Volume 3 | Issue 4 | Article ID 1992 | Apr 27, 2005 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Focus

Asia Battles Over War History: The legacy of the looms over 's plans for the future

David McNeill, Mark Selden

Asia Battles Over War History: The The pensioners – among the few still alive from legacy of the Pacific War looms over an estimated 100-200,000 ‘’, the sex slaves of the Imperial Japanese Army -- Tokyo's plans for the future have been coming here since 1992 to demand an apology. But neither time nor mortality has by David McNeill & Mark Selden dulled the emotional heat of their campaign, which is regularly stoked by what Koreans young and old consider fresh insults from across the Japan Sea. Japan has now poured Sino-Japanese relations sunk to a new low on more fuel on the fire by authorizing high-school the weekend of April 9-10 when an estimated textbooks that Korean government spokesman 10-20,000 Chinese protestors surrounded the Lee Kyu Hyung said ‘beautify and justify’ its Japanese Embassy in Beijing, pelting it with occupation of much of Asia until 1945. missiles and shouting "Japanese pigs come out" and "Be ashamed of distorting history." The war over what Japan teaches its children Thousands more vented their rage in other has raged since the early 1980s. The latest parts of the capital and in Guangzhou, battles emerge as the tectonic plates of Asian Shenzhen and elsewhere. politics shift to accommodate the growing economic might of China, as territorial disputes The protests, demanding a boycott of Japanese between Japan and her major neighbors, China, goods, followed Tokyo's authorization ofKorea and Russia roil the waters, and as textbooks that many in China condemn for governments in Japan, China and South Korea whitewashing Japan's brutal fifteen-yearall seek to turn genuine popular grievances to invasion (1931-45). The result is to rock the their political advantage by stoking the flames already troubled partnership between Asia's of nationalism. The resulting volatile political stagnating economic leader and its rising situation casts a dark shadow over the booming power, bringing China-Japan relations to their intra-regional economic growth and early steps lowest point since reestablishment oftoward regional integration. diplomatic relations in 1972. The most contentious history text – one of eight Protests also took place in South Korea, where passed for use by Japan's Ministry of Education Gil Won Ok and her elderly comrades- removes all references to the comfort women serenaded the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to and atrocities such as the , plead, pray and denounce the Tokyoand suggests that Korea invited the Japanese government. "Who will take away my pain," occupation a century ago. A civics text claims cried the frail 77-year-old who was barely a jurisdiction over a clump of rocks called teenager when she was forced to provide sex to Takeshima (Korean: Tokdo) that was seized by Japanese soldiers during World War II. "Atone Japan in 1905 but has been held by Korea since for the past and let me die in peace!" 1945. “What nonsense is this,” editorialized the

1 3 | 4 | 0 APJ | JF normally mild Korea Herald, at a time when the Whether the Society succeeds on its second islets have become the subject of intense Japan- attempt to secure textbook adoptions remains Korea strife as a result of renewed Japanese to be seen. In 2001, its opponents cobbled claims to them. together a powerful grassroots coalition that included everyone from Communists to Both texts were written by the Society for Christians, and this movement may yet spring History Textbook Reform (Tsukurukai), a group back into life. But while there is miniscule of neo-nationalist academics that claims the support among ordinary Japanese for school current curriculum in Japanese schools leaves textbooks that extol the benefits of Japan’s youngsters “confused and no longer proud of colonial rule in Asia, the Society enjoys weighty their nation.” As an Asahi newspaper editorial political backing, including over 100 members said last week, the Society wants to “emphasize of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the ‘high points’ of Japanese history and ignore Tokyo's powerful Governor Ishihara Shintaro. the ‘darker’ aspects; Jeffrey Kingston calls Revisionists already control the country’s them the “Dr. Feelgoods of Japanese history". largest educational council in Tokyo, which will decide this summer whether the textbooks will In 2001, the Society first won Ministry of be used in thousands of schools across the Education approval for the texts, but grassroots megalopolis. opposition led by teachers and local activists "The Japanese government is inflaming opinion across Japan blocked adoption. Backed by the across Asia with these textbooks," says huge Fuji-Sankei media conglomerate, the Hasegawa Takashi, a teacher and anti-textbook Society has since sold nearly one million copies campaigner in Tokyo. "If they really think of its history and civics texts, bringing what Chinese communists are to blame, why play many consider extremist, fringe theories about into their hands." history into thousands of ordinary Japanese homes and pushing the content of other If Tokyo can afford to ignore the anguished textbooks sharply to the right. keening of Gil Won Ok and her dwindling fellow survivors in Seoul, more troubling is the anger This year, just one new history textbook out of emanating from China, its biggest trading eight mentions the comfort women, down from partner and a rising regional power. There the seven in the mid-1990s, while references to textbooks inflamed already seething anger at other infamous war crimes have been toned Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro’s repeated down or dropped, suggesting that the highpoint visits to the Tokyo war memorial Yasukuni of progressive history teaching calling attention Shrine and Japan's handling of the recently to issues of colonialism and war atrocities has inflamed territorial conflict over the Diaoyutai passed. (Japanese: Senkaku) Islands claimed by both China and Japan. In recent weeks, a grassroots Emboldened by this success and byboycott targeting Japanese goods has grown, heavyweight political and media support, and attacks on Japanese businesses in Chengdu including Japan’s biggest newspaper the Daily and Shenzhen, and now Beijing and Yomiuri, the Society believes it is moving with Guangzhou, have spooked otherwise bullish the tide. “We’re confident we can change the investors. teaching of history in schools here,” says one of its leading lights, Fujioka Nobukatsu. “More The Chinese actions come on the heels of a and more people share our opposition to massive online citizens' campaign that claims instilling self-hatred in our children.” to have gathered over 25 million signatures

