The Korea Herald
(Korea's number one English newspaper)
2005.04.19
Now is the time when close cooperation is needed for the three
powers of Northeast Asia - China, Japan and South Korea - to
achieve regional security and economic co-prosperity. So it is most
regrettable the three countries are embroiled in a triangular
dispute largely over their different sensitivities about past
history. The largely psychological conflicts threaten to undermine
economic ties among the three, and shake the structure of security
cooperation such as the current multilateral process to resolve the
North Korean nuclear standoff.
The scars of recent history are deep and still hurt, more so
because the three have maintained close contacts from ancient times
and share cultural affinity to a certain extent, separate from
other parts of Asia.
The Nanjing massacre of 1937, for example, is the Japanese version
of the Holocaust, done mostly by swords and bayonets instead of
toxic gas, in a couple of days rather than years. But the Japanese
Education-Science Ministry approved some "textbooks" lying about
the "incident" and other atrocities.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura met Chinese
counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Beijing on Sunday to lodge a protest
over anti-Japanese rallies in Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenchen and
other locations over the last few weeks. Tokyo suspects official
connivance and even direct instigation and sought Beijing's
apology, but Li instantly rebuffed the demand and denounced Japan
for causing pain to the Chinese.
Officials and academic researchers in Seoul and Beijing generally
agree things have turned worse in the historical controversies
involving the three Northeast Asian nations since Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi took office three years ago. With his regular
visits to the Yasukuni Shrine where the Japanese war dead,
including convicted war criminals, are honored, he stimulated the
Japanese national ego and drove Japan to try to emerge as a global
leader beyond merely being an economic power.
As the dispute flares, international observers tend to interpret it
developing from a latent contest for regional hegemony between
China and Japan who both have found themselves in elevated economic
and political status in the international community in the 21st
century. Some Western media commentators, unable to see the true
nature of the problem, support Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat on
the U.N. Security Council, pointing to China's egotism to keep its
prestige as the only Asian permanent member.
We now have to urge the Japanese government and intellectual
society to have deep thoughts over how to exhibit remorse for past
sins before asking for a position of influence in the global
society and how the next generation should be taught about past
history to make them responsible citizens.
Korea and China should continue to appeal to the conscience of the
world for a rightful judgment of Japan, while they should avoid
creating international public opinion that the former victims are
overly obsessed with the past.
Japan's application for UNSC permanent membership is an opportunity
to have world public opinion assess the past and present of Japan,
as well as recognize how justified we are to condemn the
shamelessness of this neighbor.