Japan and Other Asian Countries, Sep. 11th (2)

     Historically speaking, what's the distinct difference between Japan and other Asian countries? There might be many ways of thinking, but I think of whether the nation had been ruled by superpowers or not. Thailand is also a country that has no history of being governed by another country, but this nation was just allowed to exist as a buffer between the British and French colonies.
     Japan had enjoyed a striking level of prosperity in the Edo era (1603-1867). Japan developed its own culture. People lived in an unbelievably safe society. The development of modern society had never been obstructed in spite of repeated disasters like famines, earthquakes, plagues and volcanic eruptions. In this era, people acquired high level of morality and literacy.
     In 1868 the tycoon, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, peacefully returned his political power to the Emperor. Do you know any other peaceful revolution in the world? The capital city, Edo, remained intact during this revolution, which was the restoration of Imperial power. It was really lucky for the development of Japan. Japan started building their national military system at that time against overwhelming superpowers, which were filled with ambition to occupy and rule Japan. Finally, Japan got to beat Qing (China) 30 years later and defeated Russia 10 years after the victory against Qing.
     Eventually, Japan acquired two colonies, Taiwan and Korea. Japan committed a huge amount of capital to the project that would make them develop to the same level as Japan. Japan's policy on the colonies was to raise the level of their civilizations while that of the superpowers was just to exploit them. In 1945, the school enrollment rate of Taiwan was 95%. They had been ruled by Japan for 50 years, whereas in Indonesia, which had been dominated for 300 years by Holland, the literacy rate was only 2%. Japan had encouraged the people in Taiwan and Korea to learn. The highest level of education was equally given to anyone, no matter where he or she came from.
     Japan was forced to wage wars against the U.S. and started the Greater East Asian War to eliminate the superpowers from Asian countries. Japan lost the war, but the initial purpose was fulfiled.
     Getting back to the last entry, a few days after the 9.11 terror attack, the then U.S. President Bush declared war against the terrorist groups and its sponsors, implying that the mastermind was the al-Qaeda network. He compared the terror attack to Japan's raid on Pearl Harbour. He continued, "We can give freedom to Islamic nations. We did it to Japan half a century ago." He thought that the Japanese people were the same as the people who had been educated only to read and memorize the Koran. This eposode tells us that his mentality is terrible and horrible. He should have learnt world history more seriously.

(Vocabulary)
enjoy a striking level of prosperity  特筆すべき繁栄を謳歌する
literacy 読み書き(能力), 識字
literacy rate  識字率
be filled with ambition 野望に燃えている
Qing  清
exploit (けなして) (人・労働力など)を私的目的に利用する, 食いものにする, 搾取する
(school) enrollment ratio [rate] / percentage of school attendance  就学率
fulfill (夢・目的など) を実現する, 果たす
mastermind  首謀者
al-Qaeda network  アルカイーダ
Koran  コーラン

Comments

[KUMO]

Again and again, I advised you to read this website.
http://www.sdh-fact.com/

You don't believe it, but unit 731 is also one of propagandas.

Did you read just one of the articles on the website?

I'm sorry that I think Edwin Hoyt is completely different from Helen Mears. If you don't change your way of thinking after reading above, I don't want to waste my time.

Japan didn't fight Chinese Communists. If you think it's wrong, you are not qualified to exchange opinions with me.

Bye! I'm sorry I wasted my precious time, but thank you. I knew how seriously the Chinese Communists' propaganda prevail in the U.S. Work hard to know Japan and Japanese!

[David]

The international historical consensus is what is generally accepted by the vast majority of historians.

I don't think this is propaganda because historians are 'peer reviewed'. And at least today, in most countries, the historical debate is free and continuous.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_review

And yes I do believe a massacre occured at Nanjing in 1937. Do I believe 100% the testimony of the Communist Chinese Government? No. But I can read many historical sources and come up with my own opinions about what happened. I also believe that massacres were commited by the Japanese military in other areas of China, Indochina, the Philippines, Indonesia, Maylasia, Burma, New Singapore.

Would you also like to discuss the treatment of prisoners of war?

