INTERVIEW/ Kazuhiko Kimijima: War crime tribunal created attitudes of denial

The following are excerpts from an interview with Kazuhiko Kimijima, a professor of history at Tokyo Gakugei University. He was asked to name the 10 biggest incidents in modern and contemporary history in East Asia. This is a part of a series to complement the "Impact of History--150 Years in East Asia."

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The 10 biggest incidents I chose are:

1. Inconclusive Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals (1946-1948)

2. The 15-year war between Japan and China, and China and Korea

3. The war of resistance against Japan in China and independence movements in Korea

4. Colonization of Korea (1910-1945)

5. World War I (1914-1918) and public movements in East Asia

6. Japan's surrender in World War II in 1945 and Chinese and Korean liberation

7. Past and present of Koreans living in Japan

8. Japanese understanding of the Koreas and China, and vice versa

9. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and Korea

10. Advancement of U.S. and European powers in Asia, and responses from Japan, China, and Korea.

I chose incidents that played important roles in breaking free from a single country's view of history, that deepened mutual understanding in East Asia, and that established common perceptions of history. I placed importance on resistance movements in China and Korea that Japanese are not fully aware of.

First of all, I would like to point out the inconclusive nature of the Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals, including the fact that Japanese could not administer justice regarding war crimes with their own hands. The United States gave immunity to Emperor Hirohito, who was most responsible for the 15-year war (from the Manchurian Incident to Japan's surrender in World War II).

As the Cold War intensified between the United States and the Soviet Union, the tribunal was shut down in 1948 without exhausting its mandate. Nobusuke Kishi, who was minister of commerce and industry in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Hideki Tojo when the Asia-Pacific War began, was an accused Class-A war criminal.

But he was released, and later became the country's prime minister. The incomplete examination of war crimes created an attitude among politicians and the government in which they tried not to recognize Japan's past aggressions, deepening conflicts with other Asian nations.

The second incident on my list is the 15-year war and relations with China and Korea. The war was nothing less than a Japanese invasion of China. Colonial Korea was the military logistics base that Japan used to execute the war, and it was forced to supply labor and soldiers.

Meanwhile, when viewed from China's and Korea's standpoint, it was a significant time of the war of resistance against Japan and independence movements that still support the existence of current administrations, making that third on my list.

The fourth is the colonization of Korea. History textbooks in Japan describe how oppressive Japan's rule was, but in South Korea, it is stressed that there were various resistance movements including a volunteer army. If Japanese people learn about such persistent resistance, that would help bridge rifts in perceptions of history between the two countries.

The fifth is World War I and public movements. The public began playing major roles in history when rice riots broke out in Japan, and the March First Movement in Korea and the May Fourth Movement in China. Japan's control in Korea was forced to change from iron-fist military rule to a more indirect reign.

The sixth is Japan's surrender in World War II. China and Korea were freed from Japanese occupation, but in both countries, governments were established that confronted each other. A pacifist Constitution was established in Japan. Nevertheless, the nation began building up arms again from the Korean War, establishing the Self-Defense Forces. Furthermore, Japan became part of U.S. hegemony through the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

For seventh in the list I would choose South and North Koreans living in Japan. Japanese and South Koreans living in their home countries do not understand how these Koreans came to live in Japan.

What did they do after World War II? There were "homecoming" movements to North and South Korea, and there was serious discrimination against them in Japanese society in regard to employment, residence, and marriage. Koreans in Japan fought prejudice through a campaign against alien registration fingerprinting. Unless Japanese understand Koreans who live in Japan who are their closest neighbors, it would be difficult to get along with people in South Korea.

Eighth is the issue of how to understand China, Korea, and Japan. Even during Japan's colonization of Korea, some Japanese, such as Japanese folk-art activist Muneyoshi Yanagi (1889-1961), understood Korean culture. If Japanese and South Koreans realize this, people would develop deeper understanding of each other beyond the viewpoint of "aggression" and "resistance."

The Russo-Japanese War is ninth on my list as it was the crucial incident that led to the colonization of Korea. With the support of the great powers of the world, Japan invaded East Asia.

After the Opium Wars, the United States and European powers advanced in Asia, integrating the region into the global capitalist order. The beginning of modern history in East Asia is last on my list.

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Kazuhiko Kimijima was born in 1945. To bridge gaps in perceptions of history, he published a common textbook, "Nikkan Koryu no Rekishi" (History of interaction between Japan and Korea), last spring in conjunction with South Korean researchers. The book is available from Akashi Shoten Co. (IHT/Asahi: January 12,2008)