I believe 村山談話 (Statement by Tomiichi Murayama) was an official statement which subsequent cabinets have not retracted. In fact, I believe none of the official statements by the cabinet members were ever retracted for these are cabinet approved (閣議決定）with a seal from the Emperor

As overthinker stated, it appears many of your information regarding Japan is based on dubious sources.

“I said that growing in a place makes you subject to absorbing its myths at a young age, not merely living there. It is quite different.”

That’s where I disagree. The only difference is a matter of degree. Do you really not think that living in a country for a while would not give you a more sympathetic view on that country?

“And should I wish to ever KNOW what Filipinos went through, I shall indeed read a book or two.”

That won’t happen, but it’s not like I care.

Jimmy, you and overthinker keep going “don’t assume we don’t understand just because we don’t come from there”, but you really don’t seem like you understand.

The problem is that overthinker thinks he has a “rational, cold, analytical perspective”. I don’t think so. I think I have a “rational, cold, analytical perspective”. And yet it leads me to a different conclusion from his, apparently. Why?

Maybe because we seem to be talking about morality, not just facts. At least that’s what Jimmy thinks. He’s the one who started with “No one here is saying that what the Japanese did was a nice thing to do”. Maybe you two don’t believe in absolute right and wrong. I do, and the facts show that Japan was wrong. Emotions don’t even have to come into it – Japan was wrong.

“The Japanese government HAS apologized to Asian nations around it but what good is it if all they keep wanting to hear is I’m sorry from every new Prime Minister that comes into place?”

This is off-topic, but you started it, so I’ll humor you. Do you really think Japan has apoogized? Yes, they have, but then they inevitably “clarify their position” later, or retract the apology, or say it was not intended to be an official apology, or say the apology only covered a certain war crime against a certain nation. I’d like a single apology, an official statement by the Japanese Prime Minister, for Japan’s acts of aggression, without any retraction later.

Besides, even with Japan’s numerous apologies, their actions (visiting the Yasukuni shrine, school textbooks, immoderate statements by government officials, seeming increase in militaristic right-wing thought) contradict the apologies. Is this really so hard for you to understand?

“The only thing people are concerned with is money from the government, and who is really going to benefit from all this money going towards the victims? The grandchildren? Why? Because of there “psychological suffering”?”

Who said anything about money going to victims’ grandchildren? When do you think WWII happened? The Middle Ages? Try 60 years ago. Many victims of Japanese aggression are still alive, and you know it, so don’t use this excuse (I can’t believe how many people still do) In a few years, though, they may not be, which is probably what Japanese who refuse to take responsibility are waiting for.

And many victims are not merely concerned with money. They want a sincere, official apology, which is why several ex-comfort women rejected the money being offered to them by the Asia Women’s Fund.

From wikipedia: The fund is funded by private donations and not government money, and has been criticized as a way to avoid admitting government abuse.[43][31] But because of the unofficial nature of the fund, many comfort women have rejected these payments and continue to seek an official apology and compensation.[44]

Also from wikipedia, look at Japan’s official position on comfort women, which should provide a good example of Japan’s ambiguous attitude with regards to WWII. I’m reminded of Israel’s position of ambiguity with regards to nukes – don’t admit to possessing them, but don’t deny it either. Japan’s is similar – apologize without apologizing. Japan’s victims are running out of patience, though – and time.

“What would living in Japan do to him? All of a sudden his one of them now?”

It’s “he’s”, Jimmy. As I said above, do you really not think that living in a country would not influence a person to sympathize with that country, if a liking for that country were not his very reason for going there in the first place?

“Most people tend to think that if someone is unable to understand them its mostly because they aren’t on their side.”

I like this sentence best. “Most people”, which of course, does not include you two? I mean, come on! What are you, with your vast knowledge of human nature, implying? I recall I said to stop beating around the bush?

The arrogant act’s amusing, but it can offend some, you know. A friendly piece of advice.

