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Editor's Note: It is said that the relationship between Korea and Japan has never been worse than it is now. Under the circumstances, it is incredibly ironic that this year calls for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Korea-Japan Agreement under which the two countries normalized diplomatic relations. Despite this challenging situation, Mr. Yano Hideki, (矢野秀喜) as a sensible citizen of Japan, is striving to ensure that ROK-Japan relations improve and move forward. During his recent visit to Korea on February 13, 2015, he gave an interview to Kim Minkyu, the Director of the Department of Public Relations at the NAHF.

Kim Minkyu What brings you to Korea this time?

Yano Hideki I have two items on my agenda. The first is to exchange opinions with the 'Council for the Implementation of the Korea-Japan Civil Declaration' and other Korean partners on the '2015 Campaign for the Restoration of Korea-Japan Solidarity' scheduled to be launched this June. The second is to have a discussion as to how Japan, Korea, and East Asia should cope with the Abe Statement that the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing to release on August 15 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. It is almost certain that the Abe Statement will express his support for historical revisionism and so-called "proactive pacifism,' an approach to keeping peace through increased intervention in international security. This must be dealt with because otherwise it will threat peace in Japan and the rest of Asia.

Kim Minkyu ROK-Japan relations cannot be worse. This is a time that reminds us once again of the significance and value of civil society activities for solidarity.

Yano Hideki The relationship between the governments of Korea and Japan is so bad due to the broken trust that it has reached a point where holding a summit is impossible. At the civil-society level, however, there have been continued exchange and solidarity in many areas, including the efforts toward post-war compensation and peace in East Asia, and the efforts to address and resolve the nuclear power station and labor issues. Although not much was accomplished in the lawsuits seeking post-war compensation because all of them were lost, the concerted efforts of the citizens of Korea and Japan who banded together led to the decision to make public the 'documents of the Korea-Japan talks' and also to the enactment of the laws in Korea to reveal the truth about the forced mobilization and to support the victims. This is a result of solidarity between Korean and Japanese citizens. Most importantly, it has provided them with more opportunities to forge a direct relationship, and built a deeper trust between them. This will be a foundation on which to prevent war and make peace.

Kim Minkyu What do you think is the reason for making ROK-Japan relations as bad as they are now?

Yano Hideki I can think of two factors to blame. One is the Abe administration's 'historical revisionism.' In her address on March 1, 2014 on the 95th March 1st Independence Movement Day, President Park Geun-hye of Korea said, "A painful history notwithstanding, the two nations were able to develop such (close cooperative) relations since there were efforts to promote friendly and good neighborly relations with surrounding countries on the basis of the Peace Constitution. There were also efforts to march toward the future based on Japan's reflection on its colonial rule and invasion through the Kono Statement (1993) and the Murayama Statement (1995)." But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, an advocate of historical revisionism, is denying, and trying to alter, every element of this basis. It's no wonder that ROK-Japan relations can't improve in this situation. The other is the Japanese media. Most of them do not criticize the Abe administration. They approve of the Abe administration that wouldn't even dismiss those officials involved in hate-speech or neo-Nazi organizations, and keep releasing reports and publications that incite 'hatred for Korea' and 'anti-Chinese sentiment.' That explains the wide spread of 'hatred for Korea' among the Japanese people.

Kim Minkyu Korea is in a situation that makes it almost embarrassing even to mention the "celebration" of the 50th anniversary of the 'normalization of diplomatic ties with Japan.' How about Japan?

Yano Hideki Japan is definitely not in a celebratory mood, either, but this is not because of the feeling of 'hatred toward Korea' alone. Most Japanese people do not know very well about what happened fifty years ago. They aren't even aware of the historical fact that Japanese once ruled Korea as its colony. Before we work toward 'the restoration of Korea-Japan solidarity,' we should first start spreading the word about former 'comfort women' as witnesses of history and the reality of Korean residents in Japan.

Kim Minkyu Please tell us about the activities of the 'Campaign for the Restoration of Korea-Japan Solidarity.'

