Seoul Calls On Japan To Compensate For Wartime Past

[Foxy Brown]

South Korean Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday said Seoul wants to be good friends with its neighbor Japan, but wants Tokyo to compensate for its wartime past and to stop glorifying its wrong doings.

[cephiro]

well that is a big problem
i think they should stop glorifying their wrong doings, but i can't imagine how japan could compensate for the past
there were too many countrys involved and if japan compensates for its past, dunno how, it has to compensate for other countrys as well, because during 1910 and 1945 japan wasn't only in korea

[testype01]

That's kind of hard now that there's a new wave of nationalism and militarism in Japan because of the new president. Somehow Shinzo Abe reminds me of Bush and that can't be good.

[kaminokami2086]

Yes because symbolically shoving knives into the traitor's skulls really show your point that you want to be peaceful neighbors.  Now don't think I agree with Japan falsefying history, but there's something about peaceful demonstrations that shows more good will than the protest the Koreans did.

[jkto]

but isnt it about time that korea and china stop blaming for its wartime past? it's been way too long... i knw i knw i havent lived in those days but still most of this generation does not knw about it anymore... the protest happening today are jus govt propaganda... besides japan has given back soo much to compensate for its past... it paid large sums of money to countries it has oppressed... it publicly apologized to the world back in 1990 something... + they are the ones who are giving the most donations to the UN... now isnt that too much already?

[jkto]

its ironic though... china and korea keeps on holding these rallies against japan and boycotting their goods, and yet everyday you see these same people using japanese items....

[Reniafan]

Humm, Korea is being unreasonable about the situation... the Korean war was the past, and most of the poeple in Japan did not fight in the war, so korea is trying to make people that did not fight say sorry for what they did not do... and why did they bring this subject up all of a sudden? the past is the past, we need the focus on the feature.

[jkto]

their getting angry at someone else for something already in the apologized for before... besides shouldn't they get angry at the ones who divided their country instead?

[jaasai]

The way I see it is until the Japanese government fully owns up to their soldiers past wrongdoings and stop omitting the history from their textbooks, I really have little sympathy if they’re find themselves being pressed by China, Korea, and apparently the US.
I'm more shocked that some people are suggesting that the past should be forgiven or forgotten so easily when you have so many young Japanese kids out there still wondering why the Chinese and the Korean hate their guts so much.

but isnt it about time that korea and china stop blaming for its wartime past? it's been way too long... i knw i knw i havent lived in those days but still most of this generation does not knw about it anymore... the protest happening today are jus govt propaganda... besides japan has given back soo much to compensate for its past... it paid large sums of money to countries it has oppressed... it publicly apologized to the world back in 1990 something... + they are the ones who are giving the most donations to the UN... now isnt that too much already?

Believe me, they know. There are more then enough nationalists in each respective country out there to make sure of it. And also, it’s not long enough when it comes to your people being massacred, raped and murdered.
And what does the UN donation have anything to do with what the Japanese Soldiers did in the past. Does donating money to the UN suddenly absolve you of rape and murder, and subsequent denial? If the Japanese were truly sorry, why aren’t they compensating the oppressed victims instead and why are they still hiding the truth from the Japanese people?

I don't really think Japan is "glorifying its past" as much as it just kinda wants to let it be a thing of the past. I mean, they're doing pretty much the same thing that Germany's trying to do, you don't see the Europeans constantly talking about the Holocaust, but there's something about asian people and them not being able to forget the past, that keeps bringing this up. I mean truthfully, if you go to China or Korea, alot of the older citizens in these two countries really dislike the Japanese and anything that has to do with Japan, and not the actual nationalists that ruled Japan at that time, but again if you look like to Europeans, I would be surprised if a good portion of the populations in these countries still hates Germans to do this day because of their history. So really, I don't think anything is wrong with what Japan is doing.

Actually no, comparing the Japanese with the Germans is being too nice. The German actually admitted their past wrongdoing and openly condemn the Nazi and the whole neo nazi crap. The Japanese government is still covering up their history and some are even shamelessly glorifying the same people who were doing the murdering and the raping.

As for the Japanese just wanting to let the past remain in the past, that’s exactly the problem that I and I’m pretty sure many others have with the whole thing. Why should they be allowed to so easily modify the history to their liking and let their wrong doings slide? How would you feel if the Germans started glorify Hitler and modifying their history books with “Hitler was a hero”?
The reason you don’t hear as many Europeans bringing up the Holocaust is because Germany has made it clear that they are sorry for what the Nazis did and made sure everyone knew about their past wrong doings. Not something the Japanese can say.

