Events associated with "Korea-Japan Friendship Year 2005" have begun. Korea's official opening ceremony was held Tuesday in Tokyo, and on Thursday the opening ceremony organized by Japan will be held in Seoul. More than 180 cultural, sports, and academic events are scheduled for the year ahead. That is fitting for the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Geographically, Japan is a country that is very close. The entire country exists within the sphere of a day's travel, since you can go anywhere within a couple of hours. Indeed, more than 10,000 people go between the two countries every day. Japan is the third greatest importer of Korean products and the greatest source of imports. They are quickly growing closer culturally, thanks in part to the World Cup 2002.
2005 is also the 100th anniversary of the Ulsa Protective Treaty, with which Japan pillaged our sovereignty, and the 60th anniversary of Liberation. The amount of time Japan occupied the Korean peninsula and the time since diplomatic relations were established are the same. It has only been 10 years since Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama officially apologized for Japan's colonialism.
Furthermore, the Japanese government and right wing groups have never ceased to use harmful remarks, textbooks that distort history, paying homage at the Yasukuni Shrine as means to rationalize colonial control over Korea. One worries about Japan's move to increase its ability to send the Self Defense Forces overseas and revise its constitution, and about an openly hostile North Korea policy. Each country is closer economically and culturally, but politically and diplomatically the relationship is still abnormal. The single greatest reason for that is Japan's refusal to issue a true apology and reparations. The documents relating to the Korea-Japan treaty of 1965, recently released by the Korean government, make that apparent.
It would never be too late for Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi to get actively involved in resolving the issues of the past. Instead of obstinately insisting the treaty resolved the issue of reparations, he should put the fate of his government on the line and persuade the political elements in his country that oppose such action. Doing so would also be a way to lessen the concerns of Japan's neighbors about its rearmament, and would fit well with the year's theme, "Let's Advance to the Future, Together to the World."
The Hankyoreh, 26 January 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Developing 'Korea-Japan Friendship Year' |