Or medical experimentation on live prisoners?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

I haven't read the book Mirror for Americans but I have read a similar book called “Japan’s War” by Edwin Hoyt. This book is highly researched and certainly not propanganda. Much blame for the war is placed on the European powers in this book. I think it is a better book than Mirror because it was written after more information was available to historians. I don't know if there is a Japanese version.

I've also read “Hirohito and the making of Modern Japan” by Herbert Bix which is also very highly researched. The Japanese title is 昭和天皇.

[KUMO]

Wow, long sentence!

I'm swamped and can't answer all the question, but What is "the international historical consensus"? Isn't this a propaganda?

Gyeongbokgung wasn't the Palace in 1910s. Changdeokgung was the Palace. There is no evidence that Japan destroyed Gyeongbokgung without asking as far as I know. Do you have a reliable evidence? I visited both historical sites this March. http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/03/changdeokgung-4.html The guide didn't say so. Japan didn't look down on the Korean Emperor. Do you know "梨本宮方子" Nashinomotonomiya masako. If you know about her, you'll realize the Japan's attitude toward Korea those days.

Japan didn't want to wage wars against China, Korea and the U.S. You are totally brainwashed. I hope you know the fact. Stahlin, Mao Zedong and Franklin Delano Roosevelt did want. It's our fault not to have insisted our own opinion in English until now, but we started to do it. The international historical consensus that you are saying will be modified in a not so long future. Do you believe the massacre of Nanking? It is perfectly denied in Japan scientifically and academically. Are you from Stanford? where the statue of Iris Chan stands.

I hope you'll read this book. It's written in English. Douglas MacArthur prohibited Japanese people from reading this book.You'll see the light with it.
Mirror for Americans: Japan
Besides, you'd better check Comintern, Hull note.

That's all. Open your eyes and think of everything with an open heart. Who do you think is the worst villain in the World War Two? Hitler? No! Stahlin? Maybe not. It's Harry Truman! If you don't think so, you should learn droit des gens （international law).
And one more, the reason of Jeju Uprising wasn't such an easy origin.(girn) If you can read Japanese, there's a good book written in Japanese by a Korean author. "火山島 volcano island" It's great seven-volumes books by a great Korean author who was born in Jeju..

[David]

Thank you for your detailed response.

I'm afraid we don't even share the same basic understanding of history. I found the link to the SDH society to be very interesting. But it is also disturbing to me because they seem like zealots and every single point and paper they publish takes the exact opposite stand of the international historical consensus which is disgarded as lies spread by communists.

1. Japan did introduce universal education to Korea. In the early years of the occupation Korean was used in schools but as Japan grew more militant and aggressive towards the 1930s and out of a desire to make Korea part of Japan the use of the Korean language was banned in school, business, and other public places. This is nothing sort of an attempt to wipe out Korean culture. This is not to say that other countries did not do this.

2. The tributatry nations of China are considered independant nations by historians. And they did wage war many times against the Chinese, Mongols, and Japanese.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tributary_state
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Korea

3.
Japan invaded Korea in 1894. Fighting a war over the nature of the government of Korea. Chinese wanted their man to rule and the Japanese wanted their man. No one really seemed to care what the Koreans wanted. It was just one Asian superpower swapping a country between them. Similar to the Cold War. Next Russia would try to control Korea then after Korea was finally independent after WWII the Russians split the country. Very sad history.

Also Japan annexed Korea 9 years before the League of Nations was created. In fact, the speech President Wilson gave to introduce the League of Nations in 1919 caused the people of Korea to demand their independence from Japan and thousands of people were killed by the Japanese Army as a response.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1st_Movement

4. Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt in 1867 and the majority of the buildings were destroyed and replaced by a massive Japanese colonial government building. It was seen as a sign of humiliation and an attempt to erase the history of Korean roality.

5. The population and health of the population increased with the modernization of Korea. This is irrelevant to the explotiation that occured. If there was no explotiation and Koreans were treated equally with Japanese how did a tiny minority of Japanese people control 53% of ALL LAND and property in Korea?