I do agree with you though that some of the Chinese (can’t speak for the Koreans) are being serious asses about the whole problem. Rather then sticking to the main issue, they’re condemning anything and anyone that even relates to the Japanese and the culture. I actually got into numerous arguments about the same issue and it ended with me being threaten of my life. (Good luck assholes) But then again, I can’t really blame them when the Japanese are fueling their anger with their denials.

Humm, Korea is being unreasonable about the situation... the Korean war was the past, and most of the poeple in Japan did not fight in the war, so korea is trying to make people that did not fight say sorry for what they did not do... and why did they bring this subject up all of a sudden? the past is the past, we need the focus on the feature.

I don’t think they’re asking the Japanese people individually to apologize for what happened but rather more a call to raise awareness to their people. "It’s through history that we learn to rectify our wrong doings and to ensure history never repeats." (Some clumped up quote I remember hearing) The Japanese are the ones being unreasonable.

[ytl]

The way I see it is until the Japanese government fully owns up to their soldiers past wrongdoings and stop omitting the history from their textbooks, I really have little sympathy if they’re find themselves being pressed by China, Korea, and apparently the US.
I'm more shocked that some people are suggesting that the past should be forgiven or forgotten so easily when you have so many young Japanese kids out there still wondering why the Chinese and the Korean hate their guts so much.


Believe me, they know. There are more then enough nationalists in each respective country out there to make sure of it. And also, it’s not long enough when it comes to your people being massacred, raped and murdered.
And what does the UN donation have anything to do with what the Japanese Soldiers did in the past. Does donating money to the UN suddenly absolve you of rape and murder, and subsequent denial? If the Japanese were truly sorry, why aren’t they compensating the oppressed victims instead and why are they still hiding the truth from the Japanese people?


Actually no, comparing the Japanese with the Germans is being too nice. The German actually admitted their past wrongdoing and openly condemn the Nazi and the whole neo nazi crap. The Japanese government is still covering up their history and some are even shamelessly glorifying the same people who were doing the murdering and the raping.

As for the Japanese just wanting to let the past remain in the past, that’s exactly the problem that I and I’m pretty sure many others have with the whole thing. Why should they be allowed to so easily modify the history to their liking and let their wrong doings slide? How would you feel if the Germans started glorify Hitler and modifying their history books with “Hitler was a hero”?
The reason you don’t hear as many Europeans bringing up the Holocaust is because Germany has made it clear that they are sorry for what the Nazis did and made sure everyone knew about their past wrong doings. Not something the Japanese can say.

I do agree with you though that some of the Chinese (can’t speak for the Koreans) are being serious asses about the whole problem. Rather then sticking to the main issue, they’re condemning anything and anyone that even relates to the Japanese and the culture. I actually got into numerous arguments about the same issue and it ended with me being threaten of my life. (Good luck assholes) But then again, I can’t really blame them when the Japanese are fueling their anger with their denials.


I don’t think they’re asking the Japanese people individually to apologize for what happened but rather more a call to raise awareness to their people. "It’s through history that we learn to rectify our wrong doings and to ensure history never repeats." (Some clumped up quote I remember hearing) The Japanese are the ones being unreasonable.

Nice post, couldn't have said it better myself.  The problem is Japan has the good image now thanks to US and their other "cool" hip cultural products.  Most ppl (unfortunately in this case, the majority) who didn't know better just blindly attack the others who have a different view.

[Loopy]

This is ridiculous.  Japan needs to confess their crimes already and stop brainwashing its people as well as do something to help the people they've hurt in the past.  Oh wait, they won't because of how isolationist and xenophobic they are, after all the enemy is just a bunch of gaijins anyway.

[Guchi_Jnr]

Doesn't really matter if Japan apologizes again, or forks out even more money, cause as long as Japan is wealthy and the people here are living the good life, those countries are just going to keep bitching all the same.

Hell, perhaps Japan should throw some soccer games and let China win some next time.  I know that sounds a little off-topic, but shit, China threw a pissyfit when they lost against Japan awhile back, and it's because of the war that finished 60odd fuckin' years ago. GET OVER IT!!

