looking at it”.
The Qing Empire would certainly have regarded this as an aggression.
Some Korean people would certainly have seen this as a liberation from the Chinese Empire to which they initially belonged, and the former Japanese Imperial Army would certainly have looked at this as them liberating Korea.
Some people seem to have issues with facing historical facts, maybe because they want to change the history?
- Taiwanese
  
  Ridiculous! Who asked you to “liberate” them? You volunteered and self proclaimed” liberators”?
  
  Maybe you should liberate yourself once again and try to liberate Koreas again according to your perspective and to see what happens next?
  - Far East
    
    Are you saying the Korean would like to be part of China again??
    Unless they felt liberated, there is no reason to think they would want to go back to their pre-1895 situation again, don’t you think?
    - Taiwanese
      
      You are funny! Korea was not under Qing rule.
      
      The way you argue makes me laugh!
      - Far East
        
        Hmmm.
        Article 1 of the Treaty of Shimonoseki of 1895:
        “Article 1: China recognizes definitively the full and complete independence and autonomy of Korea”
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Shimonoseki
        I hope you’re still laughing.
      - Taiwanese
        
        It’s recognition of sphere of influence in Korean peninsula couldnt last any longer since China was defeated.
        
        But it doesn’t mean that Japan was the liberators. Period!
      - Far East
        
        I am glad we agree on that Korea was freed from Qing Empire.
        Now, whether Japan was the liberator or not is a matter of point of view, and this is the point Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was making.
      - Taiwanese
        
        Are you nuts? Who agreed with you that Korea was freed from Qing Empire?
        Read carefully! Can you?
      - Far East
        
        You mean that there are STILL within the Qing Empire?
        Maybe you need to wake up to the reality of the 21st century.
        You are in complete denial.
      - Taiwanese
        
        Qing Dynasty didn’t rule Korea. Korea was not a part of Qing Empire.
      - Far East
        
        Maybe you should study history a bit better then.
        Korea was under complete control of Qing Empire. The Treaty of Shimonoseki reflects the separation of Korea from Qing EMpire.
        You want to call it “separation”, and not “liberation”, fine. It is your point of view, like PM Abe was stressing….
      - Taiwanese
        
        Qing dynasty never rules Korea. You can call Korea a tributary state to Qing but you can’t claim Korea was under complete control of Qing. Unlike Tibet, Qing didn’t station troops in Korea and Koreans were self governed by themselves. They didn’t ask the Japanese to “liberate” them from the tributary status.
        
        So What Qing did in the 1895 treaty was exactly a recognition of the status quo that she can’t protect Koreas any longer and thus lost her sphere of influence on Korea.
      - Far East
        
        Seriously, you are making strong contortion to make paraphrase.
        Call it like you want, I am fine. I don’t think though Korea would like to be under the dominion of China anymore, and neither does Taiwan by the way.
        Everything depends on one’s point of view. This is the bottom line.
      - Taiwanese
        
        Why you insist saying something irreverent ?
        
        No one but you keeps saying Korea under China domination here which was not the case.
        
        No, not everything depends on one’s point of view especially when someone got hurt badly.
        
        You just can not say:
        1 China rules Korea
        2 Japan defeats China
        3 Japan defeats Korea
        
        Combined 123 and Japan is Korea’s liberator.
        
        It’s a false point of view and needs to be addressed.
      - Far East
        
        What I am stating are historical facts. I am not making qualitative judgement. I am not saying it is smart for ANY leader of ANY country (yes, that includes China and South Korea during their election campaign last year) to make sensible remarks in order to bolster nationalist sentiments.
        The historical facts are that
        1) China had control over Korea
        2) China was weak
        3) China lost control over Korea in 1895, who became under Japanese rule, along with Taiwan
        4) Korea and Taiwan became fully independent after WWII
        Before WWII Korea was under Chinese control. If Japan had not taken over Korea, it is very obvious that today it would be a Chinese province or something. Especially looking how you guys regards territorial conflicts in a very autistic way….
        Here enjoy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Korea#Korean_Empire
      - Taiwanese
        
        You got it all wrong and apparently you are not Japanese.
        
        Vietnamese?
        
        Korea was later annexed by Japan not in 1895.
      - Far East
        
        Just believe whatever you want. It would not be the first time Chinese tries to distort historical facts.
      - Taiwanese
        
        You are naive.
        
