Many Japanese are so shocked to learn that a case of Buddhist Holy Scripture stolen from a Japanese temple years ago still remains unsolved and that South Korea has not shown any sincerity to solving the criminal case involving a Korean group specialized in stealing Japanese cultural assets.
In reply to a question raised by Mr. Katsuei Hirasawa, a member of Liberal Democratic Party over the long pending case at Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives on March 22 , Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto indicated that he would request South Korean government to carry out a thorough investigation into the case of a stolen Buddhist Holy Scripture designated as Japan's important cultural asset.
It was disclosed on July 23, 1994 that the Buddhist Holy Scripture had been stolen from Ankokuji Temple in Iki Shima situated between Kyshu Island and Tsushima islets, Nagasaki Prefecture in the Sea of Japan.
According to Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Government of Japan, almost one year after the Buddhist Holy Scripture was stolen from Japan, it was learned that a Buddhist Holy Scripture whose details were later confirmed to be exactly the same as the Japanese one stolen from Ankokuji Temple was discovered on June, 1995, designated as a national treasure in South Korea . Then, the agency immediately requested the Korean government through a diplomatic channel to investigate the case. However, the request was almost ignored as the Korean side stated that it was difficult to investigate the case due to lack of evidence.
There are a number of cases in which Japanese important cultural assets have been stolen by Korean groups in the past. Some Korean thieves reportedly claimed that they committed crimes in Japan out of patriotism toward S. Korea when arrested by S. Korean police authority. Many people wonder why they cashed their stolen items right away if they really committed the crimes for the honor of their country. Besides, nobody understands what they mean by stealing properties from somebody out of patriotism.
I have never heard of any country that highly praises criminals stealing treasures from foreign countries. This case alone proves that South Korean government has promoted a distorted education by which many Koreans have been brainwashed to believe that they are perfect and best in the world, thereby causing lots of unnecessary frictions all over the world.
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