뉴스레터

March 1st is just around the corner. The March 1st Independence Movement was indeed a milestone in Korean history, which not only gave us confidence but also showed the world our strong will and determination to achieve independence on our own. This year marks the 92nd anniversary of the movement, and to this day, the March 1st Independence Movement offers us with new perspectives and food for thought.

The independence movement should be viewed from the standpoints of Korean national history and world history. It brought a quantum leap to anti-imperialist resistance in Korea and Japan changed its colonial policies to seemingly less brutal and more indirect policies. The movement also led to the May 4th Movement in China and nonviolent resistance in India.

At that time, Japan was in the Taisho period, which is considered as the most democratic period since it suffered defeat in the Asia Pacific War. Japan emerged as a major player in international politics after the close of World War I, and rapid introduction of Western democracy to Japan gave rise to "the Taisho democracy". colonial Joseon's self-determination and Imperial Japan's Taisho democracy have a thread of connection between them. We can realize the importance of the March 1st Movement in world history and widen our horizons by understanding political trends and atmosphere in Japan around the time of the March 1st Movement.

Pioneer of Taisho Democracy

In Korean history, Japan at the time of the March 1st Movement was just simply represented by its Government General in Korea. At that time, there were a wide variety of people in colonial Joseon, ranging from pro-Japanese collaborators, bystanders and independence activists. This was also the case for Japan, where there were tough Imperialists, onlookers, moderate Imperialists, anti-Imperialists, among others. In this context, I would like to introduce a Japanese though leader, Yoshino Sakuzo (吉野作造, 1867~1933), who threw support behind the March 1st Independence Movement.

Yoshino Sakuzo is a renowned political thinker in the Taisho period. A pioneer in the Taisho democracy, he was one of the most influential advocates of parliamentarism in Japan. He was born in January, 1878 (Meiji 11) in Furukawa, Miyagi, as the eldest son of Yoshino Toshikura. He converted to Christianity when he was a high school student, and graduated with top honors from Tokyo Imperial Univeristy in 1904, majoring in politics. He then pursued further studies in graduate school and became professor of law in 1909. He obtained a Ph. D in 1915, and studied abroad for three years in Europe and the U.S.

Yoshino's Taisho democracy is based on "people-oriented democracy (民本主義)", which denies that sovereignty rests with the people (主權在民) and acknowledges that sovereignty lies with Japanese Emperor (天皇). On this basis, it claims that sovereignty should be managed for the sake of people and their interests. This means that the government should aim to meet the needs of its people. He called for universal suffrage and party politics while criticizing politics dominated by bureaucrats and military authorities. He believed that democracy was compatible with the concept of the emperor's sovereignty, and tried to realize people-oriented democracy to the extent possible.

Another Starting Point for Enhancing Mutual Understanding between Korea and Japan

It was in 1905 when Yoshino joined the "Association of Researchers of Joseon (朝鮮問題硏究會)". After returning from Europe, he made friends with a number of Korean students in Japan through YMCA activities. In March 1916, he visited Joseon and Manchuria for three weeks, and that was when he first heard Joseon people criticize Japanese colonial rule. When he came back to Japan, he informed others of Japanese Government-General's cruel policies in Korea, and argued that Koreans should not be discriminated against Japanese. He also acknowledged that Korean people have their own culture, history and traditions, and criticized Japan's colonial rule of Korea.

Yoshino argued that Japanese major press was wrong to say that the March 1st Movement occurred at the instigation of Christian missionaries. He revealed Japan's bloody massacre of innocent Koreans, and appealed to Japanese people's conscience. Moreover, he called for freedom of press in Korea, abolishing discrimination against Koreans, and autonomy in Joseon.

Yoshino attempted to apply the Taisho democracy to Joseon, while acknowledging Japan's colonial rule of Joseon. The Taisho democracy was reflected in Japan's colonial policies in Joseon after the March 1st Movement, and less cruel and more indirect policies (文化政治) were influenced by the Taisho democracy as well as the March 1st Movement. Yoshino's understanding of the March 1st Movement tells us that there were a variety of perspectives on Joseon under Japanese colonial rule. Still, his views had certain limitations.

In 1924, Yoshino left his job as university professor to work at "Tokyo Asahi Newspaper (東京朝日新聞)" as advisory editor and editorial writer. However, he had to quit due to a controversy over his political editorial and taught again at the University of Tokyo. He organized "Association of Researchers of Meiji Culture (明治文化硏究會)" and published 《Meiji Culture Collection (明治文化全集)》, making great contributions to preserving and publishing historical records and documents from the Meiji period. In late 1920s, he participated in the creation of a right-wing proletarian party (社會民衆黨). At 55, he died of pleurisy in 1933.

Yoshino Sakuzo represents diverse views of Japanese people on the March 1st Movement. Koreans need to realize the diversity in Japanese society and this will serve as another starting point for enhancing mutual understanding between Korea and Japan.