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Although more than half a century has gone by since Korea became liberated from the rule of Imperial Japan, the two countries' relations are still suffering from unresolved issues involving the past. Where, then, did such issues of the past stem from? Despite having been oppressed for thirty-five years and suffered from indescribable pain because of Imperial Japan, the relations between Korea and Japan would not have been as entangled as it is now if Japan had properly acknowledged its past mistakes and showed respect for Korea's history, culture, and identity. Japan has instead chosen to distort history by glorifying its past acts of aggression. This contribution therefore aims to indirectly point out what is problematic about Japan's approach by reviewing the way France recognizes and provides education about its colonial past that shares similarities with Japanese imperialism.

History of French Colonization

The history of French colonization goes back to the sixteenth century. However, colonization in the Americas failed to reap much for France back then because of Spain's dominance and the Huguenot Wars France was internally going through. French colonization gained momentum as it established Port-Royal in 1605 at a seaside town in the easternmost part of Canada called Acadia, now known as Nova Scotia. That lead to the establishment of Quebec a few years later in 1608. The area colonized by France in North America was referred to as Nouvelle-France at the time, a term that came to be interchangeably used with the word Canada.

At its early stage of colonization, France had to compete with other colonial powers such as Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. By the early seventeenth century, it was able to possess colonies in North America, the Caribbean Islands, and India amidst fierce competition with Great Britain. However, between the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, France ended up losing most of the colonies it had established from going to war with other European powers. It thereafter braced itself up again to go on and establish an extensive range of colonies across Africa, Indochina, and in the South Pacific.

Like other imperial powers, France was eager to turn its colonies into sources of raw material, then use such material to manufacture goods that would be sold to its colonies. Dreaming to rule an everlasting empire, France disseminated its language, culture, and religion, namely Catholicism, to its colonies. However, anti-colonialism movements that spread like fire from 1945 caused France to lose most of its colonies and the French empire completely disappeared with Vanuatu's independence in 1980.

Recognition of Colonial Past in French School Education

How, then, is France teaching the history of suppression and acts of violence it committed to the colonies it once voraciously acquired? The viewpoints of colonialism and post-colonialism were applied as frameworks to review two kinds of textbooks on history and geography as a means to analyze the approach France takes to acknowledge its colonial past. Relevant content in the textbooks were grouped under two different chapters each labeled as "Colonies" (Les colonies) and "Post-colonialism" (La de′colonisation).

In general, the chapter on colonies could be expected to contain content that justifies colonization from an imperialistic point of view. French textbooks indeed explain the foreign policies and position of colonialists at the time when France was establishing its colonies, but they simultaneously mention the forced mobilization and exploitation of labor that took place at its colonies throughout the process.

Depending on which viewpoint has been adopted for a chapter on post-colonialism in textbooks used by former subjugators, there can be plenty of room for the formerly subjugated to raise objections. If French textbooks had highlighted the inferiority of the subjugated or the benefits France bestowed upon its colonies, France could have run into any number of issues surrounding its colonial past. But the French textbook reviewed for this contribution features images and realistic descriptions of French imperialists being chased out of their colonies along with details of how excited people in Algeria were about their liberation. That shows the respect the French have for the position and identity of the formerly subjugated. The other chapter on post-colonialism includes a section titled "A French Soldier's Testimony," which reveals the French army's brutality during the Algerian War. The chapter also has a student activity section that encourages students to hold discussions about the brutalities committed by the French army during wars. These all display an approach that chooses to squarely face and show remorse toward past acts of violence.

Teaching History As It Is

What about Japan's attitude today? Do textbooks in Japan convey respect for the history, culture, and independence of its former colony Korea? Do they include admission and remorse toward the illegalities the Japanese committed during their colonial rule of Korea? Although Japan brought indelible pain and tremendous economic loss upon Koreans over a span of thirty-five years, the difference between the two countries' respective perception of history could have been reduced and mental scars Koreans carry may have faded a bit if Japan had managed to admit and show remorse toward its past mistakes. However, instead of acknowledging the violent, inhuman brutalities it committed, Japan is glorifying its past wartime aggression and whitewashing historical facts to make it look like the Japanese are the victims of war.

The case of France may be able to offer hints to identifying the fundamental cause and solution to issues between Korea and Japan surrounding history. It seems obvious that teaching distorted or glorified facts about the past will only make matters worse between the countries sharing that past. Squarely facing history by presenting a balanced description that admits and shows remorse for past mistakes as the subjugator and includes respect for the position of the subjugated, like France seems to be doing, may well provide the key to gradually diminishing the difference in perceptions of history between former subjugators and the formerly subjugated.