Newsletter

The 22nd day of June this year will mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the agreement to 'normalize diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan.' This is a good opportunity for the two countries as their closest neighbors to celebrate as they look back and refresh their memory of the spirit of good-neighborliness that has been developed between them over the past fifty years, and also look forward and try to build a better future together for the next fifty to a hundred years. Unfortunately, however, the two countries are going backwards to being their "(geographically) close yet (emotionally) distant neighbors" because their relations have been strained recently and this has affected not only politics but also the people, making their sentiment toward the other country significantly worse than before.

While Korea has urged Japan to 'face history' as it is before they can work together toward a better future, Japan has obsessively tried to 'erase the shameful part of its history.' And some recent events that occurred between the two countries being close neighbors (e.g. The Japanese Foreign Ministry changing the description of Korea on its official website; Koreans stealing Buddha statues from Tsushima Island of Japan; the Korean government placing a ban on the import of fishery products from eight prefectures of Japan; hate-speech; the Sankei Shimbun running a report defaming the Present of Korea) have only contributed to making worse their people's feelings toward the other country. So I feel the need to address here a few of the issues between the two countries.

Firstly, while the Kono Statement of 1993 and the Murayama Statement of 1995 are the two statements that the Korean government has consistently urged its Japanese counterpart to uphold, there are two other equally important statements to remember. One is the Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kiichi Miyazawa on History Textbooks. This statement was issued to deal with the diplomatic rows with China and Korea that were sparked by the Japanese textbook describing Japan's 'aggression' as an 'advance.' And it was followed by the establishment of the Neighboring Country Clause in the statement's spirit of 'promoting mutual understanding and developing friendly and cooperative relations with neighboring countries.' Unfortunately, the spirit of this Clause is as good as dead now. Otherwise Korea-Japan relations wouldn't have become as strained as they are today.

The Value of the Kan Statement Expressing His Wish to 'Face History'

The other is the statement of the then Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan (菅直人) issued in 2010 on the occasion of the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea. This statement is even more significant and meaningful to Korea than either the Kono Statement or the Murayama Statement; while the Kono Statement did not specify Korea, even though it was directed at Korea, and the Murayama Statement was directed at a number of Asian countries, the Kan Statement specified Korea only, and specifically expressed his wish to 'squarely confront the facts of history' and 'his feelings of deep remorse and his heartfelt apology' just as Korea had demanded. We must continue to concern ourselves with ensuring that Japan will uphold this statement and the spirit expressed within.

Secondly, Japan tries to gain sympathy from some opinion leaders of the United States by claiming that Korea's repeated demand to apologize for the past is making them feel 'tired.' But the 'reckless remarks' that many Japanese political leaders have continued to make lately, which raises the question of the sincerity of the apologies made in the past, are making Korea feel 'tired,' too.

Particularly in recent years, there has been a set of annual events in Japan that provoked the Korean people every time: the so-called 'Takeshima Day' ceremony in February; the release of textbook screening results in March; the release of the Diplomatic Blue Book and political leaders' visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in April; the rally of Japanese lawmakers committed to defending their national territory in June; and the release of the Defense White Paper and political leaders' visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in August. Before complaining about feeling tired of the demand for apology, Japan will first have to stop speaking or acting in ways that go against the spirit of apology expressed in the past statements.

'Refuse to Forget the Past and Take Responsibility for the Future! - Fight for Justice' is the slogan of the 'comfort women' website created by a Japanese civil-society organization. The facts of history cannot be erased conveniently or altered at will.

Thirdly, it is time that Japan start doing what needs to be done to receive from the international community the level of trust and confidence that befits its status as one of the handful leading countries in the world, However, judging from its recent behavior, Japan apparently has not quite realized that yet.

History with Resilience to Overcome Any Attempt to Erase, Hide, or Distort it

I know a few Japanese virtues worth learning, and 'omoiyari (思い遣り: consideration for others)' is one of them. The Neighboring Country Clause of 1982 had this virtue. Recently, however, Japan failed to show omoiyari by removing the sentence "(Japan) shares the values of liberty, human rights, and democracy with Korea" from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, or by producing a promotional video claiming that Korea owes its rapid economic growth, or the Miracle of the Han River, to the aid from Japan. To say that Korea's economic development is thanks to Japan's aid is incomplete and unbalanced unless it is also added that Japanese economy thrived on the forced labor of seven to eight million people during the colonial period, and that the Korean War brought an enormous profit to Japan as a supplier of military goods. To keep one's word is another Japanese virtue. We only ask them to keep their words expressed in the statements.

Fourthly, Korea needs to make clear and consistent efforts to accumulate and analyze materials in preparation for the 'history war' that will continue for years to come. Korea also needs to 'put itself in Japan's shoes' and yield when it is needed. Furthermore, I think that Korea also needs to step out of the past and into the future by reaching out first to cooperate with Japan where possible.

Finally, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave speeches at the Bandung Conference on April 22 and then at the U.S. Congress on April 29, 2015 but both of his speeches were disappointing to the Korean people. But there is another chance for him. We look forward to a statement expressing his heartfelt remorse and apology rather than someone else's voice on the upcoming 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule on August 15.

The 'correct history' has resilience to overcome any attempt to erase, hide, or distort it. Both Korea and Japan should be humble before history.