Japan’s Apology Still Not Good Enough
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has once again apologized for the actions of the Imperial Japanese during World War II:
In a statement issued by his office, Koizumi acknowledged the “enormous damage” inflicted by Japan’s military “by colonization and invasion” during the conflict.
“We must take this historical fact of such very sincerely, and I would like to express keen remorse and heartfelt apologies,” Koizumi said.
“I would like to also express our deep condolences to the victims inside and outside of Japan during World War II.”
Japan has apologized multiple times before for what happened in World War II, but I really think that whatever they say will not be good enough in Korea judging by this reaction in the Korea Times:
Japanese leaders have repeatedly apologized for the atrocities that its imperialistic military inflicted on its Asian neighbors. But Japan’s actions belie its apologies. Japanese leaders visit the Yasukuni shrine annually to pay tribute to Japan’s war dead, including several class-A criminals, who are deified in the controversial temple. Many of them have defended what their imperial military perpetrated on Asian countries. Some have even claimed that their imperialism contributed to the development of its victims. Tokyo has also encouraged distortions of historical facts concerning its wrongdoings in elementary and secondary school textbooks.
Repenting its cruel misdeeds while its neighbors are observing the day of their liberation from oppression, Japan’s Foreign Ministry defended its political leaders’ visit to the Yasukuni shrine on Saturday. It argued that Japan has apologized sufficiently for imperial wrongdoings. The ministry, which represents the Japanese government, also said that Tokyo has fully compensated everyone, seemingly with the Korean victims in mind for whom Seoul has asked Tokyo to provide the appropriate restitution.
It seems like no matter what Japan does people bring up Yasukuni Shrine, textbooks, Dokto, and more compensation. I bet if Japan took a wrecking ball to Yasukuni, publicly burned their textbooks, formally ended any claims to Dokto, and payed more compensation money that probably would still not be good enough either.
The fact of the matter is that the anti-Japanese sentiment is being used as a political weapon to rally populations around. So when President Roh’s popularity is dipping bring up something about Dokto or America to divert attention.
If this feeling from Korea about lacking a sincere apology from Japan was genuine then shouldn’t the Koreans be demanding an apology from Russia and China for authorizing Kim Il Sung to invade South Korea and start the Korean War that ultimately killed more Koreans and caused more property damage than the 35 years of Japanese oppression did?
The Chinese government has been demanding an apology as well from Japan, yet they don’t seem worried about apologizing for the economic policies of Mao Zedong that caused a mass famine that killed millions of Chinese. Then there was the invasion of Tibet which I don’t see any apology on the horizon for either.
So this whole apology business really seems disingenuous to me. The Japanese government is pretty bone headed for publicizing Yasukuni visits and even more bone headed for this whole Dokto stupidity but to link these to incidents to an apology for World War II actions when others have committed similar tragedies just shows politics are alive in well in northeast Asia and politicians need to have a villian to rally the electorate against. Japan will always be that villian.
GI,
After I compliment you on your de-colonized attitude of diversity and tolerance — you turn around and mess up like a Yankee-dog.
In order to be part of the solution, and not the problem — memorize the following USFK multicultural code:
1. All opinions are equal
2. Never judge anyone
3. Never step on toes
But, unfortunately you seem to be slipping by making Euro-centric judgements about Koreans. You are lacking a Buddhist compassion by not "understanding" the Koreans.
Koreans are people … they just want to be happy.
Follow the example of your top brass (Lt.Gen Charles Campbell): when confronted with Korean political abuse — cry like a silly girl to affect a show of military sensitivity.
But, for heavens sake! Don't step on Korean toes with such intolerant judgements… you are sounding like a fundamentalist Christian.
In order for such a "multicultural code" to be effective it has to be met with some reciprication by the other party. This blog, news media outlets and many other accounts clearly show that this is NOT the case.
You lecture GI about bieng part of the problem and that he should memorize the this USFK code, yet you call this Soldier a Yankee dog, or at least imply it. Serving a side dish of hypocracy much?
Your foolishness is compounded by the fact that you make an assumption of eurocentricity. Uh, GI Korea would most likely be american. You even back that up yourself in your Yankee-dog comment. Further more what buhdist compassion do you mean? there are several sects, some quite violent. Pure land sect for one.
Given what I have seen here in my time in Korea ANY KN has a lot of nerve lecturing anyone else of intolerance. I had more cordial dealings with Japanese right wingers than I have ever had with a Korean National that was upset about something trivial. The fundie xtian comment though, that was the best considering how many KN fundies I see around Daegu and other areas and the fact that christianity was not mentioned in his post.
It's amazing to me that Korea carries so much weight in my daily routine, still, 15 months since I returned to the US after my 38-month tour. I'm sitting on my toilet now, and I'm caught up in all of this aged Korea vs. Japan crap as if it can have some imminent impact on me, as it did back in the day when a good social disturbance kept me confined to my apartment in Dongbu Ichon-dong.
Anyway, all of this Japanese stuff is so much water under the bridge now, as much as the situations of the two countries are largely interlocked. Why don't the Koreans collectivley cry for an apology from Russia or the US for using their country as a test bed for their anti-capitalist/communist doctrine. As much as the Japanese bastards tried to run the Korean race into the ground between 1910 and 1945, what the US and Russia started in Korea after the surrender of the Japanese ultimately brought on the deaths of a thousand times more Korean people, in both the North and the South.
Korea Team Fighting, brothers.
Well one down in september. I'm leaving never to return to the land where two of my ancesters were killed and where the Korean people insult thier memory daily.
You ans other Koreans like you have destroyed this alliance anong with some GIs that did some dumb things as well.
Victim status?! you should add parisite status to that as well.
Not for Nothin,
USFK multiculturalism doesn't require reciprocal responsibility from oppressed brown people — they are exempted and immune from reciprocal moral behavior — by virtue of their victim status.
We are talking about milking Martin Luther King for Koreans.
Ask any Korean, they will instruct you on their historical victim status. The onus, therefore, is on the Americans to show "sincere" collective apologies.
Lt. Gen Charles Campbell 8th Army Commander did his part: he wept with repentant white guilt on the Sixty Minutes program as a moral demonstration of the correct attitude GI should be taking towards Korean grievances.
GI's harping against Korean mischief is simple insubordination against the moral example of his top brass at USFK.
GI should by crying like a girl.
GI should send his dependents to clean graves at Korean cemetaries, be attending "cultural understanding" events, and be dutifully laying flowers(like his General Leon LaPorte)at the graves of the two squashed angels who proudly defied the Yankee, by refusing to step aside for an American vehicle: thus, fucking up the personal lives of the vehicle drivers with more of that precious political tool: white guilt.
Not for Nothing: Koreans are just saying, Japan and the US have a long ways to go. America is Korea's weeping bitch… and needs to put out $ome more.
Peace, baby.
You don't soud like a Korean. Why are you criticizing USFK and Americans in this thread?
Show your filthy Korean DNA by demanding compensations from Japan for what-so-ever reasons.