Deeply impressed with well-defined analysis of U.S. anti-Japan maneuvering in Asia before and after the Greater East Asia War (or the World War II or the Pacific War called in the Western Hemisphere; read The Greater East Asia War" VS. "The Pacific War" ) in the blog post I was recently exposed to, I have decided to devote my time and effort to writing a brief English summary of the post whose title is "Why the Republic of Korea has turned against Japan? 韓国が「反日」になったわけ ".
Syngman Rhee (born on March 26, 1875 and died on July 19, 1965) had forced the Korean population to deny anything Japanese by nurturing hatred toward Japan among the Korean population as soon as he became the first president of the Republic of Korea in 1948 ( Read When S. Korea Gained Independence? August 15, 1945 or August 13, 1948? ).
He was actively involved in fabricating a story that Korea before Japan-Korean annexation in 1910 was the most ideal state in the East whereas denouncing falsely Japan as the most barbaric nation and in spreading it throughout U.S. via such mass media as newspapers published by William Randolph Hearst, thereby trying to seek and secure assistance from U.S. (Read Koreans Return Evil for Good ).
His fabricated story of Japan as "evil" undoubtedly served as a basis for U.S. to determine its political intervention in the Far East. A majority of Koreans who actually lived happily during the 35 years of annexation had to accept his fictitious story, knowing it was untrue because anyone who publicly stated "The Great Imperial Japan was good or Rhee's government was bad" was arrested, jailed, tortured, and executed by Rhee.
He further strengthened his anti-Japan policy, so as to detruct people's attention from the serious crimes he committed soon after he sworn in as the first president. Just to list a few of his atrocities in South Korea, Rhee was responsible for Bodo League massacre of 1950 (South Korean civilian organizations believe there might have been up to 1,140,000 victims,representing 6% of the 1950 population of South Korea. ), Jeju Uprising of 1948 in which 14,000 to 60,000 individuals were killed in fighting or execution, and National Defense Corps Incident of 1950 in which some 50,000to 90,000 soldiers starved to death or died of disease on the march and in the training camps because the National Defense Corps Commander Kim Yungun (Kim Yun-keun) (Kim Yoon-keun), son-in-law of Defence minister Shin Sung-mo embezzled funds allocated to foods for the recruited soldiers.
Thus, the direction of Japan-South Korean relationship was basically determined when Rhee became the first president of the Republic of Korea, well assisted by the U.S. government. His anti-Japan policy has been uninterruptedly handed down, one after another, to the current president.
A Japanese fisherman abducted and tortured by South Korea in 1950s. No information on his whereabouts has been given to Japan by South Korea.
A Brief History - Takeshima Invasion by ROK: During the period of January 18, 1952 (date of unilateral establishment of Syngman Rhee Line) to June 22, 1965 (signing date of Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea), 328 Japanese fishing vessels were captured and 3,929 fishermen were abducted by South Korea. And,44 Japanese fishermen were brutally murdered by South Korea. Besides, South Korea used abducted fishermen as a bargaining chip for negotiating with Japan on the Treaty.
Mr. Nariaki Nakayama, graduated from Faculty of Law, Tokyo University.
Currently serving as a member of the Lower House, the Diet (Japan's national legislature).
Ex-government official of the Ministry of Finance.
Ex-Minister for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
I regret that recently I've kept tweeting on South Korea. But Ms. Park! I have seen your recent meeting with President Obama as a slander about Japan. What wicked character are you? Is it only me who saw it that way? Japan's involvement in the issue of nuclear aresenal development by North Korea will produce nothing since North Korea will never give up nukes, anyway. We should look at this situation as the best chance for Japan to deal with our own defense issues, thereby helping us improve our diplomacy.
Tweets as follows; Calmly putting my hands together, I paid the fullest respect and the highest tribute to the souls of the war dead enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine with other 212 members of the Diet (Japan's National Legislature). Compared with the last years, the number of politicians who visit Yasukuni Shrine has considerably increased. I regard this increase as a clear indication of the public will, well evidenced in the general election held in the last December. Obviously, we must stay vigilant of the Chinese movements including the Chinese government ships.
General Toshio Tamogami (田母神 俊雄, Tamogami Toshio, born July 22, 1948)is a retired Japanese Air Self-Defense Force career military officer. He served as the Chief of Staff of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force from March 2007 to November 2008.