[ytl]

Doesn't really matter if Japan apologizes again, or forks out even more money, cause as long as Japan is wealthy and the people here are living the good life, those countries are just going to keep bitching all the same.

Hell, perhaps Japan should throw some soccer games and let China win some next time.  I know that sounds a little off-topic, but shit, China threw a pissyfit when they lost against Japan awhile back, and it's because of the war that finished 60odd fuckin' years ago. GET OVER IT!!

Yeah Yeah Yeah, we get it, everyone just hate Japan, did you notice Japan still has tons of controversies going on not just only with China but all its neighbours?  Have you look at the map?  Know where are those islands located?  It's like Canadian gov't claiming Hawaii should be part of Canada.  There are also historic evidences to show that those islands do not belong to Japan too.  

What money they have repaid?  Japan just donated ODA to multilateral agencies such as the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and the World Bank, as well as through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to help not only China but also 184 other nations too.  The most direct help from Japan is long term loans.  Think of this as an investment, Japan got benefit from China too for export and in other area.

From Wiki:

Reparation of War

During the Chinese modern history, one of many factors contributing to the Qing government fall into bankruptcy was payment of war reparations. Despite the weakness of the Qing dynasty, the Chinese constantly paid huge amounts of silver to western powers including Japan. It indicates how much the Qing government as the “loser” paid to reparation of wars to the “winner.” Japan had been one of the recipients of compensation after the wars, such as Sino-Japan Amity Treaty, Treaty of Shimonoseki, Treaty of 1901, and Liaodong Returned Treaty.

After the Sino-Japanese War in 1894-95, according to the Chinese scholar, Jin Xide, the Qing government as the “loser” paid a total of 340,000,000 taels silver to Japan as the “winner” for both the reparations of war and war trophies, equivalent to (then) 510,000,000 Japanese yen, about 6.4 times the Japanese government revenue. Similarly, the Japanese scholar, Ryoko Iechika, calculated that the Qing government paid total $21,000,000 (about one third of revenue of the Qing government) in war reparations to Japan, or about 320,000,000 Japanese yen, equivalent to (then) two and half years of Japanese government revenue. Among the payments of the Qing government, 38.2 percent was used to expand the Naval Force, 21.6 percent allocated by Ad Hoc military forces expenses, 15.6 percent paid to expand of the Army Force, and 8.2 percent billed for the subsidy to the Naval battle ships, were spent by the Japanese government. However, Japan as the “loser” in the WWII did not pay a penny to China as the “winner.”

On 3 September 1995, Jiang Zemin, the core-leader of the 3rd generation of the CCP, states, “China suffered economy loses directly about $100,000,000,000 and about $500,000,000,000 indirectly by the Japanese military invasion" (Iechika 2003, p. 18). Given these facts, when Japan normalized relations with Taiwan, Jiang Jieshi (or Chiang Kai-shek) waived reparations for the Second World War. Similarly, when Japan normalized relations with mainland China in 1972, Mao Zedong waived Japan’s reparations for WWII (see Article 5 of Sino-Japanese Joint Statement in 1972). According a Japanese Sinologist calculation Japan would have to pay 52 trillion yen (note: Today's Japanese annual budget (2006 data) is about 80 trillion yen (about 40 trillion yen tax revenue + 40 trillion yen "red" national debts), with Japan’s GDP about 9.4 trillion yen in 1971. However, when the Qing dynasty lost the war in 1894-95 and Boxer Rebellion in 1900, According to Yabuki Susumu, China paid a total 289,540,000 taels (1 tael = 38 grams or 1 ⅓ ounces) of silver to Japan, despite the weak economy of the Qing dynasty. Even though Japan had great economic power in 1972 (GNP $300 billion), Japan did not pay any money to China for the war. War reparations are a constant thorn aggravating Sino-Japanese relations today.

How old are you?  Using some wrong information and then bring in personal attack with a football match.  You just brought yourself down to the level of those illiterate hooligans.  Nice argument there.  I wonder the reason why you don't see anything wrong might because it was none of your freaking business?  I wonder what would you feel if the victims were your grandparents or your relatives, OR MAYBE they volunteered for the service 60 yrs ago so everything is ok?

In before "Wiki is biased, non-factual and full of propaganda."