What I am saying is that the article starts off with badly-sourced extremist statements. A good article should be sourced from proper academic sources, not fringe-lunacy conspiracy websites and the like.

I do know that Korean was taught in school in Japanese-occupied Korea. The trouble with all those that assume there was a total Japanese push to utterly obliterate Korean culture is that they take the most extreme examples, usually near the end of the occupation when Japan was getting desperate, and expand them to a general policy of genocide from 1910-1945.

And I did not put quote marks around “know”, I put asterisks. To emphasise the word. And should I wish to ever KNOW what Filipinos went through, I shall indeed read a book or two.

“Most people tend to think that if someone is unable to understand them its mostly because they aren’t on their side.”

This unfortunately tends to be true….

“I am not absorbing any Japanese myths, since I neither grew up here nor was born here.”

Ah, but you live there. Stop splitting hairs to evade the issue.

“I don’t understand what? What Filipinos went through? If that’s what you mean, then I don’t *know* what Filipinos went through. But I’ll take a rational, cold, analytical perspective over emotionalism any day.”

And just what conclusion does your “rational, cold, analytical perspective” lead you to in this particular case? That there was no Japanese policy to destroy Korean culture? Please, I’m sure you know that, to name just one example, Japanese, not Korean, was taught by law in schools in Japan-occupied Korea.

If you want to “know” what Filipinos went through, you can read a lot of stuff about it. But because of the quotation marks, I think you had a different meaning.

I am not absorbing any Japanese myths, since I neither grew up here nor was born here.

I don’t understand what? What Filipinos went through? If that’s what you mean, then I don’t *know* what Filipinos went through. But I’ll take a rational, cold, analytical perspective over emotionalism any day.

I read that the Japanese went as far as to discourage use of Korean names and language in Korea. Language is an important part of a nation’s culture.

“I second Alex on the ridiculous “if you don’t have a blood connection you can never understand” nonsense. In fact the reverse often seems more true: if you feel directly wounded by certain historical events you are less likely to be able to evaluate them accurately.”

Ah. That must be your excuse, I guess. Since you’re a Westerner, and I’m a Filipino, I’m actually kinda insulted. But that’s probably just because my feeling directly wounded by certain historical events is making me less able to evaluate things accurately. Instead of making such a big deal about things that happened decades before I was born, and therefore I don’t have any right to complain about – what with my (nonexistent) $300 shoes, 200$ shirts and $400 pants and all – I should just think reasonably about the issue. Thinking reasonably about the issue would, of course lead to the inevitable conclusion that those nations and races that have been hurt in the past should just accept the past, without reparation or apology.

No, I don’t think so.

“Even being a citizen of that country (ie having grown up there) you absorb many of the historical myths of a nation and believe them as true if you don’t do a little digging.”

Since you’re talking about this, could YOU be absorbing any Japanese myths, by any chance? Just curious.

“So the closer you are, the more you lack perspective, and in dealing with history, perspective is a very useful thing.”

Funny, that’s the opposite of what I’d normally think. You do have some good justifications for that thinking, but I don’t think that merely being emotional thanks to “closeness” means that people more distantly placed have more “perspective” on the issue.

“Saying you can relate is fine. Saying someone who isn’t personally involved can never understand is not.”

True, but to be honest, I don’t think you understand.

Read my original comment. I appreciate this story. I personally hope the monument has the chance to be unveiled, because I think that it says something other than the conservatives are reading into it.

Firstly, I was disappointed by the commenter over the following:
“Has anyone noticed that even though this is a touching story the reason why the monument is being raised is for all the wrong reasons?”
I believe the reason is that it is a testament to the tragedies of war. NOT a monument to a Korean giving his life to Imperial Japan.

I was also saying that I can relate, because the war and the occupation are something that has affected my family in a multitude of ways. It is something that has been burned into my consciousness for as long as I can remember. I can relate to the Korean Kamikaze’s sense of heritage, yet completely sympathize with the tragedy, and see this as a human story.