        Let me repeat it again,
        
        1 Korea was not a part of Qing, their relationship is tertiary.
        2 Japan defeated Qing and took Taiwan not Korea in 1895.
        3 Japan became Korea’s protector and later annexed Korea in 1910
        4 You can’t call annexion as liberation
        
        I Know Vietnamese tend to think they were the liberators for Cambodia since Pol Pot was a murderer. But by no means Vietnamese were liberator to Cambodia.
        
        Everyone knows it!
      - Far East
        
        You are a negationist, and many Koreans would simply disagree with you.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Manchu_invasion_of_Korea
        
        China has invaded many time Korea. This is just historical fact. When Japan signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 Qing power was weak, but had for long control over Korea.
        This is just public fact. I mean seriously.
      - Taiwanese
        
        I think I have no interests to discuss with you on this issue.
        
        Even China ruled Korea was true as you alleged ( which is a false statement ).
        You still can’t claim Japan was the liberators and it is a consensus followed by not only UN but 99% of the countries in the world.
        
        Thank you!
      - Far East
        
        Thank you for finally agreeing on historical facts!!
        And yes, whether Japan was a liberator of Korea from the Qing Empire or not is purely a matter of point of view. I concur with this, and as a matter of fact, this is also the point Shinzo Abe, Japan Prime Minister has made. I agree it is cheap populism but this kind of cheap politic has been seen in much worse intensity during the Chinese and South Korean election in 2012 by politicians from those countries.
      - Tran-VN
        
        interesting “Japan became Korea’s protector…” from who or which country?
        
        No Vietnamese believes they were the liberator but just free Cambodian from murder Polpot, CN’s puppet. Why are you bringing VN into this discussion? You or CN must get a sore a*s when seeing Polpot was removed by VN.
        
        You are only talking crap as usual.
      - Truth
        
        Russia primarily but Japan also freed Korea from the parasitical relationship with the Qing Dynasty. However, Korea’s rulers were also in the target of Western nations for massacring thousands of Christian converts and foreign missionaries and so, in time, either one Imperial power or another would have come along to take it. France had already been probing its defences (1866). The USA was upset at it for killing a merchant crew and burning a defenceless ship and tried the same gunship tactics that it had used on Japan (1871).
        
        Please allow me to ask you, what is a “tributary” relationship?
        
        In short, it is a protection racket in which even the Korean king had to submit to the Chinese court and acknowledge his inferior status. If you prefer polite words, hegemony. At least the Shogun had offered Korea equality.
        
        “You pay us money, or we destroy you”. Even Korea rulers called China a cruel, unjust tyrant.
        
        It was also bad for the ordinary people of Korea. China had been retarding development within Korea weakening it further whereas Japan had never accepted a Sino-centric view of the world nor a submissive relationship and had been modernizing.
      - Nicholas Buddy
        
        Ni hao everybody!
        
        ‘I’ am here to defend the Confucius Chess Party
        All the comments below are READ and acknowledged
        
        Do not try to track my IP as I use Guided Satellites for my Intranet!
        Do not try to hack my Toshiba computer as I have a virtual world, you may think you get in but you’re in my virtual world.
        
        Is it about your words against mine? reminding others to read histories…
        
        As an advanced Cyber Chess Player and an adroit observer, a CCP observes animals like fox, rabbit, tiger, lion, hyena behaviours, how they expand their territorial land to hunt for food… a CCP also reads ” 魯迅”
        
        Cambridge definition for aggression: spoken or physical behaviour that is threatening or involves harm to someone or something
        
        “Abe even denies Imperial Japan’s aggression,” : is Abe trying to dig into 1910-45 events? can he get the full view of those events? Can Abe read the minds of 1910-1945 soldiers, generals? what about the volition, intention of those soldiers, generals?
        
        Is there a difference between synodic period and sidereal period?
        When you stand on the Earth and observe the Moon cycle, you have synodic period = 29.5 days, but when you stand on a star in the Universe, you have sidereal period 27.3 days. Now Can Abe position himself back to the past 1910-1945? When you live in Japan today, just NOW, is it impossible to imagine what happened during 1910-1945…. To understand a person, country what are the tools to measure it? pattern of behaviour, or his view, thought, understanding, action, livelihood, speech… READ below:
        
        What are the differences between men and animals? what is evolution?
        
