Korean-Japanese disputes
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South Korea, North Korea, and Japan have had disputes on many issues. Although South Korea and Japan are major trading partners and there are many students, tourists, entertainers, and businesspeople traveling frequently between the two countries, Japan and the two Koreas have historically not had a friendly relationship, and even today their relations are strained to a significant degree. Listed below are some of the issues that are still in dispute.
Political Disputes
Dokdo/Takeshima
Main article: Liancourt Rocks
Small uninhabited islets between Japan and Korea, also known as the Liancourt Rocks, which are currently under the South Korean control. Called "Dokdo" in Korean and "Takeshima" in Japanese, their sovereignty has been disputed among Japan, South Korea, and North Korea.
Tsushima/Daemado
Main article: Tsushima Islands
The island of Tsushima or Daemado was disputed between Korea and Japan between 1949 to 1950. However, with the Shimane's claim of the Liancourt Rocks, the Masan council re-ignited Korea's claim of Daemado by proclaiming the Daemado day, claiming Daemado as Korean territory. However, Japan had made no official comments concerning this claim as the Korean government defused the situation in Masan by asking the council for calm and not to antagonize the current situation any further. Currently, Tsushima island is controlled by the Japanese. In the 15th century, General Yi Jong-mu conquered the Island from Masan, Korea and put it under the jurisdiction of Gyeongsang Province. According to Jeoson records, Donggukyeojiseungram, Korea never formally handed over the island to Japan.
Sea of Japan/East Sea
Main article: Dispute over the name Sea of Japan
Both South and North Korea believe that Japan illegally changed the name of the "East Sea" to the "Sea of Japan" during the time when Korea effectively lost control over its foreign policy. The governments of the two Koreas say that the name "East Sea" (or the "East Sea of Korea" or "Korea Sea" in the North) should be the official name above, or at least in the same level of legitimacy of, the name "Sea of Japan".
Korean government policies
Since regaining independence from Japan after Japan's surrender in World War II, South Korea has persistently enforced anti-Japanese policies, including a blanket ban on Japanese cultural products such as songs or books which has been lifted recently. Before and during World War II, occupying Japanese forces applied policies of enforced assimilation among Koreans, enforcing blanket anti-Korean policies causing enormous anti-Japanese feeling in Korea.
Yasukuni Shrine
Main article: Yasukuni Shrine
Yasukuni Shrine is a military shrine worshipping Japanese and former colonial war heroes including the convicted Class-A war criminals. It became a controversy when its official pamphlet and website began protecting, even glorifying, Japanese war atrocities. It was also critized for defending Japanese war criminals from WWII.
Japanese history textbooks
The Japanese Ministry of Education and Science controls the content of school history textbooks to a certain extent. Each publishing company's textbook must pass inspection before it is allowed to be marketed to each school board. After the far-right and historical revisionist Tsukurukai's textbook passed the inspection in April 2001, the Korean and the Chinese governments protested strongly. South Korea demanded the revision 25 parts of the textbook. However, the Japanese government rejected their demands. Consequently, anti-Japanese feelings erupted throughout Korea and China. Some cultural exchanges have been stopped in protest by Koreans. This movement also arose resentment among many supporters of the book because they felt that the Korea and China had interfered in domestic affairs within Japan. But this argument is countered in Korea and China by stating that Japan interfered in their domestic affairs by invading Korea and China, so they have every right to discuss this issue. In the end, Tsukurukai's textbook was adopted by a minuscule 0.039% of the schools. See: Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform
South Korean history textbooks
In South Korea, only one history textbook, which is published by the Korean Government is used in schools. Some scholars claim that the history textbook is not objectively written and uses biased information to criticize the Japanese occupation. In response, the Korean government asserts that the information is a clear description of the history of that occupational period and is modest in comparison with the inappropriate language used in Chinese textbooks regarding the Sino-Japanese War of 1937.
Comfort Women
Main article: Comfort women
South Korean, North Korean, Philippine, Vietnamese, Dutch, Indonesian, Thai and Chinese governments demand compensation for the women who were abducted and forced to work for Japan's imperial soldiers in military brothels during World War II.
Historical/Social Disputes
Origin of Japan
While most mainstream anthropologists and historians would probably readily acknowledge that the Japanese and Korean peoples share closely-linked ethnic, cultural and anthropological histories, a point of contention between nationalist scholars in Japan and Korea rests on which culture came first, and can thus be considered the forebearer of the other. In brief, the Korean assertion is that through a long history of contact, several important Korean innovations in culture and technology were transferred to Japan. Several linguistic theories also make claims based upon the similarities between the languages of the respective cultures. While many of the more radical theories on these issues have been viewed by the majority with a great deal of skepticism as being ideology rather than science, the issue is far from being definitively resolved.
Japanese Annexation of Korea
In the 19th century, after winning the first Sino-Japanese war, Japan eventually annexed Korea. How each country describes this part of history causes much of the dispute between these two countries. Some Japanese rightists tend to under-emphasise the Japanese oppression of Koreans and over-emphasise the role Japanese rule had in the industrialisation and modernisation of Korea. In Korea, the opposite is the case. Some comments by senior Japanese politicians in regard to Japan's war time atrocities often create a fury in Korea as well as China. Koreans generally hold highly critical view of Japanese historiography and the South Korean government recently demanded the reinspection of all Japanese school textbooks. In turn there are some Japanese trying to expose some perceived distortion of history by Korea. This includes "perceived" exaggeration of Japanese atrocities and oppression. Koreans claim that in order not to repeat the 'mistakes' of the past Japan must learn the 'correct history' and not the distorted nationalistic version.
See also
Zainichi-Koreans
Zainichi (Resident Japan) is a euphemism for Koreans residing in Japan, most of them second- or third-generation Koreans who are not Japanese citizens but have never been to Korea. The hearing investigation to the first-generation of Zainichi, which was made by the Korean Residents Union in Japan itself in 1988, disclosed the fact that at least 80% of them entered Japan after the end of World War II joining the already large population of Koreans who were kidnapped/forced slaves to Japan during Japan's occupation of Korea, in order to escape the redbaiting made by the South Korean goverment, to avoid ravages of the Korean War, or to pursue economic success. Many Koreans living in Japan use Japanese names to hide their origin, in order to avoid the harsh racist treatment by the Japanese. Japanese Korean communities are split for their affiliations to North or South Korea.
Corea/Korea
Main article: Names of Korea
Some South Koreans claim that Japanese intentionally promoted the spelling of Korea instead of Corea during the colonial era, the reason being that K comes after J in the Latin alphabet. In 1594, the map created by Petrus Plancius of the Netherlands is known to be the oldest existing map in Europe that made reference to Korea with the marking Corea. However, a small number of maps were written with K in the word-initial position in the late 1800s. It would be difficult to assess what really happened.