There are also many examples of colonial situations around the world where the living standards of native people were raised even though they were exploiated. South Africa and India are two major examples that come to mind.

The point I am trying to make is that I do not believe that increasing the living standards of an occupied people excuses the explotiative nature of the entire colony.

I do know the 2.28 incident. Like I said before, Taiwan is not Korea and was not treated the same way.

I also know a little about theJeju Uprising. Do you know that it was started when police shot protestors who were celebrating the END OF JAPANESE RULE?

But I see the point you are trying to make. Yes the result of Japan losing WWII and leaving Korea resulted in the split of the country and the war that followed. But if Japan never annexed Korea and allowed them to remain independent or simply stayed in Korea and never continued to wage war on China then WWII probably would not have happened in Asia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

[KUMO]

I'm absolutely delighted for you to have the interest about the relationship between Japan, Korea and Taiwan. I don't have the distinct evidence now, but I'll answer your question as far as I can now. I don't have good books written in English. If you try, I can introduce many prestigeous books written in Japanese.

No.1
I don't remember the exact year (maybe early 1900s), but Japan forced Korean to learn their own language. The literacy rate at that time was very low. Your understanding is quite the contrary. There were no schools for ordinary people.

No.2
The Korean kids are being given distorted knowledge about their history. They believe that Korea was built long ago. No! Korea got independent in 1895. They had sent many gifts and young women (as comfort women) to China because Korea was only a slave country of China until then. They had never waged wars againt any countries and never won. The education in Korea is like this. http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/09/anti-japanese-p.html If I were the Korean president, I would be sure to hide the historical facts and never show it to Korean children. http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/11/korean-letter-3.html

No.3
Yes. Japan's policies on colonies are completely different from that of superpowers. Japan never invaded into Korea. Japan was permitted to absorb Korea internationaly, I mean, in League of Nations. Some nations wanted Japan to do it in order to settle many problems down. Many Korean people wanted to do so. If Korean wanted to have Japanese name, it was unconditionally allowed. Japanese Government didn't distinguish them from Japanese. There are lots of evidence. Do you know Japanese Imperial Universities? Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya,,,all are prestigious universities. Investigate the order of foundation of all the Imperial Universities. You'll know something.

No.4
Yes, but when is it? It was a story of 16th century. Japanese troops were going to China at that time. In the Greater East Asian War, Korea wasn't battlefields. Gyeongbokgung was burnt down by fire at first in 16th century, and was set fire by KOREAN people next in the end of 16th century, when Japanese troops were about to enter into Soeul.

No.5
If Japan was doing something bad or cruel to Korean people, what will become of the population? Increasing? or, Decreaseing? It had explosively increased. Most of Korean wood were planted by Japan. They only consumes tons of woods for heating, but never plant them. Their agricultural products were also increased.

Taiwan:
Taiwanese were strictly distinguished from Japanese. They were equally given the chance to learn, but never allowed to take higher position in any firms and naturally in Governmental offices. If they wanted to have Japanese name, they need to have permission from the Government though Korean could have it freely. Your understanding is quite the contrary.

Just after Japan leave Taiwan, 2.28 incident occurred. Do you know? Aged people who know the 50 years of Japanese rule are accusing Japan of leaving them alone in 1945. They never speak ill of the 50 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/228_Incident

Just after Japan leave Korea, 4.3 incident happened and Korea was divided into two parts and the condition is continuing now. Do you know Jeju Uprising (4.3 incident) or other bloodsheds in both Koreas? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju_Uprising

I don't know how long are you staying in Japan, but I hope you'll work it out during your stay. Many documents are being translated into English one after another now by volunteer staffs. http://www.sdh-fact.com/

Japanese have a tendency to avoid conflict and stay modest in many cases. I think it's bad in the relationship between overseas nations. For example;

The stake which sticks up gets hammered down: Don't make waves! (Japanese way of life) http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/08/the-62th-aug-15.html

Take care! If you have time, read my blog (category; opinion or China and both Korea) You'll find something new.

Sorry, don't have enough time, Let's call it a day.