        For your consideration:
        
        Britain, US, Japan, France, Spain… imperialism is inferior compared to the Confucius Chess Party. Why? Britain, US, Japan, France, Spain could only use PlayStation 1, the CCP has mutated into manipulating PlayStation 3, the CCP imperial mutant is advancing to the 3rd generation…
        
        France: France is thankful to Germany, Britain/UK, Italy, Austria… for German engineering, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Sir Isaac Newton, Industrial revolution, Ferrari, Latin language, Leonardo Da Vinci, Mozart….
        
        In Asia: Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Mongolia, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, India, Korea… should be thankful to the PRC for Confucius, Compass (otherwise people dont know West, East, North, South), Tea, Hongda, Great Wall…
        
        In Europe: European are building Ubuntu, Open Office, Linus… to help poor students, developing countries. German Universities, France Universities… charge non-European students the same Money as European students…
        
        In Asia: PLA have mastered all the military technologies from Russia, the US, Japan, and the European countries combined! why? well, our Confucius brother Taiwan has learnt the all precision technologies from the US, Japan, later they pass to the CCP for our Middle nation… Unlike Russia, the US, Japan… Cyber Chess Party has Confucius town in every nation in this planet, whereas Japan does not have a Jefferson Town in the PRC… the PLA combines the best expertise between Hornet F-18 (from Taiwan) and SU-30 (Russia) whereas Japan only has Hornet F-18!… they’re all pissed losers…
        
        The CCP are building Confucius institutes around the global to ‘teach’ CCP values, moral as well as distributing our finished products…
        
        PLA also convert warships into Maritime Surveillance ships to expand our territorial water and chase non-CCP fishermen to bring our people out of poverty,… expanding our middle class… take land, islands from weaker countries to sustain our CCP middle class, CCP lifestyle…the US, Japan have only one organisation to patrol their water, in the PRC, the PLA have 5 different organisations to do the same job… people would ask where we get the resource to implement it? thankful to the Japanese, US, European investments… the end result that counts… do not argue with me regarding this reasoning…. as soon as I publish my writing, it’s already out of date….
        
        In Europe: Germany+ are helping countries like Greece, Spain… to get out of financial mess…
        
        In Asia: After 35 years learning from the US, Japan, Europe… We are (ROC, PRC, Hong Kong, Macao, soon Singapore will be in the CCP network, current exporting Confucius scholars to Singapore) sharing technologies to conquer the world again… The West workers union is inferior to ours CCP-Labour Union. The US, Japan, Europe, Russia… have to rely on our market. Russia has already signed a contract to supply endless gas, nuclear energy for our development. Africa, Australia, Canada… are providing the necessary resources that the CCP need… Walmart, Foxconn… are helping our causes.
        
        Now, Japan has to spend money to patrol its border, less money on advancing its engineering, education evolution… the CCP are using carrots to split ASEAN to murder them one by one…. it’s a CCP trick called murder 2 birds with 1 missile …
        
        The problem is Moscow don’t work with Washington, Paris don’t work with London, Japan do not work with Russia whereas the CCP get the best out of Moscow, Washington, Japan, Paris, London…; Japan and Russia don’t live the Power of Now, they’re stuck with WW II, likewise with Japan + Korea…, whereas the CCP are establishing Confucius town in Russia like Siberia…. endless gas… the CCP will not expose our success formula to anybody
        
        The CCP is in love with Pakistan but don’t like to hug India
        The CCP love North Korea but hate Japan
        The CCP adore Cambodia but dislike Vietnam….
        
        Unlike the US, Japan, Europe, Russia, the CCP are conquering the globe with cheap finished products, Confucius Institutes… Look, the PRC won a contract to build the Philippine Broadband Net work… sooner or later our companies like Huwei, ZTE, Great Wall, Weibo, Geely…. will take over the world market. Mao yuan will be the world currency reserves instead of Washington Money…
        
        In Europe, countries are building advanced aeroplanes like A320, A330, A350…, fast trains connect Paris, Lisbon, Stuttgart, Nice, Warsaw, Moscow….
        
        In Asia, the CCP are copying F-22, Hornet F-18, SU-30, Mig-21… converting Ukraine Aircraft Carrier into Surveillance ship to hunt fishermen. Why start from the beginning! it’s suicidal, just copy is the way to stay ahead of the game.
        
        I’ve also heard that other countries accused the CCP of drawing a map in 2012 to defend its territorial water, land, islands then get the map soaked with Confucius tea and later claimed the map was drawn in the year 1400, it’s not true. PLA guarantee it.
        
