Wright State University CORE Scholar Browse all Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2016 An Unrelenting Past: Historical Memory in Japan and South Korea Hannah Elisabeth Collins Wright State University Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all Part of the International Relations Commons Repository Citation Collins, Hannah Elisabeth, "An Unrelenting Past: Historical Memory in Japan and South Korea" (2016). Browse all Theses and Dissertations. 1567. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all/1567 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Browse all Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN UNRELENTING PAST: HISTORICAL MEMORY IN JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts By HANNAH ELISABETH COLLINS Bachelors of Arts, Wright State University, 2012 2016 Wright State University WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL August 18, 2016 I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY Hannah Elisabeth Collins ENTITLED An Unrelenting Past: Historical Memory in Japan and South Korea BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts. ______________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Thesis Director ______________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Director, Master of Arts Program in International and Comparative Politics Committee on Final Examination: ___________________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Department of Political Science ___________________________________ Pramod Kantha, Ph.D. Department of Political Science ___________________________________ Kathryn B. Meyer, Ph.D. Department of History ______________________________ Robert E. W. Fyffe, Ph.D. Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School ABSTRACT Collins, Hannah Elisabeth. M.A. Department of Political Science, Wright State University, 2016. An Unrelenting Past: Historical Memory in Japan and South Korea. Every population maintains collective memories which provide meaning and identity for members (Langenbache, 2003). Elites have exerted influence on what is being remembered and the interpretation of the remembrances for specific objects, through the concept of historical memory. Wang (2012) has shown that authoritarian governments leverage historical memory to increase legitimacy. Similarly, Bernhard and Kubik (2014) have demonstrated that transitioning democracies also benefit from elite use of historical memory for consolidation. The lack of studies concerning consolidated democracies’ use of historical memory raises many questions, including whether consolidated democracies manipulate historical memory for the purpose of legitimacy? I contend that, similar to Wang’s findings, elites within consolidated democracies manipulate historical memory for the purpose of enhancing party legitimacy and that the concept of historical memory is a tool that continues to be utilized by elites after consolidation. Japan and South Korea constitute the case studies for this examination. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract………………………………………………………………………………iii List of Acronyms…………………………………………………………………….vi List of Figures……………………………………………………………………….viii List of Appendices………………………………………………………………….. ix Chapter 1 Introduction: The Influence of Historical Memory and Nationalism ………………...1 Literature Review…..………………………………………………... 5 Background Information…………………………………………….13 Methodology…………………………………………………………26 Chapter 2 “Comfort Women” in Historical Memory………………………….. 32 Japanese governmental use and response to the history of Comfort Women ………………. 45 South Korean governmental use and response to the history of Comfort Women ………………..54 Chapter Analysis……………………………………………………..64 Chapter 3 Yasukuni Shrine in Historical Memory……………………………...71 Japanese governmental use and response to Yasukuni Shrine………79 South Korean governmental use and response to Yasukuni Shrine.....91 Chapter Analysis……………………………………………………..102 Chapter 4 Manipulation of Historical Memory within History Textbooks……..111 Japanese government’s use of history textbooks……………………117 iv South Korean government’s use of history textbooks…………….129 Chapter Analysis…………………………………………………..144 Chapter 5 Analysis of Case Studies and Final Conclusions…………………...153 Revisiting Findings…………………………………………………154 Comparison of Japan and South Korea within Historical Memory...161 The Importance of Historical Memory and Suggestions for Future Research…………………………………………………………….173 Appendices…………………………………………………………………………...178 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….203 v LIST OF ACRONYMS AWF Asian Women Fund the Commission The Commission on Verification and Support for the Victims of Forced Mobilization Under Japanese Colonialism in Korea the Corps Women’s Voluntary Labor Service Corps DPJ Democratic Party of Japan DJP Democratic Justice Party (South Korea) DP Democratic Party (South Korea) GNP Grand National Party (South Korea) Japanese Society Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform the Korean Council The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Sexual Slavery by Japan KWAU Korean Women’s Associations United LDP Liberal Democracy Party (Japan) Media Joha LTD History Museum of Comfort Women (Media Joha LTD) MEXT Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (Japan) MOE Ministry of Education (South Korea) MOFAT Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea) MOGEF Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (South Korea) NPO Non-profit Organization PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder SDP Social Democratic Party of Japan vi SP Saenuri party (South Korea) STDs Sexually Transmitted Diseases TRC Truth and Reconciliation Commission UN Commission United Nations Crimes Commission U.S. United States WSU Wright State University WWII World War II vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Position of Government action in relation to the remembrance…………………65 of Comfort Women 2. Japanese government apologies for the Military Mobilization………………….68 of Comfort Stations 3. Japanese Prime Minister’s Visits to Yasukuni Shrine…………………………..80 4. Cabinet Ministers and Lawmakers visits to Yasukuni Shrine…………………..82 5. Offerings made to Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Koizumi and Abe……..85 6. Position of Government action in relation to the remembrance at………………103 the Yasukuni Shrine 7. Summary of the comparison of Government Statements regarding…………….106 the Yasukuni Shrine 8. Japanese Textbook Incidents 1988-2015………………………………………..118 9. South Korean Textbook Incidents……………………………………………….131 10. List of South Korean government statements against Japan’s history textbooks.140 11. Position of Government action in relation to history textbooks………………...145 12. History textbook events by administration..…………………..………………...147 viii LIST OF APPENDICES Page Appendix A Statement by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono……………..178 on the result of the study on the issue of "comfort women" Appendix B Policy Speech by Prime Minister Hosokawa Morihiro to the 127th Session of the National Diet…………………………………………179 Appendix C Statement by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama on the occasion of the establishment of the "Asian Women's Fund"..179 Appendix D Letter from Prime Minister to the Former Comfort Women………..180 Appendix E Statement of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi…………...………..181 Appendix F Observation by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the Visit to Yasukuni Shrine……………………………….………………........182 Appendix G Speech by H.E. Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan…...182 Appendix H Statement by Prime Minister Abe -Pledge for everlasting peace-…....184 Appendix I Basic Position of the Government of Japan Regarding Prime Minister Koizumi's Visits to Yasukuni Shrine …....185 Appendix J Comparison of Government Statements regarding Yasukuni Shrine; full chart……………………………………………………………...186 Appendix K Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kiichi Miyazawa on History Textbooks…………………………………………………………….195 Appendix L Statement by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama "On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the war's end"..………………..…………..196 Appendix M Comments by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda on the history textbooks to be used in junior high schools from 2002..……...197 Appendix N Comments by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda……..198 ix Appendix O Revision of History Curriculum Press release on May 12, 2010 National Curriculum Planning Division……………………………..200 Appendix P Revision of History Curriculum……………………………………..201 x I. Introduction: The Influence of Historical Memory and Nationalism In his book, Never Forget National Humiliation, Zheng Wang states, “The past is not solid, immutable, or even measureable; rather, it is a fluid set of ideas, able to be shaped by time, emotion, and the political savvy” (2012, 17). In his case study focusing on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from 1989-2011, Wang demonstrates the power of an authoritarian state in manipulating the collective memories of the past for the purpose of legitimacy. The PRC influences historical memories by controlling messages within textbooks, monuments, and political statements with the purpose of increasing nationalism within the population. The development of nationalism in turn increases the legitimacy of the regime (Wang, 2012). I contend that similar to Wang’s