North Korea is playing almost like a peevish preschool child as it has no significant military capability. TV reports on its strategy meeting, which in fact is part of its information warfare, designed to make us accept its demands since it is widely known that no real military strategy meetings should be disclosed. Japanese TV stations should demand North Korea to pay fees for commercial advertisements on TV.
Winning a battle is not an evidence proving a victor has been right. It only means such victors as US, etc. have committed more killings. Often wondering how the Americans could forget a nunber of atrocities committed in the course of conquering the continents & islands.
Japan has never educated her people in such a manner as to defame South Koreans (Note: in fact not only South Koreans but also any nationalities) in the history of Japan. Rather, Japan's education is extremely biased toward always denouncing any acts even in defending Japan by simply denying anything related to "war". However, South Korea across the Sea of Japan has been steadfastly and eagerly promoting anti-Japan education (Note: usually based on fabricated stories and twisted historical facts) among its young generations.
The photo below shows Awarding ceremony in which certificate of commendation has been awarded to a U.S. Marine by the Fire Department Headquarters in Okinawa for appreciating his act of saving a Japanese woman from being choked to death at Yakiniku Restaurant where he happened to be sitting near the woman at the time of the incident. However, two major Okinawan newspapers have not only ignored this news but also have concealed it from the public eyes. This kind of biased reporting activities are nothing new as Chinese are actively engaged in plotting to control the Okinawan mass media.
Président sud-coréen Lee aurait diffamé le Japon et son peuple à nouveau quand il a rencontré le secrétaire d'Etat américaine, Mme Clinton à Vladivostok, en Russie le 9 Septembre. Un gouvernement sud-coréen de haut rang officiel révèle la déclaration de Lee a fait lors de sa rencontre avec Mme Clinton comme disant que le Japon est en direction de l'extrémisme de droite et, par conséquent, le Japon devrait abandonner l'extrémisme de droite pour la paix dans le nord-est Asie.
On s'attend à ce que son double face diplomatie approfondira encore la préoccupation du Japon sur les relations futures avec le pays dirigé par un dictateur Lee, ce durcissement son attitude envers le pays. Il est à noter ici que les PM Noda et président Lee accord sur la promotion de la relation tournée vers l'avenir entre les deux pays au cours de la brève réunion informelle de l'APEC juste avant Lee a rencontré des États-Unis secrétaire d'État Clinton.
Lee semble tellement désespérée de trouver un execuse pour rejeter la demande du Japon pour le règlement pacifique des Takeshima question à la Cour internationale de Justice à La Haye.
The article "Why Japan and South Korea Are Feuding Over a Cluster of Rocks" recently published by The Newsweek shows some understanding, although basically limited to mere enumeration of banal facts of the territorial issue, of the historically significant irritant created during the U.S. occupation of Japan. It has failed to reveal and describe the differences between Japanese and Western perspectives of Japan-Korean relations in the historical context of the substantial and imminent Western threat to the existence of Japan, China, and Korea in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century.
Japan has constantly and consistently maintained low posturing on Takeshima for decades, mainly due to her deep concern that apparent re-surfacing of Takeshima issue in the Sea of Japan would only aggravate Japan-South Korea relation, consequently jeopardizing fragile security and stability during the Cold War and now would weaken Japan's most important alliance with the United States in the face of the growing threats from China and North Korea.
Japan has been extremely patient and calm despite a number of outrageous deeds done and words uttered by South Korea against Japan on many occasions. It is fully recognized here in Japan that South Korea has often behaved rude to Japan, obviously reflecting its definite anti-Japan policy Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea began to implement for the first time in the history of Korea in 1948, with due attention paid to the directives from U.S.A. , weathering storms in the Sea of Japan and in the Yellow Sea. His anti-Japan policy has been uninterruptedly handed down, one after another, even to the incumbent president Park Geun-hye whose father was Park Chung-hee, president of South Korea who ruled South Korea under his dictatorship from 1963 to 1979.
Notwithstanding their rudeness and delinquency, Japan has resolutely and calmly sought to establish mutually beneficial relationship with South Korea by technically and economically assisting the country for its path to the economic development in hopes that Japan would fully achieve peace and prosperity for all in the region.
In other words, South Korea has defined Japan as its enemy and has accordingly brainwashed its population into thinking that Japan had destroyed the Korean culture and had often stolen the Korean natural resources during 35 years (Koreans often claim that the annexation lasted for 36 years for unknown reasons) of Japan-Korea annexation. Therefore, a term "frenemy" used in the Newsweek article seems quite misleading to its readers.