What’s his face tried to tell me that it doesnt affect me at all. I told him in so many words, that that was not for him to say. Its not for you to say either. Because you dont relate / connect with either your native country or people, does not mean that I dont or cant.

Korea under Japanese rule refers to the period between 1910 and 1945 when Korea was forcibly occupied by the Japanese Empire. Japan’s involvement began with the 1876 Treaty of Ganghwa during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea and increased with the subsequent assassination of Empress Myeongseong (also known as Queen Min) at the hands of Japanese agents in 1895. It culminated with the 1905 Eulsa Treaty and the 1910 Annexation Treaty, both of which were eventually declared “null and void” by both Japan and South Korea in 1965.

Often described as the Holocaust in Asia[1], the Imperial Japanese Army often discriminated, tortured, plundered, raped, summary executed and mass murdered millions of innocent Koreans without a valid reason[2]; major cultural genocides and war crimes done by the Japanese include forced labour and military conscription of Korean men for Imperial Japan[3], forced sex slavery and kidnapping of young Korean girls and women for the Japanese army[4], human experiments on live Koreans[5], burning down of Korean villages[6], burying of live Koreans[7], censorship of media and banning of the Korean language and religions[8], unfair confiscation of land, food and cultural assets, forced name changes and Imperial education, which lead to a strong rise in anti-Japanese sentiment and Korean nationalism, still strongly persistent to this date in both South Korea and North Korea.[9][10]

Japanese control of Korea ended with the surrender of Japan to the Allied forces in 1945 at the end of World War II. The Korean Peninsula was subsequently divided into South Korea and North Korea. The legacy of the occupation remains in continuing disputes between Japan and the two Koreas.

In Korea, this period is called the Japanese Forcible Occupation Period (일제 강점기; Ilje gangjeomgi, 日帝强占期) or Japanese Imperial Period (일제시대, Ilje sidae, 日帝時代). Sometimes it is also referred to as the Wae jeong (Hangul: 왜정, Hanja: 倭政), or “Japanese administration”. In Japan, this period is called Korea under Japanese rule (日本統治時代の朝鮮).

Which policy was this, when was it implemented, how was it enforced, and which government directive ordered it? Was this the policy that lead the Japanese government to restore the Namdaemun, for example?

I second Alex on the ridiculous “if you don’t have a blood connection you can never understand” nonsense. In fact the reverse often seems more true: if you feel directly wounded by certain historical events you are less likely to be able to evaluate them accurately. Even being a citizen of that country (ie having grown up there) you absorb many of the historical myths of a nation and believe them as true if you don’t do a little digging. So the closer you are, the more you lack perspective, and in dealing with history, perspective is a very useful thing.

DK: What is “identity”? Why do you think humans should have some attachement to boundaries drawn on a map? What has Korea ever done for Koreans in America? What has Africa done for Black Americans?

Your last comment is very telling – “are you Korean? Korean American? Japanese? Japanese American? African American? Id like to know, because I get the sense that the answer is NO. My parents were directly affected in a major way by the war.” Are you insinuating that white Americans have no past? White people weren’t also on the front line fighting in WWII? Irish didn’t face a brutal civil war? English didn’t flee from a tyrant king?

Why do you feel you are closer to Jews and Blacks than Whites are? (I’m Jewish…and I can’t relate at all to what you are saying) I feel more attached to my friends and family who I was born and raised with than theoretical relatives who have since immigrated back to Israel. Furthermore, I chose to move to Japan. It was my decision to start a new life in a new country, and it means a lot more to me than happening to have been born in some other country by chance. It’s like a marriage – It’s much more meaningful when it’s your choice, not your parents.

It’s not too surprising to read about just how controversial the Mitsuyama story has become in South Korea. Stories such as these are still a rather emotional subject in South Korea.

