Japan’s history distortion hampers bilateral ties

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2011/08/180_71846.html

This is the first in a five-part series exploring how best to realize an East Asian community of reconciliation and communication in the 21st century. ― ED By Lee Tae-hoon Tokyo’s reluctance to acknowledge the invalidity of the Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty in 1910 remains a major stumbling block for the co-prosperity of the two neighboring countries and more largely, for the East Asian community, according to a researcher at the Northeast Asian History Foundation. Next Sunday marks the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea, but the perception of the bitter historical event remains greatly divided between Koreans and Japanese. Japan has repeatedly apologized for colonizing Korea and the suffering inflicted upon Koreans, but it stills maintains that the treaty was legitimate. “The world is fast moving toward becoming an integrated community, but why do Seoul and Tokyo remain poles apart even on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA)?” Doh See-hwan, a research fellow at the state-run think tank in Seoul, asked in an interview with The Korea Times last week. He noted that vestiges of Japan’s imperialism and aggression continue to erode the foundation of the bilateral FTA and other regional cooperative frameworks. Doh said the two countries need to work together to contribute to peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia through mutual understanding and cooperation in the 21st century and for this, they should first overcome the painful legacy of the 20th century. A joint survey by Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo daily and Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun on July 30 and Aug. 1 found that the majority of people in both countries believe Seoul and Tokyo should forge a FTA, but they starkly differ on their views of the annexation. It shows 66 percent of Koreans and 65 percent of Japanese support the FTA. As to the annexation, 78.9 percent of Koreans answered it was unjust, while only 20 percent of Japanese replied it was wrong. Japan’s insincerity He noted that the Korean government was caught off guard in 2005, when it was determined to renew the bilateral ties for marking the 60th anniversary of its liberation from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. The government expressed its desire to build fresh momentum in bilateral relations in 2005 as it also marked the 40th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties with Japan. “The government believed the time was ripe in 2005 for Korea to be lenient on historical issues over Japan after successfully co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup,” Doh said. “However, in return for such friendly gestures, Japan declared that Dokdo, an inseparable part of Korean territory and life, as their own, designating Feb. 22nd as Takeshima Day.” Japan calls Dokdo “Takeshima,” which can be translated into “bamboo island,” in claiming sovereignty over the islets in the East Sea. No single bamboo tree, however, exists on Dokdo. “Many Japanese insist that it is time to leave history behind and turn to the future, while overlooking Korea’s deep-rooted distrust on Japan,” Doh said. Doh said the incident gave a lesson to Koreans. “It struck us hard,” he said. “We came to the realization that Japan’s distortion of history will eventually lead to a violation of Korea’s territorial sovereignty.” Root of conflict Doh argues that Japan's coerced annexation of Korea in 1910 is the root cause of the conflict over history, as Japan insists that the treaty was legal and adhered to the due process required by international law. He said such a denial provides a good excuse for Tokyo to dodge blame for the atrocities it caused, including forcibly sending Young Korean males to battlefields and making teenage girls work as sex slaves. “Tokyo’s refusal to admit the legal invalidity of the annexation reflects on Japan's attitude toward international human rights conventions,” Doh said. However, a growing number of scholars are raising their voices against Japan’s claims. Early this month, Lee Tae-jin, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, unveiled documents that show the century-old annexation pact was void because Korea’s proclamation of the treaty lacked the nation’s state seal. The documents revealed that the original copy of the Korean proclamation contained only King Sunjong’s private seal, which was used solely for administrative approval. The Korean edict lacked his signature and the required state seal. In contrast, the Japanese edict of the treaty had Japan’s state seal and the signature of Emperor Meiji, who signed it with his personal name Mutsuhito. The discrepancies in the format of the two royal documents counter Japan’s assertion that the annexation took effect legally with the approval of King Sunjong. “Treaties without the delegation of full authority or ratification were considered null and void a century ago,” Doh said. Calls to rectify history On May 10, 109 Korean and 105 Japanese intellectuals held press conferences in Seoul and Tokyo, respectively, to pronounce the invalidity of the annexation treaty. "Japan's annexation of Korea was an imperialistic and illicit act using military power to overcome protests from Koreans," they wrote in a joint statement. "The preamble and body of the treaty are all lies and there are serious flaws in its process and form. As the process of amalgamation is unjust, the annexation treaty is wrong." On July 28, 1,118 intellectuals _ 587 Koreans and 531 Japanese _ issued a joint statement, demanding Tokyo's admission that the Japan-Korea annexation treaty was void because it was flawed and illegal. Doh said Japan should recognize that its denial of disgraced history is tantamount to a negation of justice and a refusal of peace. “The Tokyo government ought to resolve the history conflict by respecting the universal values of justice and conscience,” he said. “Only after that can Japan truly become a peace-loving member of the international community.” Remaining challenges Doh said Japan must overcome the legacies of its imperialism and territorial disputes with its neighboring countries in order to help the region unite and work as partners. “Despite similarities in culture and geographical proximity, numerous Asia countries still hold bad feelings against Japan because of its past wrongdoings such as the mobilization of some 200,000 females throughout Asia, including Dutch women who had lived in Indonesia, as comfort women,” Doh said. He also noted that Japan is also currently having disputes about islands with China and Russia. Japan claims the Senkaku Islands, known in Chinese as the Diaoyu Islands, as its territory, saying that they were protected under the Japan-U.S. security treaty. Japan is also in dispute with Russia over sovereignty over the South Kuril Islands. The Northeast Asian History Foundation of Korea will host an international symposium under the theme of “Japan's Forced Annexation of Korea in 1910, Its History and Tasks,” from Tuesday through Thursday in Seoul.

leeth@koreatimes.co.kr