November 29, 2018

A high-ranking official of the South Korean Foreign Ministry recently visited a monument in Miyagi Prefecture to pay his respects for a prewar Japanese lawyer who worked hard to support the independence movement on the Korean Peninsula under Japan’s colonial rule.

In the prewar period, the Miyagi-born humanitarian lawyer, Fuse Tatsuji (1880-1953), was devoted to providing legal support to those who were persecuted under the notorious Public Order Maintenance Law. In addition, he sailed to the Korean Peninsula four times during Japanese colonial rule and dedicated himself to defending brutally repressed Korean independence activists as well as to giving assistance to the peasant rights movement. In 2004, the late Fuse became the first Japanese to receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation from the South Korean government.

Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy at the South Korean Foreign Ministry Park Sang-hoon on November 28 visited Ishinomaki City in Miyagi and offered flowers at the monument commemorating Fuse’s efforts. Later on the day, Park met with Fuse’s relatives including his son and members of a civil group seeking state compensation for victims of the Public Order Maintenance Law.

The South Korean diplomat said that it was a pleasure to take the opportunity to visit the memorial of Fuse who had a deep relationship with South Korea. The official added that to improve mutual understanding through exchange programs is important for Japan and South Korea to build future-oriented relations based on trust.

Past related article:
> Prewar lawyer tells us how to win the trust of neighboring countries [April 22, 2014]