Even in South Korea today, it is still politically correct, or patriotically correct, if you will, to say just how much their family or relatives suffered when the Korean peninsula was a part of Imperial Japan. The Japanese did this atrocity; the Japanese did that atrocity, and so on and so forth. A good example of this is the so-called “Monument to the Japanese Aggression” which is in Chonan, south of Seoul. According to the souvenir tourist hand-out that I picked up, every single Korean rebelled against Imperial Japan. Hogwash.

The fact of the matter is that it is a far more complex subject than just a simple black or white.

Were there Koreans who rebelled against Imperial Japan? Yes. Were there Koreans who actively took part as loyal subjects/citizens of Imperial Japan? You better believe there were. Then there were those people who probably really didn’t care either way.

An interesting subject that I tried to explore when I lived in Seoul are the so-called chinilpa, Korean for “people friendly to Japan”, such as Park Chung Hee. A lot of rich, influential people in South Korea today were either chinilpa or their relatives were. The story is far from over as a commission continues to investigate South Koreans with chinilpa connections.

Wikipedia has a photograph of Park Chung Hee (or should I say Masao Takaki?) looking pretty smart in his Imperial Army uniform for the entry about his biography for those who care or know who he was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung_Hee

So, the right reason for raising the memorial… what exactly would that be? If it were erected in Japan, it would be for giving his life to the Emperor and Imperial Japan. Is that the right reason? Is that the reason you think the Koreans should be erecting the memorial?
From the Korean perspective, he is a victim of the colonial period. For the Koreans, it was an era in which they were not only colonialized, but made the victims of a policy in which the entire Korean culture was to be destroyed. To add insult to injury, there were those Koreans such as Mr Tak who were expected to forfeit their lives in that very pursuit.
To you and I, sure, if I were in his shoes, maybe I would have said “Gee, ive got a half a tank of gas, Im gonna turn this mother right around and fly somewhere where theyre not going to gun down a mitsubishi zero (which would be where??), or im going to jam it right up the ass of the Japanese.”
However, that doesnt take into account the fact that this guy was BORN into the colonial period. He had only known a world where his Korean identity was something of a relic, inferior to his Japanese identity. He clearly did not hate the Japanese either, given the relationship he had with Mrs Tome and her family. I dont see the situation he was in to be a simple black and white case. Its mired in emotion, and thats what makes it dramatic and interesting. In the video we are to understand that his demise was tied to his sense of fate. He believed that this was the course of his life, like it or not. Its not something people who are westernized or modern can really relate to. Clearly its not something you are capable of understanding at all.

Let me ask you this too… are you Korean? Korean American? Japanese? Japanese American? African American? Id like to know, because I get the sense that the answer is NO. My parents were directly affected in a major way by the war. While even they may not have been alive during the occupation, it is something that actively affects the consciousness of nearly every Korean today, including myself, a Korean American. My father is the way he is because of a childhood of poverty and war. It has taken me 30 years to understand that. I am unable to connect to family that was displaced during the occupation. Can you say that for yourself? How exactly are you able to say that it doesn not affect me at all? Unless you have direct perspective on it, you have NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Do not speak for me, or how the African Americans have been affected by slavery, nor how the Jews are affected by the holocaust, nor how the Japanese Americans are affected by the American internment camps. I dare you to say to anyone in any of these cases that it doesnt affect them at all, and I guarantee you that they will tell you how it has.

http://www.tamanegiya.com/totkoutotyousennjinn.html

when Nihoi went to home, Ishihara, He was with Aquino in Taiwan and He stopped Aquino returning.
however, Nihoi said ” it’s my Bonus with smile” .Ishihara prepared milions of doller as Bail for his release
Ishihara learnt from him that love for mother country stakes own life

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/local/071125/lcl0711251905000-n1.htm
http://www.gentosha.co.jp/search/book.php?ID=200087

Hong Sa-ik
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Sa-ik