        Remember, I am a General Secretary of the Cyber Chess Party, I request my men to write the PRC histories, if they do not agree with what I ask them to write, I’ll chop their heads off…Do not accuse me of expediency or coercion…
        
        The Cyber Chess Party have mastered all the tricks, skills from Imperialists like Japan, Britain/UK, the US, France, Spain..; the CCP are advancing those skills and tricks, the PLA call it Advanced Sagacious Strategy = ASS… the CCP can do better /more skillful than Nazi Germany, Japan did in WW II. In Addition, our greatest nation PRC has a Veto Right in the UN, therefore Japan cannot convict the CCP of war criminal… one day Japan, Britain, France, the US… will have to kowtow to the CCP…as the CCP control the world economy, pants, shirts…. there is nothing more addictive than cheap labour, if it’s not additive enough, the CCP will make it more addictive, how? …! Besides, our market is 1.4 billion citizens + ROC + HK + Macao… Singapore soon…
        
        More Confusion Less Confucius (Copy Right Reserved)
        
        The PRC is the oldest civilization in the world, only 2nd to Egypt
        
        All Asian countries should be the CCP vassal states, the CCP are now expanding Confucius town to rejuvenate our glorious nation of Psycho Restlessness of Copy.
        People nickname ‘me/Cyber Chess Player’ as Psycho Lurking Adamant, thus do not waste your time to persuade me to change my adamant Mind!…. go home, ask your mother to sing you a fish song and hit the pillow, have a good sleep… What is evolution? monkey to man? losers …..
- Joe
  
  You’re totally right. Let’s not take into any consideration those that feel as if they had been aggressed against; let’s just take it from the side of the “aggressor” and claim a different, subjective viewpoint, and the hell with consequences
  
  I’m glad people like you and Abe have emphasised the point that things depend “on what side of the situation you’re looking at it”
  
  I have always told people that out of the 6 million Jews that Hitler killed, I’m sure there were SOME murderers and rapists there. So, I have always tried to convince people to look at the situation from this side: Hitler probably prevented a lot of murders and rapes. He liberated a lot of would-be victims. We shouldn’t be condemning him, we should all be saying, “Thank you, Hitler!”
  
  This is a historical fact. Let’s all stop trying to change history, shall we?
  
  I never understood why Germany admitted and apologised for their past actions. Why bother being sensitive to their neighbours? Who would want Polish friends anyway? Germans should have just continued with historic animosities and not bother taking whatever steps were necessary to build friendlier relations for the future. Coz come on, Germany did nothing wrong, if you look at things from a different perspective
  - Truth
    
    The use of the Holocaust as an argumentative device in order to win other fights is usually looked down upon and not recommended. On one hand it is disrespectful to the victims, on the other hand it is nothing more than a cheap manipulative trick.
    
    It is an association fallacy (or ‘false argument’) called “guilt by association” or ‘reductio ad Hitlerum’. A tactic often used to distract arguments because such comparisons tend to anger or insult the opponent by likening a reasonable or even more intelligent individual to a Nazi and spoils the opportunity for intelligent discussion.
    
    Looking closer, logically this analogy does not work because the two histories do not fit, they are too different.
    
    Of course, I realise that does not matter to you and all you want to do is correlate Japan with Nazi Germany but, in truth, the only things Japan and Germany shared was that they faced a Russian threat, and they made a very loose and insignificant diplomatic connection in order to fight against the Communists.
    
    Japan had been an ally of the UK and USA in WWI but when the USA withheld its assets and cut off its supplies, Japan was forced to look elsewhere. The American were already engaged in war against Japan before their famous Pearl Harbor took place.
    
    if you agree that Communist Russia was ‘all good’, then I suppose you could say Germany and Japan were ‘all bad’.
    
    History has proven that Stalin and indeed Mao were not paragons of virtues and enlightenment, and so the Germans and Japanese were not all wrong in taking sides against them.
    
    Sadly, I am afraid minds such are yours are either too young or too limited to start considering the bigger and more complex picture that makes up reality and prefer simple black and white comic book versions of it.
    
