Remarks distorting history of colonization of Korea -- Akahata editorial, June 3The Liberal Democratic Party Policy Affairs Council Chair, Aso Taro, is under fire from South Korea's government and mass media because of his remarks concerning the history of Japanese colonization of Korea. In a speech at Tokyo University, he stated that Korean people under Japan's colonial rule adopted Japanese surnames because they wanted to do so. (see separate story)
The Aso remarks distort the history of the Japanese aggression against and colonial rule over Korea. We, the Japanese people live under the Constitution established after the war based on a remorse for that part of history, and won't tolerate the distortion.
A coercive measure to escalate war of aggression
No one can deny the history of Japan's domination of Korea: Japan in the prewar days using aggression finally colonized Korea through "annexation", inflicting great damage on the land and people of Korea.
Forcing Korean people to adopt Japanese names was part of Japan's policy of making Koreans subjects of the Japanese emperor so as to use Korea as a stepping-stone for Japan's war of aggression to escalate without regard for the lives of Koreans.
Aso insisted that the adoption of Japanese surnames was requested by Koreans. This is not a historical fact.
The change of surnames began in 1940, on the Empire Day of the 2600th year of the Imperial reign. The system denied national identity to Koreans by ordering them to use Japanese names.
It is not true that the measure was based on Korean people's wishes; the truth is that Koreans were coerced into adopting Japanese surnames. If they failed to do so, they would be denied school attendance or any administrative procedures, and be classified as "anti-Japanese elements".
These historical facts have remained the source of the major postwar issue lying between Japan and the Korean Peninsula: Japan's lack of remorse for its aggression. Even the successive LDP governments have been compelled to officially express "remorse" and "heartfelt apologies" for the fact that Japan, through its colonization of Korea, had caused intolerable pain and sorrow to the people of the Korean Peninsula.
Also, Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro in the June 1996 joint press conference with then ROK President Kim Yong-sam apologized to the Korean people because Japan, by forcing the Korean people to adopt Japanese names, had caused considerable suffering.
In disregard of these apologies, senior officials of the Japanese government and ruling parties made statements on issues related to Japanese school textbooks and so-called comfort women, glossing over the war of aggression. The lack of sincerity on the part of the Japanese government constitutes the major reason why other Asian countries do not trust Japan.
Apparently, Aso is making the same mistake. His remarks that renege on the history must not be condoned.
Remarks just before ROK president's Japan visit
It is quite serious that his remarks were made when anxiety is growing in Asia about the outcome of Japan's contingency bills and just before the ROK president's visit to Japan. Referring to what Aso stated, an ROK Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry spokesman stated that a politician of the Japanese ruling party made an irresponsible statement just before the planned visit to Japan by the ROK president.
This is not a kind of arbitrary remark by a single person. Attention is focused on what steps Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro and the government-ruling parties will take in dealing with Aso's statement. (end)