June 22, 2015
Akahata editorial (excerpt)
Fifty years ago today, by concluding the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, Japan normalized diplomatic ties with its nearest neighbor. The two nations are now having difficulties. They cannot even hold a summit meeting due to deteriorated relations. However, looking back on the past five decades, they have greatly developed their relationship. In this anniversary year, to step up efforts to build true friendship between the two countries is a must.
The Tokyo-Seoul relationship witnessed historical changes in the late 1980s. People in South Korea brought down the military regime and established a democratic government. The country was admitted to the United Nations in 1991 along with North Korea. Following these changes, people in Japan and South Korea started various campaigns to have the Japanese government bear responsibility for and reflect on its past aggressive war and colonial rule over Asian nations. For example, South Korean women came forward to claim that they were victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery in the so-called “comfort women” system. These moves put pressure on the Japanese government to take action: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono Yohei in 1993 issued a statement which admits to Japanese military’s involvement in the comfort women system and Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi in the statement he published in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII expressed his remorse and apology for the damage caused by Japan’s past aggression.
In 1998, Japanese Prime Minister Obuchi Keizo and South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung signed a joint declaration titled, “A New Japan-Republic of Korea Partnership towards the Twenty-first Century”. In the declaration, PM Obuchi regarded in a spirit of humility the fact of history that Japan caused, during a certain period in the past, tremendous damage and suffering to the people of the Republic of Korea through its colonial rule, and expressed his deep remorse and heartfelt apology for this fact.
If Japan wants to break away from the diplomatic stalemate, it should follow in the spirit of the declaration, act in accordance with it, and disallow any moves that justify Japan’s past war of aggression. In particular, the problem of the comfort women needs an early settlement as the victims are dying out.
In order to resolve various problems in bilateral relations, which include a territorial dispute, Japan should take a sincere stance toward wartime history issues. Only by doing so, can each side form a basis for calm communication and pave the way for the settlement of the pending problems.
Fifty years ago today, by concluding the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, Japan normalized diplomatic ties with its nearest neighbor. The two nations are now having difficulties. They cannot even hold a summit meeting due to deteriorated relations. However, looking back on the past five decades, they have greatly developed their relationship. In this anniversary year, to step up efforts to build true friendship between the two countries is a must.
The Tokyo-Seoul relationship witnessed historical changes in the late 1980s. People in South Korea brought down the military regime and established a democratic government. The country was admitted to the United Nations in 1991 along with North Korea. Following these changes, people in Japan and South Korea started various campaigns to have the Japanese government bear responsibility for and reflect on its past aggressive war and colonial rule over Asian nations. For example, South Korean women came forward to claim that they were victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery in the so-called “comfort women” system. These moves put pressure on the Japanese government to take action: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono Yohei in 1993 issued a statement which admits to Japanese military’s involvement in the comfort women system and Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi in the statement he published in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII expressed his remorse and apology for the damage caused by Japan’s past aggression.
In 1998, Japanese Prime Minister Obuchi Keizo and South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung signed a joint declaration titled, “A New Japan-Republic of Korea Partnership towards the Twenty-first Century”. In the declaration, PM Obuchi regarded in a spirit of humility the fact of history that Japan caused, during a certain period in the past, tremendous damage and suffering to the people of the Republic of Korea through its colonial rule, and expressed his deep remorse and heartfelt apology for this fact.
If Japan wants to break away from the diplomatic stalemate, it should follow in the spirit of the declaration, act in accordance with it, and disallow any moves that justify Japan’s past war of aggression. In particular, the problem of the comfort women needs an early settlement as the victims are dying out.
In order to resolve various problems in bilateral relations, which include a territorial dispute, Japan should take a sincere stance toward wartime history issues. Only by doing so, can each side form a basis for calm communication and pave the way for the settlement of the pending problems.