    If you are interested in a serious discussion of these matter, please indicate so.
  - Far East
    
    For the part of your comment relating to Japan, I am glad that you could agree with me. For the part pertaining to Germany, I let you take sole responsibility for your point of view.
Dan

What a shame!
I use to think that Japan, like a Germany, is a civilized society,
but I may have been deluded by a few genuinely good-natured
Japanese including current Japanese emperor….
Takahiro Katsumi

His exact words were (transcribed and translated): “… in particular with the definition of aggression, it could be said it is not established both academically and internationally, and depends on from which side one looks at the situation vis-á-vis between nations. From such perspective, I think I can safely say that the [Murayama] statement has been known to have such ambiguities.”

My argument, and probably most of the academic and international world’s argument will be: “The definition of aggression was stipulated and agreed upon by consensus by all participating states at the 2010 Kamapala Review Conference on the Rome Statute including major non- state parties such as United States, China, and Russia, preceded by the UN General Assembly Resolution regarding the definition of aggression adopted unanimously in 1974. Japan is state party to the Rome Statute and was also present at the Kampala conference and has given, albeit weak, consent on the adoption of the definition of crime of aggression. There is no reasonable excuse for a head of state to make such an irresponsible remark at the seat of a formal parliamentary debate.”
- Far East
  
  I completely agree with you politicians in general should avoid making those kind of sensible statements. But then again, you should not be so naive. Most politicians throughout the world make those kind of statement to bolster nationalist sentiment in the eve of elections. U.S. presidency candidate do it, China and South Korea behaved very rough with Japan during their own election campaign last year. So did Russia, etc….
  Maybe Japan should stop being the candid one, always playing by the rules and getting screwed over it.
  - Takahiro Katsumi
    
    You’re correct. We shouldn’t be too naive, and we aren’t. We know his intent vent on nationalistic sentiment for populist tactics but despite his intent his utter ignorance is inadmissible.
    - Far East
      
      Takahiro, you give him too much credit. I do not think he is ignorant.
      
      I think he is gutsy, and knows full well that by playing on nationalist sentiment, he can attract voters from Ganbare nippon, and Ishin no kai. This is typical of what can be seen in many other countries. I think it is sad, but this is nothing more than the usual political game.
      
      It is very hypocritical from South Korea to criticize Japanese politicians for doing exactly the same type of rhetoric their own politicians did during their own political campaign.
      - Yoyojiggywitit!
        
        dude, while i can agree with Abe on a certain level about this, there are certain things and events in life when you can say something and there are things in life where you don’t say nada. this was the sorta thing he should of kept to himself.
        
        You do have your points about Korea and china’s history, and about the whole political game, but still, this is the sorta thing that is easy to escalate to the wrong side of things.
        
        Like it or not, history is written by the victor, and the victor in this situation is the allied forces who sided with Korea and china during WW2. regardless if the colonization was an aggressive act or not, if the winners say it is, then that’s how it is.
        
        To me that is what Japan is ignorant about. Usually the loser has no choice but to suck it up and move with the shame that is bestowed apon them, but Japan instead tries to shine themselves in a much nice fashion. which is sort of understandable, who wants to take pride in a culture that is seen as monsters for their past? such a thing could really bring people down.
        
        But regardless, Japan lost, as much as i can see Abes view on this (cause Alexander the great was a conqueror like Genghis khan, and while people acknowledge their brutal acts, they rather see the figures in awe) Japan has to take responsibility for their losing the war and the bad views that come with it. By doing things like visiting the shrine and downplaying comfort women (which is bogus cause, let’s face it, such things are assured during war) they are agitating people because they are not behaving like people who lost and are instead trying to shine a better light on things that are seen with terror by the people affected.
      - Far East
        
        Yes, I roughly agree with you.
        I think Japan has shown and proven on countless occasiosn their peaceful society. We are not in 1952 anymore, but in 2013. There are nationalistic stances made by surrounding nations such as China and South Korea and Russia, and even the U.S., so in this modern days, why would it be surprising for Japanese politicians to play on populism, like other politicians in other nations do?
        Don’t get me wrong, Japan has many issues, but frankly when it comes to peaceful path, I wish many nations would be like Japan, ie arriving at being #2 and recently #3 world economy and remain peaceful.
        Same cannot be said of China or the U.S. for that matter.
        And honestly I have heard 10 times worse from politicians in China, or South Korea to name just those 2…
      - Takahiro Katsumi
        
        Actually, reviewing the entire deliberation again I realized he WAS more ill-equipped than any other deliberation I heard since the start of his administration. Until now he had his machines help him out to come with perfectly worded responses backed up by facts, making him look shrewd in public eyes. But in this deliberation, against his own LDP colleague, he was completely off, using probably his own words and knowledge. I think he might have thought that his colleague will go much easier on him–which he did, but still Abe’s mental capacity couldn’t cope with it. I give him too much credit? Nah lol
      - Far East
        
        LOL 🙂
      - Truth
        
        How are Ganbare Nippon seen?
        
