日本国島根県竹島 Takeshima, Shimane Prefecture, Japan
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.
A related-story from the Newsweek: Why Japan and South Korea Are Feuding Over a Cluster of Rocks
Related stories listed in a chronological order of publishing my blog posts:
Who's stirring up anti-Japan sentiments in Japan?
The genesis No.2 (Part Two)-A Question over the Japanese Leftists' Concept of Peace
Takeshima Issue: Unforgivable Atrocity Committed by the government of South Korea
"The Greater East Asia War" VS. "The Pacific War"
South Korean pres. has just stepped on a booby trap !
South Korea has been strangling itself with the fabricated stories
Propaganda Poster produced by Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, South Korea
When S. Korea Gained Independence? August 15, 1945 or August 13, 1948?
S. Korea should appear at International Court of Justice over Takeshima issue
Why the Republic of Korea has turned against Japan?
A photo of a Japanese fisherman abducted and tortured by ROK
A Secret Agreement between Japan and ROK over Takeshima
Note:
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)
.
同胞韓国人は嘘つきばかりである。
私はそのことが恥かしく、情けない。
「韓国は独力で近代化を成し遂げた」だって？
馬鹿を云うな。韓国の近代化は日本の莫大な資本と人材の投与によって成し遂げられたものである。
「韓国は日本の統治に抵抗をもって対抗した」だって。馬鹿馬鹿しい。
同胞韓国人はロバのように日本の統治を甘受したのが実態だ。
ごくごく一部の抵抗はあったが上から下までみんな日本に憧れ、日本人になろうとしたのだ。
「韓国が独立したのは韓国の手によるものだ」にいたっては呆れてものも言えない。
誰も日本からの独立など望んでいなかったのにアメリカに強制的に独立させられたというのが真実だ。
「漢河（ハンガン）の奇蹟」だって！笑わせる。
日本から賠償金という名目で莫大な経済援助と技術援助で成し遂げられたものだ。
これだけお膳立てしてもらえばどんな未開民族でも経済成長するだろう。
「日本文化の祖が韓国」とは恐れ入る。
一体、併合前の朝鮮半島のどこに「文化」なるものがあったのか。
併合前、我々先祖は乞食同然の生活をしていたではないか。
現在の韓国の姿、まさに他人により作られた砂の楼閣だ。
虚飾と偽善と歪曲とおごりに満ち満ちている、真似と依存と歪曲が全てである。
このような韓国の本質を知らず「韓国こそ世界一」などとほらを吹いて自己満足している本国、在日の韓国人は正気の沙汰ではない。
これが恥でなくてなんであろうか。
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.
Recent Comments