Masterarbeit / Master's Thesis
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MASTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Masterarbeit / Title of the Master‘s Thesis „The Influence of US Foreign Policy in East Asia after World War II on Relations between Japan and South Korea. The Example of Dokdo/Takeshima“ verfasst von / submitted by Julia Peindl-Böhm, BA angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2016 / Vienna 2016 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 066 805 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Masterstudium Globalgeschichte und Global Studies degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Margarete Maria Grandner Abstract After the Second World War the United States felt to some extent responsible for the world’s problems. One of those responsibilities was to prevent Communism from spreading too far in Western Europe as well as East Asia. Japan was seen as an important part of the Non-Communist world and there was discussion about boosting the Japanese economy and drafting a Peace Treaty to end United States occupation. After the Korean War broke out it was even more important to have Japan as an ally in the area. The drafting and signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan occurred partially during the Korean War – and it was very important for the United States to draft the final version of the Treaty in a way that would grant them a continuing amicable relationship with both Japan and South Korea. Into this backdrop comes the dispute about an island group, called “Dokdo” in Korean and “Takeshima” in Japanese, over which Korean and Japanese fishermen had a few skirmishes before Japan colonialized Korea in 1910. The United States’ failure to mention the ownership of the island group in the Peace Treaty of San Francisco – presumably because both countries were claiming them and the United States did not want to choose a side – caused the conflict to erupt again, this time on a national level. The case of Dokdo/Takeshima is still unresolved until today and plays a big part in the continuing discord between South Korea and Japan. 2 Zusammenfassung Die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika waren nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs in einer besseren Verfassung als die meisten anderen Länder, die aktiv an dem Krieg beteiligt waren. Aus diesem Grund fühlte sich die amerikanische Außenpolitik teilweise verantwortlich Probleme in anderen Teilen der Welt zu lösen. Ein besonderes Anliegen der Amerikaner war es den kommunistischen Vormarsch in Europa und Ostasien zu verhindern. Japan wurde nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg von den USA besetzt und wandelte sich in wenigen Jahren vom Gegner zum Verbündeten gegen den Kommunismus in Ostasien. Während die japanische Wirtschaft angekurbelt wurde und Entwürfe für einen Friedensvertrag mit Japan verfasst wurden, brach 1950 der Koreakrieg aus. In dieser Zeit war es sehr wichtig für die Amerikaner ein gutes Verhältnis zu Japan und Südkorea zu haben und deswegen wurde der Friedensvertrag mit Japan auf eine Art und Weise verfasst, die – zumindest kurzfristig – keines der beiden Länder vor den Kopf stoßen würde. Die Kompromisslösung, die für den Friedensvertrag gefunden wurde, – besonders die Entscheidung das zukünftige japanische Territorium nicht genau festzulegen – hat einen alten Inselkonflikt zwischen japanischen und südkoreanischen Fischern wieder aufleben lassen und zu einem nationalen Problem gemacht, das bis heute besteht. Die betroffene Inselgruppe, die in Südkorea „Dokdo“ und in Japan „Takeshima“ genannt wird, wurde in den Entwürfen für den Friedensvertrag von San Francisco teilweise Südkorea und teilweise Japan zugeordnet aber in der endgültigen Version nicht erwähnt. Dieses Versäumnis hat einen Streit zwischen Südkorea und Japan ausgelöst, der nun schon über 60 Jahre anhält. Der geringe materielle Wert der Inselgruppe lässt vermuten, dass bei dem Streit das gegenseitige tiefsitzende Misstrauen ausgelebt wird, welches seit der Kolonialherrschaft Japans in Korea zwischen 1910 und 1945 besteht. Die schlechte Stimmung zwischen Südkorea und Japan macht auch den USA zu schaffen, da die Amerikaner mit beiden Staaten eng verbündet sind. Wie bei dem Entwurf des Friedensvertrags von San Francisco ziehen es die Amerikaner jedoch vor neutral zu bleiben, um keinen der beiden Verbündeten vor den Kopf zu stoßen. 