        I have to question the lazy use of the word “nationalists”. Nationalists or patriots? Is loyalty and patriotism towards one’s own country naturally a wrong or bad? Is being disloyal a good thing?
        
        I don’t know much about this group but I know the international media is very uninformed about Japanese matters and seek to portray it in one way.
        
        I thought the Toshio Tamogami essay business was dealt with badly, people over-reacted and the media misrepresented what was actually said. He did not appear to be an unreasonable man.
      - Truth
        
        Strictly speaking, the colonization of Korea was not a simple “act of aggression”, primarily because there were many Koreans in favor of over throwing the corrupt and backward Yangban, and treaties made between the two sides coming straight after the Russo-Japanese War.
        
        It is difficult to see how the “scars from what they suffered at the hands of Japanese militarism” are still to be seen when the scars from American imperialism are even deeper. Scars to their pride, perhaps?
        
        Frankly, the Koreans are ridiculously hysterical over any matter relating to Japan and their imagined “suffering”.
        
        Korea had a choice of being over-run by Russia, China, or Japan as it was in so backward and in such a weak disrepair that it could not defend itself. It took the best of the 3 options and the quality of life for most ordinary Korean improved drastically; life expectancy doubled, population doubled, slavery ended, a vast about of infrastructure was build into the nation. The ordinary people gained healthcare and education.
        
        The ones who complained where those of the privileged classes who lost their monopoly on corruption.
        
        Hard truths to face but fairly reasonable. The Korean ruling classes were no saints. Approximately 40% of the population were enslaved. Yes, it suffered growing pains, many from the new influence of world markets and development and not Japan, but Japan carried it into the modern age and life as a protectorate was better than before.
        
        Japan was in a difficult situation facing Russian aggression. It was a Prussian military expert who encouraged them of the dangers of an undefended Korea being “like a knife pointed at the belly of Japan” if it was to be invaded by Russia who, like the Americans, were seeking military and economic advantages in the Pacific region. There are argument to suggest that the move was legal because of Korea’s inability to defend itself.
        
        One should reject any simplistic, nationalist re-interpretation of those times as being “all bad”. They were not. Many Koreans took the opportunity to be trained and educated and to advance within Japanese-Korean society. Indeed, most of the Post-War Korean establish had benefited from the experience. Many chose to stay in Japan afterwards.
        
        Korea and Japan are at least cousins if not brother/sisters. It’s a shame the Korean politicians and press must whip up trouble all the time.
      - Taiwanese
        
        Your rhetoric is similar to ancient Chinese intellectuals and elites.
        
        Following your logic, does it give USA mandate to invade Mexico and provide better living standard to Mexicans since 100 years from now Mexico may become a knife towards the States?
        
        Australia should invade Indonesia? Singapore should invade Malaysia? Because if the leadership change hands, Indonesia and Malaysia has a much better chance to become better off? Is that what you are saying?
        
        Fortunately major countries doesn’t follow the “survival of the fittest” concept in international relations though in some ways it reflects it in the long run.
      - Truth
        
        I don’t believe the USA was threatened either by Guatemala or Nicaragua, so the comparison does not work.
        
        Quite the opposite. The USA’s military and CIA conduct in the region, mostly in support of US fruit merchants, was appalling.
        
        However, under the principles of International Law, if your nation is threatened by another nation and there is a weaker nation in between unable to defend itself, it is not entirely unlawful (nor unwise) to incorporate it into your defence strategy. This is actually a point which has been discussed and agreed by non-Japanese experts in the field.
        
        The fall of Korea was certain. Japan was doing no one any favors, except the Russians, to ignore it. As to the influence of Russian control, you only have to look at the North to see how that would have ended up.
        
        Such matters are not merely a matter of opinions. International Law has built up over 100s of year dealing with precisely such problems. It is not a matter of whim but based on fairly universally accepted principles.
        
        If you are interested in such conflicts, then I suggest you start reading up about it in order to understand a) how they evolve, and b) how they happen.
        