Yano Hideki The Korea-Japan Claims Agreement of 1965 confirmed that "the problem concerning claims has been completely and finally settled." But this is only 'superficial.' Other issues have been also raised since 1965, regarding A-bomb victims in Korea, Koreans remaining in Sakhalin, and Korean disabled soldiers in Japan, and the Japanese government has dealt with each of them to a certain degree. When the 'comfort women' issue was raised, they considered establishing the Asian Women's Fund, although it didn't lead to the final decision, as one of the possible options to deal with the issue. The Japanese government's process of dealing with claims arising out of colonial rule has dragged on since 1965. This is becoming more evident with post-war compensation trials and the disclosure of documents on 'Korea-Japan talks.' Based on advanced research and investigation, the Campaign for the Restoration of Korea-Japan Solidarity is taking a two-fold approach to verifying the process that led to the conclusion of the Korea-Japan Agreement and the Korea-Japan Claims Agreement of 1985. The first is to bring together researchers, journalists, and citizens to make concerted efforts to verify the progress of negotiations, deliberation of the parliament, campaigns waged by the victims, and media reports, and clarify how the liquidation of colonialism was dealt with. There is a report to be published on these efforts. The second is to make a recorded video of the testimonies of those who participated in the struggle against the Korea-Japan Agreement of 1965, with focus on what they found to be the problem and what they opposed, and especially how much they recognized colonial rule to be a problem.

Kim Minkyu You made the news in 2010 when you became the first Japanese to receive the Lim Jong-guk Award, an award given to individuals or organizations that made distinguished efforts to bring justice to pro-Japanese Koreans. What made you start your activities in Japan?

Yano Hideki It was definitely after I heard about the testimony of the Korean former 'comfort woman' Kim Hak-soon. I was shocked when I learned that there were people who suffered because of the war and colonial rule by Japan, and that one of those victims came forward more than 40 years later to demand an apology and compensation from the Japanese government for the damage done to her. And this made me think that the paradigm of the peace movement in Japan needed to be changed. In 1995 when I heard that the bereaved families of the drafted workers for Japan Iron & Steel would bring a lawsuit against the company, I decided to join the fight for them.

Kim Minkyu You have carried out a wide variety of activities. What has been the most rewarding experience in your career?

Yano Hideki The plaintiffs lost every case filed in Japanese court. The campaign for the enactment of a law to compensate the victims wasn't successful, either. Therefore, I have nothing much to say if you ask me about 'my rewarding experience.' If anything, I felt fulfilled when the law to support the victims of draft was enacted in Korea, and when the decision of the Supreme Court of Korea was made on May 24, 2012 and it was recognized by the organization of the victims and lawyers in Korea as 'a result accomplished by the solidarity movement of Korean and Japanese citizens.'

Kim Minkyu It seems to me that the voices of those who argue for considering neighboring countries have been getting weaker since Abe took office for the second time. I think perhaps you are having the most difficult time in your entire career these days.

Yano Hideki If you ask me if I am having the most difficult time these days, I'll have to answer "Yes." But there hasn't been a time that wasn't difficult for me since I started the movement in the 1990s. But the movement for solidarity between Korean and Japanese citizens has achieved a few results. Since the Durban Declaration (2001), the move to liquidate colonialism has spread around the world. I just carry out activities thinking that if this movement continues, it will contribute, however little, toward taking history in the direction we want to go.

Kim Minkyu It seems that neither Korean nor Japanese youths are interested in activities that support peaceful coexistence with neighboring countries.

Yano Hideki That is the biggest challenge facing our movement. But it is not entirely hopeless. For example, in a survey on this issue, conducted last year by 'comfort women'-related organizations in Korea and Japan and targeting students in their countries, 98% of the Korean respondents answered 'Yes' to the question 'Should Japan apologize and compensate (for the victims of its system of sexual slavery for the military)?." And so did 65% of the Japanese respondents, or about two-thirds of the total, despite the strong waves of 'hatred for Korea' and 'criticism against the Asahi Shimbun' sweeping across Japan. This is where I see hope. Even as we speak, there are not a small number students campaigning against the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets proposed and enforced by the Abe administration. Accordingly, the 2015 Campaign for the Restoration of Korea-Japan Solidarity makes it our main goal to engage more students and youths as participants.

Kim Minkyu Do you have anything to suggest to the Northeast Asian History Foundation should do to help overcome the historical conflict between Korea and Japan and achieve peaceful coexistence

Yano Hideki I appreciate the NAHF helping me directly and indirectly on the movement that I am currently carrying out. Once again, let me thank the NAHF for the help. At the same time, let me also ask that the NAHF will continue to give generous support and attention to the victims of colonial rule and war. In the world that is going global, there is an ever-growing economic and diplomatic interdependence among states. If everyone kept that in mind, there wouldn't be any war or armed conflict. However, peace is not something that is freely given to you simply because you want it. Conflict can result from ethnic issues, national sentiment, and perception. It is also stated in the Constitution of UNESCO that "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed." In other words, restoring 'peace in the minds of men' is the most essential to keeping peace. I hope that the Northeast Asian History Foundation will work hard to that end.