[jkto]

the problem is its not only japan hu is doing it, other countries do it too, look at china, i can personally say mao ze dong was the worst thing that ever came to china... his policies are down ryt failures and u dun see it in history buks in china... i mean other countries do it too... but in the end we jus have to move forward... we really dun have a choice... people should not  jus keep on blaming others and instead work with them to keep bad things like that from happening again...

[Guchi_Jnr]

I wonder the reason why you don't see anything wrong might because it was none of your freaking business?

And exactly whose business is it?? Ah, that's right, the people who were around at the time. Of course, most of them are now dead or damn close to it due to old age.. But yeah, what the hell...let's just have generations later pay the cost for things that happened many years before they were even born..

sidenote: I'm in Japan, my wife is Japanese, all my in-laws are Japanese, and for my wife's sake, any kids we have better be half Japanese, so yeah, this IS also my business.

[ytl]

And exactly whose business is it?? Ah, that's right, the people who were around at the time. Of course, most of them are now dead or damn close to it due to old age.. But yeah, what the hell...let's just have generations later pay the cost for things that happened many years before they were even born..

sidenote: I'm in Japan, my wife is Japanese, all my in-laws are Japanese, and for my wife's sake, any kids we have better be half Japanese, so yeah, this IS also my business.

This is exactly what we all disagree with you and the Japanese gov't view, just drag the whole issue out and wait till everyone who knows about it die away.  Then they can just claim nothing happened just like how they revised their history textbooks.  And no, you wish it is your business but it's not, and thank you for telling me more about you and now I see where and why you get all these point of view from.  That simply tells me I have no chance to make you understand those victim's point of view.

[thatguy]

lol, flame. i think everyone needs to take a step back and chill for a bit.

the issue is that war veterans in japan are enshrined rather than memorialized (at yasukuni jinja). the difference is that rather than simply remembering them, they're elevated to a near-godly status.

sure it's a problem, but you'd be a fool if you believe that every japanese thought the same way about those war veterans. the people who support yasukuni jinja are actually only a small minority of the population (primarily direct families). there are people who have led perfectly fine lives and have perfectly normal families that have nothing to do with the wars, and don't see a reason why they have to change their lives in order to appease foreigners.

the real issue isn't one of ignorance, but of indifference. it's not that japanese choose to believe that their war-time crimes were "right" and that they have no duty to repay victimized countries. instead, it's that a sweeping number of people just don't know the facts about the war.

in this way, responsibility lies with the government. but japan has a long history of government intertwined with religion. for the government to disavow yasukuni jinja would be for them to call into question every other shrine that deifies an important figure to japanese history, and indeed the formation and identity of japan itself.

the correct answer is to properly educate the japanese population on the correct facts about the war, and then to use the educated polity to structure proper reparations. unfortunately, education happens to be the slowest answer, and many of the surviving victims of war-crimes are nearing the end of their lives, and demand to see reparations within their lifetime.

[Kei]

the real issue isn't one of ignorance, but of indifference. it's not that japanese choose to believe that their war-time crimes were "right" and that they have no duty to repay victimized countries. instead, it's that a sweeping number of people just don't know the facts about the war.

Well yeah. Apparently the war museum in Tokyo says that the Americans forced the Japanese into WWII.

Also, you might want to rephrase that bit because you're describing ignorance, not indifference (the opposite of what you said in the first part).

[thatguy]

my english has been getting worse and worse, so apologies. i meant that japanese don't choose to be ignorant, they just aren't given the facts, so in that regard they are more indifferent, even if it comes off as being ignorant.

anyway, the japanese perspective isn't an entirely improbable one. in the eyes of the japanese leaders of the time, the west attacked the east (imperialism, colonization, etc). so in order for japan to ensure its survival in the world, they saw it fit to adopt western policies of imperialism/colonization. it's a sweeping generalization, but nevertheless a legitimate perspective (whether or not its justified is a different matter).

[jkto]

in agreement to thatguy, western people also did it its just that japan did it at a time when the world was at war... most europeans did a lot of horrible things back in the 15th-early 20th century (even more horrible than what japan did i.e. african slaves, genocide of Native Americans) that still reflect in the world today... but these things werent viewed as such because the written accounts are biased towards Europeans... my point is, y only focus on japan when there are countries that did far worse damage to humanity... furthermore, people should just move on from World War 2... there's a difference between remembering it and living it... keeping on blaming someone that happened way back will only bring about more animosity and can eventually lead to more wars in the future... haha but this is all IMO so no offense to people that may have been offended...