        You’ll find that rather than being the aggressive, out of control despotic force it is usually projected to be, by people with no understanding of politics, diplomacy or war, Japan has behaved surprising lawfully and was responding to highly irrational and unstable external forces.
        
        It takes two to tango.
        
        That’s not to say wrong did not happen but Japanese leaders studied and tried to ‘play by the rules’ first and events passed in a far more thoughtful and scrupulous manner than usually reported.
      - Taiwanese
        
        You just justified China’s stand on Korean War and her way of handling it under current situation. 🙂
        
        China was even better it didn’t station troops in North Korea after the
        war.
      - Truth
        
        1905 … do you honestly think Russia was finished and were just going to be nice afterwards? 1945 prove otherwise. Honestly? I think you are being a little naive.
        
        I’ve never studied China’s involvement in the Korea War and you are not making a very good point, so it is impossible for me to answer your comment unless you are going to be clear and more specific.
        
        As to “the Koreans”, the mistake you are making there is to conceive of “the Koreans” as one. “The Koreans” were not one at the time and you have to ask which Koreans were unhappy and complained.
        
        My guess those that complain the hardest are those that lost their privileged status, slaves and concubines … the corrupt and impotent Yangban who had driven Korean into the ground. I suggest why they complained is because they lost their privileges and comforts and had to start working for a living, and suffered suffered damage to their prides that it was the Japanese who had outstripped them in every way.
        
        They were perfectly happy to bow and admit they were inferior to the China but it was a bit of a shock when Japan overtook them.
        
        As for the ordinary people, I think their opinions might be different.
        
        This is just a very rough sketch to start discussions but points at the most salient issue. It was not just national issue but class or caste issue too.
        
        Korea rulers paint a myth that all Korea was one and a heaven. It was not. Most of Korea were slaves (about 40%) or medieval peasants living short lives in mud and straw huts, many even without a name.
        
        Did life improve for them? Yes, life expectancy doubled and so on.
Nancy

His address is totally not in my toleration.

Please allow me to speak with the shrine issue, since the thread is already closed now.
In my consideration, Yasukuni issue, is not fully collected to just an exact term of A class felony convicteds.
Whole accomplicity of the war must be most to.
If A class person’s name had got rid, means practically their resitration book was removed (there was a book binding A people only) , there’ll be still fundamental problem left, that Asian people never be going to get comfortable with our politician’s worshipping Yasukuni, since such behavior, means praising a war accomplice, and praising a war accomplice, is none other than affirming our former invasion activities, as right things done.
Getting rid of A class men’s names would be better, but not enough for a total solution as long as our politicians opt to go there.
As some commenter told me before, addressing our acknowledge again would be necessary, I think it’s still not enough.
A stiffened problem is, many of us are thinking about former acknowledges that it was “forced to say”, this is a very point.
It’s not going to work while we’re doing it reluctantly, with a feeling of “being forced”, even if there’s a lot of addressed acknowledges piled up.
We have to address a real acknowledge only once from all our hearts, not reluctantly, that’s what I want to.
And once we did, politicians have to give up worshipping, as let nature go on.
Unfortunately, active ministration is a very last one whom count on to verify my wish, since no other politician might overwhelm him by Yasukuni loving spirit.

We have totally forgotten about Asian people’s deaths, while we’ve got sympathetic for Yasukuni gods, our dead soldiers, it seems like the dead soldiers always justify even a crucial problem as our lack of view.
Yasukuni has such an amazing function always well working, by its own fabrication.
Yasukuni principle is not contained in any of “古来神道=original learning of ancient Shinto” at all in the first place, since dead people must have always ended up in “黄泉=Yomi-Land” with its original learning, so a dead man’s never going to become a god, except for certain heigher priviledges who had got extreme grudges for their unreasonable guilt, when the time of death.
This kind of fabrication should be called Yasukuni magic, or Yasukuni alchemy.
This is one of the reasons why I think we don’t need the shrine anymore, for good.
- Taiwanese
  
  A very good point indeed.
  
  Actually Yasukuni Shrine was highly related to Japanese emperor and Shinto.
  
  Some people always like to refer Arlington cemetery to Yasukuni. But they are very different.
  
  Arlington emphasizes the sacrifice towards country and don’t imply those who fought the war would become god. However, Yasukuni gives people hope that when he bravely fight the war and die for the emperor. He will become 靖国神 (the god safeguarding the nation).
  
  That’s why there were so many letters during WWII that Japanese wife encouraged her husband to die for the emperor and expressed that she would be very proud that he died for the nation.
  