By passing the buck to Japan, both North and South Koreas, and U.S.A. , including the Japanese leftists and/or the Koreans shamelessly still residing in Japan despite their clear manifestation of resentment toward Japan and her people are trying to find their justification for the rights to either militarily or non-militarily occupy Japan.
Japan was neither a colonialist nor an invader. Japan-Korea annexation treaty of 1910 was internationally recognized as a lawful one over which no western powers have ever cast any doubts. Unlike many Asian nations colonized by the West, Korea was neither colonized nor exploited by Japan during the period of 1910 to 1945. The entire procedure was carried out in a peaceful manner since Korea was a party who requested Japan to annex Korea lest it would be colonized by either Russia or the western powers.
Moreover, 70 million Japanese population was fully exploited by Koreans in a sense that they had to bear the tax increase that had generated JPY 20.7897 billion (JPY 63 trillion at the current value) from 1907 to 1944, all of which had been spent on modernization of the Korean peninsula. These figures do not include the budget required for the Japanese personnel, military forces, including weapons, etc. Besides, Japan fully paid for the natural resources imported from the peninsula.
South Korea has continued to deceive the whole world by publicly blaming Japan that Japan brutally exploited Korea during Japan-Korea annexation while in fact still benefitting from Japan's achievement in the country. To show a few of data indicating how much Japan contributed to improvement of Korea after annexation, Japanese private companies constructed 11 hydroelectric dams whose total generating capacity was 1,470,000 kwh. In 1912, Korea had only 27,525 households who used electricity. By 1939, the number of households using electric lights increased to 2,063,708.
In the area of education, Japan placed greater emphasis on the primary education because practically no school existed in Korea before annexation, quite contrary to what South Korea teaches children at schools now, using the textbook saying that Korea had already 5,000 schools in 1905. In fact, Japan established 4,271 elementary schools throughout Korea by 1943 and some high schools and one national university now called "Seoul University".
Japan's past achievement in Korea ranges from rice cultivation to the industrial complexes considered highly sophisticated in those days, including promotion and popularization of Hangul writing system, etc. Simply speaking, Korea was such a backward country as brutally ruled and oppressed by China before Japan defeated China in 1895. Koreans were in fact fully deprived by China of its right to live like humans. No historical evidence shows that Japan has caused grievances as much as the Koreans believe entitled to defame Japan and her people by making vulgar remarks on His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Rather, Korea was highly motivated to propose annexation to Japan since she showed off power said to be stronger than China and Russia before 1910.
Watch this video showing Korea before and after Japan-Korea annexation in 1910
Read a note below for the written information on the video
The Newsweek article treats Japan and South Korea as the same frenemies, almost like classifying Japan into a group of rogue states such as both Koreas. It further offends Japan and her people by suggesting that Japan has done something quite offensive to Korea in the last 100 years.
Since Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Repulic of Korea was signed on June 22, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan has technically and economically assisted South Korea whenever the country has faced difficulties. By concluding the treaty, Japan decided to extend technical and economic assistance in the form of ODA (Official Development Assistance) and of money gift (to congratulate The Republic of Korea on its independence) to South Korea designated as one of the poorest nations in Asia in those days. Aso, Japan finally had to waive Japan's right to the national assets estimated by Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to be USD 5.3 billion (not at the current value) and Japanese private assets left in the Korean peninsula because they had been found already confiscated by both the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union.
Most importantly, every evidence including the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed in 1951 storngly supports Japan's assertion that Takeshima has been historically an integral part of Japan. Besides, she has never given up Takeshima islets before, during, and after the negotiation of the treaty of 1965 between Japan and a newly born country, South Korea. And, South Korea neither mentioned nor brought up "Comfort Women" issue before, during and after the negotiation. However, it was 1982 when Yuto Yoshida (better known as Seiji Yoshida in Japan), a Japanese writer and former soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army, published his memoir, admitting that he was involved in forcing the Korean women into comfort women which later was confirmed to be false by both Japan and South Korea through detailed investigations. No evidence has been produced to substantiate South Korea's claim that the Imperial Japanese Army had actually forced them into "Comfort Women".
It has to be emphasized here that Koreans have become habitually disrespectful of bilateral agreements with such a highly respected nation as Japan once they have secured material benefits from the agreements.
Finally Japan should propose to the U.S. government that both countries, if the U.S. truly and faithfully regards Japan as a full-fledged independent nation, sit together and discuss major differences between historical perspectives as seen in the Greater East Asia war vs. the Pacific war.