2 3 | 4 | 0 APJ | JF opposing Japan’s campaign for a permanent recent months make clear that nationalism is seat on the UN Security Council. China's not only seething in all three countries, but that Premier Wen Jiabao on April 12 commented it is frequently manipulated by the state. The that "Only a country that respects history, Chinese government, struggling to deal with takes responsibility for history and wins over the massive social fallout from over two the trust of peoples in Asia and the world at decades of breakneck capitalist growth, has large can take greater responsibilities in the repeatedly resorted to banging the nationalist international community," the clearestdrum to keep the country united, at the risk of indication to date that China will not endorse alienating the Japanese capital, technology and Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the markets it so desperately needs. Japan too is Council. Seoul’s UN ambassador Kim Sam grappling with economic problems, and in a Hoon previously made clear his country’s chilling echo of the 1930s, finds itself opposition to a permanent seat for Japan. In a increasingly tugged rightwards by a neo- year pregnant with political and business nationalist movement that wants to confront possibilities, Tokyo is again finding the way the Chinese threat both militarily and forward blocked by its undigested history. ideologically. Japan’s official response to the growing textbook controversy and surging protest Tokyo hopes that red-hot trade with China, movements in China and Korea has been a which grew by 17 percent last year, and series of bland government statements calling growing economic and cultural links with on both governments to prevent differences in Korea, will trump the fallout from its historical interpretation from damaging ties. “It contentious views on history. But a clash of old is important to control emotions,” Prime nationalisms in the world’s most dynamic Minister Koizumi said. economic region cannot be good for business, as Japan’s corporations now recognize, indeed But behind the diplomatic platitudes, sentiment it threatens the peace and stability of the has hardened among key elements of the prime region. With Japan in the midst of territorial minister’s fellow Liberal Democrats, well over disputes with four of its neighbors—China, 100 of whom – including Education Minister South Korea, Russia, and Taiwan—all with Nakayama Nariaki – publicly back the historical roots in the colonial past, the tensions will not revisionist current. The issues of nationalist soon ease. education have not been limited to textbooks. In the past two years, hundreds of teachers, This expands and updates an article published mainly in Tokyo, have been punished for at YaleGlobal on April 12, 2005. refusing to stand for the national anthem and flag, symbols across Asia of Japan’s militarist David McNeill and Mark Selden are past. coordinators of Japan Focus. McNeill, a Tokyo- based journalist, writes for The Independent of Liberal Democratic Party spokesmen insist that London. Selden, professorial associate, East the Chinese government is stoking patriotism Asia Program, Cornell, is coeditor of War and and anti-Japanese sentiment, while Korea has State Terrorism: The , Japan and failed to properly digest its own history of the Asia-Pacific in the Long Twentieth Century. collaboration with Imperial Japan. Events of Posted April 13, 2005.

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