  Anyone tries to ignore the difference between the two and suggest they are similar is misleading to say the least.
  - Taiwanese
    
    靖国神社 “国＂means nation. English translation is the shrine of gods who safeguards the nation.
    
    Of all the 2500000 millions, how many were dead “overseas”? At least 2000000 or even more.
    
    But if you think it carefully, those 2 millions souls didn’t fight on the Japanese soil, they are not 靖国 ( Safeguarding the Nation ) but 侵国 ( Invading another Nation).
    
    The name of Yasukuni 靖国神社 has to be discussed and reviewed.
    - Doodlebug62
      
      Taiwanese – a brilliant analysis. People who murder others should not be worshipped or revered – they should be despised and should be used as examples for the younger generation to avoid.
      
      Of course if the Yasukuni a also working cemetary as Nancy said – then their families should be able to go and pay their respects – even if they were bad boys!!
  - Nancy
    
    Thank you for your response.
    I admire you having precise knowledge of Yasukuni, and Japanese situation during the war time.
    I guess you have more than I do.
    What our younger people have, might be barely reach 1% of yours, I think.
    About the letters you suggested, I imagine maybe almost half was her real minded address, the rest would be quite different.
    I guss they wrote the thing which might please other co-nationals, and Military, aiming not to be seen like an “anti-Japan personality.”
    No anti-Japan kind of things would be better to wrote her husband or son, as “Come back alive”or “Never die even sacrificing others.”
    Arlington National Cemetery which you suggested, is quite different thing as you say, these two things should not be taken as same subjects, in a line.
    I was very surprised once last week, since some editor man in this forum told me that the shrine might be a cemetary, why are you so hating some politicians worshipping their family graves in private, really unbelievable.
    As you say, it’s true Yasukuni still giving hope to some people, but we shouldn’t be stay satisfied only by our own soldiers worshipping.
    It was glad hearing your sincere address.
    - Awesome
      
      Nancy,
      
      I saw all your post both here and at your website. Many thanks to your efforts. I am glad to see that there are so many Japanese stand up to Abe’s intension to change the peace constitution.
      We are linked by water that no one can block it.
      一衣带水 is my friend, he is yours too.
    - Awesome
      
      Nancy,
      
      Japan is breaking promises.
      
      The Contracting Parties declare that neither of them should seek
      hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region or in any other region and that each is opposed to efforts by any other country or group of countries to establish such hegemony.
      
      –Article II, Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People’s Republic of China
  - Doodlebug62
    
    Taiwanese very good and informative post. Why would Abe be so interested in getting a new generation of Japanese interested in dying for their country and becoming gods!! What is the difference between this Yasukuni approach and the Al Quaeda suicide bombers who are promised great things in the afterlife?
    
    Is it not all about old cynical men taking advantage of young people – in order to get the young people to die fighting for the old people – in both cases?
    - Taiwanese
      
      Hi Doodlwbug, thanks for all the compliments.
      
      You asked a very interesting question.
      
      Yasukuni was sponsored by government directly not by some groups.
      
      Shrine of gods who safeguard nation means all the “dead” become gods and will be publicly glorified and worshipped. Al Qaeda fighters don’t enjoy that kind of privilege.
      
      Yasukuni is a gathering place for the war dead but Al Qaeda doesn’t have that kind of luxury.
      
      Al Qaeda has very negative image in western media while some of the westerners wrongly equal it to Arlington cemetery.
      
      The comparisons can continue but my conclusion is:
      1 Dominant western media can dictate the terms and definition
      2 Japanese is smarter than Arabs on this issue
      - Thebigbopper13
        
        Good point – smarter than the Arabs – but dumber than all the peace loving nations of the world – whose approach leads to life and peace and prosperity. Both the Yasukuni Shrine and Al Quaeda approaches basically lead to death and destruction and are literal dead ends. The Yasukuni Shrine logic ended with two Atomic bombs – and the Arab approach led to the war on terror. I wonder why Abe is focusing on a dead end that leads to destruction rather than on life and the future and the economy – as its not logical or does not make sense. Hopefully for Japan’s sake, its just a popularity thing – or a silly attempt at gaining leverage over China, that will blow ovber soon.

South Korean officials incensed over PM Abe’s remarks on colonization

Editorial

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South Korean officials incensed over PM Abe’s remarks on colonization

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Editorial

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