Notes: A notorious example depicting the Korean diplomats' behavior as being incomprehensibly rude is that as soon as Japanese diplomats unexpectedly brought up Takeshima issue during the diplomatic talk, the Korean diplomats suddenly stood up and actually turned the table upside down. Suppose you are working as a diplomat. How will you react if your counterpart all of a sudden stands up and turns a negotiating table upside down?
A Brief History - Takeshima Invasion by ROK: During the period of January 18, 1952 (date of unilateral establishment of Syngman Rhee Line) to June 22, 1965 (signing date of Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea), 328 Japanese fishing vessels were captured and 3,929 fishermen were abducted by South Korea. And, 44 Japanese fishermen were brutally murdered by South Korea. Besides, South Korea used abducted fishermen as a bargaining chip for negotiating with Japan on the Treaty.
Before annexation 1. Seoul was almost like nothing but some poor villages.
2. Korean women wore traditional clothes with their breasts exposed. Only women who gave birth to a son were permitted to wear the special attire. Those women were so proud of wearing this attire with their breasts sticking out in the public.
After annexation 1. The city of Seoul was modernized with street cars, department stores, electricity, sewage system, railway system, dams, industrial complex, etc.
2. Japan placed much emphasis on education by establishing thousands of schools throughout the Korean peninsula. Japan developed text books in Hangul and popularized Hangul in Korea because only a few percents of the population was educated.
The above is only a small portoin of Japan's contributions to the development of the Korean peninsula which both South Korea and North Korea have so far denied.
With what you have just watched in your mind, read what's written below and you will have some idea of what is true and what is not.
Mr. Kim Man Cheol (金満哲) stated about his own country and people is True? This is a question being often asked by many Japanese bloggers, which I recently came across. I will tentatively translate his statement into English since a large number of the Japanese bloggers have shown a keen interest in his description of South Korea and its people.
South Korean Critic Mr. Kim Mǎn Zhe 金満哲 says:My people, South Koreans are all liars. I feel so ashamed of this fact and find it regrettable.
South Korea has been modernized all by itself? Don't be stupid! The modernization of South Korea has been achieved by Japan with an input of enormous investment and human resources into our country.
South Korea resisted the Japanese administration during 36 years of annexation? You must be kidding! My people South Koreans have willingly submitted themselves to the Japanese administration like donkeys. That is how it really was. Although there was very small resistance, everyone from top to bottom had admired Japan and had tried to become Japanese.
I was so shocked and became speechless to know that South Koreans believe in the achievement of South Korea's independence all by itself. No Koreans desired to be independent from Japan but the United States of America forced us to become independent. It is a truth.
"Hangang Miracle!" Don't make me laugh! The economic development of South Korea has been achieved with an enormous amount of economic and technical assistance extended by Japan under the name of compensations. Any uncivilized people would have achieved economic growth if assisted as much as we have.
The Japanese culture has grown out of Korea? You really must be kidding? Just remember that we had no culture at all before Korea was annexed to Japan! Before 1910 annexation, our peninsula was filled with the people living like beggars.
The present Korea is a house built on sand not even built by us but built by others. And, the house is full of vainglory, hypocrisy, distortion and arrogance. All we can see here are mimic, dependency and distortion.
Without realizing what the true qualities of Korea are, it seems that Koreans both in South Korea and in Japan must have lost their minds. I have to admit that the whole thing is nothing but shame.
The following is a description of South Korea and its people in Japanese by Mr. Kim Man Cheol (金満哲) .
Note: The economic growth South Korea achieved in 1970s is called "Hangang Miracle". The above article is subject to change whenever the author finds it necessary to add, correct, delete, etc.
日本国沖縄県石垣市登野城- Tonoshiro, Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
The First Tokyo Metropolitan Government Senkaku Survey Team has left Ishigaki island tonight September 1, aboard a salvage ship named Kouyou Maru (2,474 tones) to carry out various studies in the waters surrounding Senkaku islands from the early morning to the evening of September 2 and is expected to come back at night of the same day.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government considers the survey as a preliminary step toward another detailed survey in October, to be accompanied by Governor Ishihara. According to Ishihra, he met PM Noda on August 19 in the presence of Mr. Sonoda, Chief Secretary of The Sunrise Party and told him to complete construction of at least a ships emergency shelter, radio relay station, and weather observatory as one condition for his withdrawing a bid to buy the islands from the Japanese owner who promised not to sell them to anyone else but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
If accepted, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will hand over to the Central Government JPY 1.8 billion donated by individuals supporting the project of purchasing Senkaku islands.
