뉴스레터

A beautiful day dawned at Normandy Beach on 6 June 2004. The weather was unusually fine without a single breath of wind, and pieces of white cloud were scattered far away in the sky. The scene around the beach village was really quiet and peaceful. Then, white-haired old veterans wearing military uniforms in various colors began to gather on this beautiful and peaceful Normandy Beach from the early morning of the day. They all gazed at the far-off horizon with tearful eyes.

This was the scene that I witnessed at Normandy Beach on 6 June 2004. It was the 60th anniversary of the Normandy Landings that had come at the climax of the tragic Second World War. The old people on the beach were those retired veterans who had participated in the landing operation.

The last half a century is depicted as a so-called 'peaceful era' during which there has been no large-scale war in the human history. It has been thought that the local wars during this period were unavoidable as an outcome of the Cold War. The recent wars that have occurred in some parts of the world are also regarded as a form of punishment from the international society for the inhumane attacks such as terror. Therefore, I don't feel like opposing the idea that the last half a century should be called 'a peaceful era' though there are still wars and conflicts happening in this world.

"The Impression" of Normandy Beach on 6 June 2004

It is not easy, however, to answer how long the current peace will last at a satisfying level. If we compare Asia and Europe, the two axes in the order of the international society, countries in Europe have cleared the remains of historical conflicts and are moving forward to live in a harmonious order, but Asia is still far away from the road of reconciliation. As mentioned above, European countries have kept working for long to cure the wounds of the past, sometimes taking a prudent attitude and at other times creating a dramatic moment. They are now cruising towards a destination that they hope for with great optimism.

The 60th anniversary commemoration of the Normandy Landings was really impressive. The event was so impressive that it is remembered rather as a drama than as a historical event. But, the Normandy Coast on the morning of 6 June 2004 was not merely a place for the veterans to remember the landing operation that they had participated in. It was a carefully planned historical moment.

All the heads of state gathered from twenty or so victorious countries, including President Chirac of the host country France, President Bush from the US and President Putin of Russia. In the spotlight of the day was, however, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, the country that provoked and lost the war. At the commemorative event, Chancellor Schroeder truly apologized for the Second World War that Germany had provoked and the crimes that the country had committed during the war. And leaders and peoples of the countries that had suffered could open their minds and accept the apologies of Chancellor Schroeder. When the genuine apology was answered by forgiveness, the long period of strenuous effort finally produced a fruit that could heal the wounds of the past and reconcile the countries. The European effort did not end in Normandy. Two months later, Chancellor Schroeder ran to Poland on the 1st of August to attend the 60th anniversary of Warsaw Uprising. He apologized for the crimes of violence that Germany committed against Poland in the past.

The success that the European countries have achieved for harmonious reconciliation did not come easily through such an event or a party. There were political leaders who had realized their mission, diplomats who could see the political situation of the world and pave the way for the future of their countries, thinkers and philosophers who changed people's thoughts, citizens seeking harmonious and peaceful coexistence, young students willing to take chare of the future, historians who tried to have a vision of the future based on sound knowledge and conscience, and many others. All these people collaborated to change the horizons of the international politics in Europe.

Finally, French and German historians wrote a history that would be shared by them. In July 2006, the French-German Joint History Textbook was published for high school students. Intellectuals from Germany and France put their joint efforts in a textbook with an intention of reconciling the past by describing the past. It was a result of the long process of healing in Europe.

Expecting the True Heart from Political Leaders of Japan

If there are unhappy memories between two countries, how come the two can write a common? We all know that it is a very difficult task. But, they did it through the French-German Joint History Textbook. They knew that true reconciliation can only be achieved through mutual understanding, and they had the courage and were mature. They could even write the joint history in the form of a textbook for the future generations at schools. In the preface, the co-authors of the textbook say, "the main contents of this book are entangled parts of the past, shared memories and memories of fights, different views of the same events, understanding of similarities and differences between the two countries, understanding of the history of mutual relations of the two countries, and histories of the two countries from the perspectives of Europe and the international community." If we think about the current discord between Northeast Asian countries in relation to the past, we can easily see that people in Europe must have felt a historical mission very strongly in writing the joint history textbook.

After the Democratic Party of Japan came into power, the new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama eagerly expressed the idea of East Asian Community. Japan's foreign minister Katsuya Okada then mentioned that it would be ideal if Korea, China and Japan could write a history textbook together. The East Asian Community has been a vision of Northeast History Foundation. And, to writing a history textbook together has been our Foundation's policy since it was established. It seems a bit late, but I would like to welcome the current atmosphere in Korea, China and Japan where production of a joint history textbook becomes a task of the government. We must learn not just from our past but also from the present happenings in other areas of the world. It is our hope at this Foundation that expressions of the Japanese political leaders were real and will be able to match the vision of this Foundation.