3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 6 Part One – The Big Picture 2. US Foreign Relations after WWII 8 2.1. Origins and Beginning of the Cold War 8 2.2. The Division of Korea and the Korean War 12 2.3. US Interest in Japan as an ally 19 3. Korea – Japan Relations since 1900 23 3.1. Colonization of Korea 23 3.2. Korean Resentment towards Japan 25 Part Two – The Island Conflict 4. The case as it is presented by South Korea and Japan 29 4.1. “Dokdo” – Korean Island Group since Ancient Times 31 4.2. Japanese Annexation of “Takeshima” in 1905 33 5. US / Allied Powers Involvement 38 5.1. Wartime Declarations 38 5.2. The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Instructions 39 5.3. The San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan and its Connection to the Island Case 41 6. The Influence of “Dokdo/Takeshima” on South Korean – Japanese Relations 59 6.1. The Development of the Dispute after 1951 59 4 6.2. The Depiction of the Dokdo/Takeshima Case by the South Korean and Japanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs 61 7. Conclusions 68 8. Literature 69 Appendix I. Report by the National Security Council on the Position of the United States with Respect to Soviet-Directed World Communism 78 II. Intelligence Estimate Prepared by the Estimates Group, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State 81 III. United States Courses of Action With Respect to Korea 85 IV. U.S. Initial Post-Surrender Policy for Japan 87 V. Final Text of the Communiqué [Cairo Conference] November 26, 1943 88 VI. Comment on Draft Treaty of Peace with Japan dated November 19, 1949 by W. J. Sebald 89 VII. Japan’s Consistent Position on the Territorial Sovereignty over Takeshima 93 VIII. The Korean Government’s Basic Position on Dokdo 94 IX. Q & A on Dokdo 94 X. MOFA Spokesperson’s Statement on the Account of ROK-Japan Relations in Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook 2015 (April 7, 2015) 96 5 1. Introduction This work shows how relatively small decisions by a third party can have a huge impact on the foreign relations between two neighbors. I’m sure there are many cases that would fit the statement above. This paper is dedicated to an island conflict between South Korea and Japan. This conflict was elevated from a fight between fishermen into problematic foreign relations between South Korea and Japan. Both countries base their claims on the island group called Dokdo in Korean, and Takeshima in Japanese, on historical sources. However, the modern conflict started in 1952, after the Peace Treaty of San Francisco with Japan had been signed. The Peace Treaty had been drafted by the Allied Powers of World War II – mostly by the United States – and it caused at least three island conflicts by neglecting to clearly define Japanese territory. The island group Dokdo/Takeshima is currently occupied by South Korea and in the opinion of large parts of the South Korean population there is no dispute over it. However, there are a lot of articles, books, blogs etc. published about Dokdo/Takeshima in South Korea – more than in Japan. There is a Dokdo-museum on the South Korean island of Ulleungdo, and South Korean children are taught about the archipelago in school. The importance of the island group in South Korea is reflected in the literature about it. Thus, even though they don’t want to admit that the ownership of Dokdo/Takeshima is disputed, they desperately want to prove that it is South Korean. Many books and articles, even some written by Japanese natives, are biased towards Dokdo/Takeshima belonging to South Korea. This paper is divided into two parts. Part One is about the historical events and relations between the United States, the Soviet Union, Korea and Japan from the early to the mid-20th century. The reason for the Dokdo/Takeshima case’s continuing presence can be found in Korea’s and Japan’s colonial past. Since the material worth of the island group is quite negligible, the continuing dispute is most likely a matter of principle. United States Foreign Relations, especially the Cold War, the Korean War and US occupation policy in Japan, have had great influence on the case of Dokdo/Takeshima. Even though the island dispute is not very present in Part One of this paper, the events described in it explain the actions and decisions that led to the dispute. Part Two describes Dokdo/Takeshima’s geography and material value, as well as South Korea’s and Japan’s historical claims of the island group. The United States’ 6 part in the dispute is examined closely in the subchapters about the Wartime Declarations, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Instructions and the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Finally, the island dispute’s strain on the relationship between South Korea and Japan is analyzed, and as proof of how important the case is for both parties, the paper gives an account of how Dokdo/Takeshima is presented on the websites of the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs. 7 Part One – The Big Picture 2. US Foreign Relations after WWII 2.1. Origins and Beginning of the Cold War When the Second World War was over, most of the Allied Powers had years of recovery and reconstruction ahead of them. In the United States conditions were far better than in most countries that had been closely involved in the fighting.