The Korea Herald
(Korea's number one English newspaper)
2005.04.19
Now is the time when close cooperation is needed for the three powers of Northeast Asia - China, Japan and South Korea - to achieve regional security and economic co-prosperity. So it is most regrettable the three countries are embroiled in a triangular dispute largely over their different sensitivities about past history. The largely psychological conflicts threaten to undermine economic ties among the three, and shake the structure of security cooperation such as the current multilateral process to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff.
The scars of recent history are deep and still hurt, more so because the three have maintained close contacts from ancient times and share cultural affinity to a certain extent, separate from other parts of Asia.
The Nanjing massacre of 1937, for example, is the Japanese version of the Holocaust, done mostly by swords and bayonets instead of toxic gas, in a couple of days rather than years. But the Japanese Education-Science Ministry approved some "textbooks" lying about the "incident" and other atrocities.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura met Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Beijing on Sunday to lodge a protest over anti-Japanese rallies in Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenchen and other locations over the last few weeks. Tokyo suspects official connivance and even direct instigation and sought Beijing's apology, but Li instantly rebuffed the demand and denounced Japan for causing pain to the Chinese.
Officials and academic researchers in Seoul and Beijing generally agree things have turned worse in the historical controversies involving the three Northeast Asian nations since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office three years ago. With his regular visits to the Yasukuni Shrine where the Japanese war dead, including convicted war criminals, are honored, he stimulated the Japanese national ego and drove Japan to try to emerge as a global leader beyond merely being an economic power.
As the dispute flares, international observers tend to interpret it developing from a latent contest for regional hegemony between China and Japan who both have found themselves in elevated economic and political status in the international community in the 21st century. Some Western media commentators, unable to see the true nature of the problem, support Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, pointing to China's egotism to keep its prestige as the only Asian permanent member.
We now have to urge the Japanese government and intellectual society to have deep thoughts over how to exhibit remorse for past sins before asking for a position of influence in the global society and how the next generation should be taught about past history to make them responsible citizens.
Korea and China should continue to appeal to the conscience of the world for a rightful judgment of Japan, while they should avoid creating international public opinion that the former victims are overly obsessed with the past.
Japan's application for UNSC permanent membership is an opportunity to have world public opinion assess the past and present of Japan, as well as recognize how justified we are to condemn the shamelessness of this neighbor.