2024-04-23 15:05:25
Although the Korean government announced a third-party reimbursement plan for compensation for forced conscription during the Japanese colonial period in March last year, opening the door to improvement in Korea-Japan relations, Japan’s historical awareness is showing signs of regression. On the 23rd, major ministers and members of the National Assembly visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where the memorial tablets of Class A war criminals from World War II are enshrined. Previously, the Japanese government passed a series of inspections on textbooks containing right-wing historical views, such as that there was no force in the mobilization of comfort women during the Japanese colonial period, and Gunma Prefecture, near Tokyo, even removed a memorial to the forced mobilization of Koreans.
In a situation where the United States is raising Japan’s status to keep China in check, and Japan is using this as a backbone to become a ‘nation capable of war’ and become a military power, some voices are concerned about the decline in historical awareness. Experts point out that if Korea’s expectations of establishing a ‘future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship’ promoted by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration are repeatedly dashed and domestic public opinion grows skeptical about the improvement of relations between the two countries, a vicious cycle in which Korea-Japan relations collapse again at the slightest shock may repeat itself. do.
● 94 Japanese lawmakers make a group visit to Yasukuni Shrine
On the 23rd, 94 members of Japan’s ‘National Assembly Members’ Group Visiting Yasukuni Shrine Together’ collectively visited Yasukuni Shrine to celebrate the spring annual festival. Minister of Economy and Security Sanae Takaichi, a far-right hardliner, also visited the shrine on the same day. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not visit the shrine in person, but offered an offering on the 21st.
Yasukuni Shrine is where the memorial tablets of war criminals who caused World War II and plunged East Asia into the devastation of war, including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, are enshrined. It is considered a symbol of Japanese militarism.
The scale of worship this year did not increase further than previous years. However, it has a different meaning from past visits to the shrine as it is a regressive appearance that appears while Japan is making moves to become a military power, such as by doubling its defense budget compared to the original plan by 2027 and introducing American-made Tomahawk missiles. In particular, the United States is using Japan as a key base in the Indo-Pacific to respond to China’s military threats, and Japan is also using this as an opportunity to speed up military integration with the United States, so there appears to be no brakes.
Recently, in Japan, even the Self-Defense Forces’ movement to follow militarism has been revealed. In January of this year, Hiroki Kobayashi (小林弘樹), the director of the Land Forces Division (equivalent to the deputy chief of staff of the Army), led dozens of Self-Defense Force members to pay homage to the Yasukuni Shrine. The Ministry of Defense limited itself to a ‘soft punishment’ of disciplinary action. This month, a former high-ranking officer of the Maritime Self-Defense Force was inaugurated as the head priest of Yasukuni Shrine. In an editorial, the Asahi Shimbun expressed concern that “if the Self-Defense Forces only wave the flag of strengthening defense capabilities and ignore the lessons of history, they will not be able to gain public support.”
● “Momentum for improving Korea-Japan relations must fall”
Since the summit meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Prime Minister Kishida in March last year, the trend of improving relations between the two countries is stronger than ever, with the number of Korean travelers visiting Japan increasing and the Korean Wave boom growing stronger in Japan. However, Japan continues to show regressive behavior in its perception of history. Prime Minister Kishida did not mention the issue of past history at all in his joint speech to the U.S. Congress on the 11th. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has a strong right-wing tendency, also mentioned ‘reflection’ at the same event in 2016, nine years ago.
Hideki Okunojo, a professor at Shizuoka Prefectural University and an expert on Korea-Japan issues, said, “The Japanese government believes that diplomatic cooperation with Korea must be strengthened, but it is honestly difficult to expect the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to change its perception of history to be more considerate of Korea.” He said.
However, Ki-ho Yang, a professor of Japanese and Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, said, “If Japan shows no change in its perception of history, it will be difficult to gain sympathy from the Korean people for improving the relationship between the two countries, which may eventually lead to a loss of momentum for improvement.” A senior government official said, “Since historical issues cannot be resolved overnight, we need to make efforts to patiently collect data and present our arguments.”
Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Sang-hoon sanghun@donga.com
Reporter Lee Ki-wook 71wook@donga.com
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2024-04-23 15:05:25