At the press conference, Mr. Ishihara stated that he would not mind establishing a new party as his last work, and that he would willingly sign and seal, even with his blood if necessary, a memorandum of mutual obligations related to Senkaku islands with PM Noda.
Mr. Eiji Kosaka, a member of Arakawa Ward Council, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
before landing on Senkaku Islands on August 19, 2012.
Regrettably, Japan-U.S.-ROK relations have been on the verge of collapsing since South Korean pres. Lee illegally landed on Takeshima islets on August 10 and at the same time insulted Japan and her people by making outrageous remarks on His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
La Corée du Sud a rejeté une proposition faite par le Japon de déposer conjointement une action auprès de la Cour internationale de Justice sur les îlots Takeshima illégalement occupés par la Corée du Sud depuis 1952.
Beaucoup s'attendaient à ce que la Corée du Sud se comporte comme une nation adulte en rompant son lien avec le passé, où il avait souvent pratiquement déchiré documents d'accords bilatéraux dès qu'ils ont atteint les objectifs de l'obtention d'avantages matériels en provenance du Japon.
Toutefois, la Corée du Sud a agi comme d'habitude, en réfutant la proposition du Japon de déposer conjointement une action auprès de la Cour internationale de Justice pour un règlement pacifique du différend sur les îles Takeshima dans la mer du Japon.
Ce comportement a seulement servi à approfondir le vandalisme infâme pratiquée par la Corée du Sud et entacher l'auto-revendiqué mondialisé Corée, pour laquelle la Corée du Sud a récemment dépensé des millions de dollars.
Lorsque officiellement rejeté, la Corée du Sud n'a pas indiqué ni les raisons ni les alternatives concrètes. Toutefois, on croit que le Japon continuera à rechercher des mesures appropriées conformément aux lois pertinentes, y compris une option du dépôt de la plainte devant la Cour internationale de Justice seul.
South Korea's rejection to jointly file a suit with International Court of Justice over Takeshima islets illegally occupied by South Korea since 1952.
Many expected that South Korea would behave as a grown-up nation by severing its link with the past, in which it had often practically torn up documents of bilateral agreements as soon as they achieved objectives of securing material benefits from Japan.
However, South Korea has acted as usual, by refuting Japan's proposal to jointly file a suit with the International Court of Justice for a peaceful settlement of the dispute over the Takeshima islands in the Sea of Japan.
This act has only served as a propellant to deepen its infamous ruffianism and to taint self-claimed "Globalized Korea", for which South Korea has recently spent millions of dollars.
When officially rejected, South Korea failed to indicate neither reasons nor concrete alternatives. However, it is believed that Japan will continue to seek appropriate measures in accordance with relevant laws, including an option of filing the suit with the International Court of Justice alone.
A Japanese fisherman abducted and tortured by South Korea in 1950s. No information on his whereabouts has been given to Japan by South Korea.
I believe that South Korea should appear at International Court of Justice as repeatedly requested by the Government of Japan. Particularly when South Korea is confident about the ownership of Takeshima islets, nothing and nobody will prevent South Korea from contesting the case of Takeshima in the court. South Korea should face justice without further delay before the relations between Japan and South Korea further deteriorate.
TheKoreaHerald
Japan’s old textbooks show Dokdo as Korean territory http://bit.ly/PnQ9B7 #southkorea
"The White Peril in the Far East" by Sidney L. Gulick in 1905 says as follows:
The direct cause of the war, then, has been Russia's ambition for Oriental Empire, bearing down in its progress. Manchuria, Korea, and ultimately Japan herself. This process of Russian expansion has been steadfastly pushed, and ruthlessly. It has brought such overwhelming destruction to innocent people in Siberia and Manchuria; it has heaped such insult and such humiliation upon Japan herself and it is so powerful in crushing the national life of the conquered people, that the determination of Japan to save herself from their fate has thrilled the world into sympathy.
Two minor causes contributing to the war have been Japan's wholly altruistic motive of good-will to Korea and to China and her desire to stand for honest straightforward diplomacy.
私の蔵書の中にThe White Peril in the Far East 東洋白禍 １９０５年に出版された本であり、日露戦争の意義を説明している。ニューヨーク、シカゴ、トロント、ロンドンで出版された本だ。
Taylor Washburn@washburnt
Ted Yokohama 富嶽@TedYokohama
西村幸祐@kohyu1952
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