Filed under: 429516
On Wednesday, South Korean and Japanese researchers from the ROK-Japan Joint History Research Group released a public version of their findings from the second term of their government-endorsed joint history project. While disagreements continued among the thirty-four South Korean and Japanese scholars in the second term of the project over the interpretation of sensitive issues from the period of Japan’s colonization of Korea from 1910-1945, progress was made in the form of agreements on issues such as the non-existence of the Japanese “Imna” government headquarters in the fourth century. The full report, as well as Japanese and Korean media coverage on the public release of the report can be found below:
Findings from the Second ROK-Japan Joint History Research Group
(Japanese // Korean)
Media Coverage: Korean News Media
Japan Office Never Existed in 4th Century, JoongAng Daily, March 24, 2010.
A Small Step for the Future, JoongAng Daily, March 24, 2010.
Korean, Japanese Historians Agree to Ditch Occupation Theory, Chosun Ilbo, March 24, 2010.
Media Coverage: Japanese News Media
Japan, S. Korea Researchers at Odds over Forced Labor, ‘Comfort Women’, The Japan Times, March 24, 2010.
Japanese, South Korean Researchers Remain Split on Views over Modern History, Mainichi Shimbun, March 24, 2010.
日韓、互いに教科書批判…歴史共同研究 (S. Korea and Japan Criticism of Each Other’s Textbooks…Joint History Research), Yomiuri Shimbun, March 23, 2010.
Filed under: 429516
A PDF version of the report by the China-Japan Joint History Research Project has been released for public consumption. The report can be downloaded from the following links:
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
(1) Table of Contents (In Japanese)
(2) Japanese Essays
(3) Chinese Essays
Filed under: 429516
After meeting for the fourth time on December 24, 2009, scholars from China and Japan concluded the first phase of a government endorsed joint history research project that was begun in December 2006. Today, two months since the conclusion of the first phase of the bilateral research initiative, the twenty historian team released a total of twenty six research papers that chronicle the findings of the three year endeavor. The following articles are a selection of the initial reactions to the release of the joint history report, and will be further updated as more feedback and analysis become available:
China (English Language) :
China-Japan Scholars’ Report Completed, People’s Daily, February 1, 2010.
China, Japan Conclude First Phase of Joint Historical Research, People’s Daily, December 24, 2009.
Chinese Language Articles:
中日发布共同历史研究报告 驳斥日本右翼观点, The Global Times, February 1, 2010.
中日共同历史研究白皮书出炉 日承认为”加害者”, The Global Times, February 1, 2010.
中日历史共同研究难掩尴尬, 新华网, January 1, 2010.
中日历史研究终于达成共识:侵华战争定性为侵略, The Global Times, December 28, 2009.
Japan (English Language):
Difference in Perception of Modern History a Hurdle to Japanese-Chinese Review Panel, The Mainichi Shimbun, February 1, 2010.
Nanjing Massacre Death Toll Divides Japanese, Chinese Scholars, The Mainichi Shimbun, February 1, 2010.
Japan, China Still At Odds Over Nanjing: Joint History Study Skirts Death Toll, The Japan Times, February 1, 2010.
Japanese Language Articles:
日中の歴史共同研究公表 南京大虐殺犠牲者数など隔たり, 朝日新聞, January 31, 2010.
中国でＮＨＫニュースが中断 日中共同研究報道中に, 朝日新聞, January 31, 2010.
日中歴史共同研究、中国側の対応改善に期待感 岡田外相, 朝日新聞, January 29, 2010.
日中歴史共同研究の報告書要旨＜１＞…満州事変まで, 読売新聞, January 31, 2010.
日中歴史共同研究の報告書要旨＜２＞…南京事件など, 読売新聞, January 31, 2010.
日中歴史認識、溝は埋まらず…共同研究委報告書, 読売新聞, January 31, 2010.
Other English Language Articles:
Japan, China Still at Odds Over “Rape of Nanjing,” The Washington Post, February 1, 2010.
New Study Fails to Bridge Japan, China History Divide, AFP, February 1, 2010.
Filed under: 429516
East Asian Multilateralism and Sec. State Hillary Clinton’s (Cancelled) Asia-Pacific Tour
U.S. Back in Asia to Stay: Hillary Clinton, The Australian, January 14, 2010.
Clinton Talks EAS on Asia-Pacific Tour, BigPondNews.com, January 14, 2010.
U.S. Will Stay Engaged in Asia-Pacific, The Straits Times, January 14, 2010.
The U.S., China and Japan in an Integrating East Asia, The Brookings Institution, January, 2010.
Clinton to Talk Bases, Security on Pacific Swing, Reuters, January 11, 2010.
“Comfort Women” Hold 900th Rally Toward the Japanese Government
‘Comfort Women’ Mark 900th Protest at Japanese Embassy, The Chosun Ilbo, January 13, 2010.
S. Korean Ex-Wartime Sex Slaves Fight On, As Time Runs Out, Xinhua News Agency, January 13, 2010.
Activist from Canada Attends Comfort Women’s 900th Protest, The Korea Times, January 13, 2010.
Japanese PM Hatoyama to Nanjing, Chinese President Hu to Hiroshima?
Hatoyama to Nanjing, Hu to Hiroshima?, The Asia Times, January 12, 2010.
James Cameron and Charles Pellegrino’s ‘The Last Train to Hiroshima’
James Cameron’s “Uncompromising” Hiroshima Movie, ObsessedwithFilm.com, January 9, 2010.
James Cameron Options Hiroshima Tome, Variety, January 7, 2010.
Filed under: 429516
Japanese PM Hatoyama to Nanjing, Chinese President Hu to Hiroshima?
The Prime Minister to Nanjing, President Hu to Hiroshima…China Makes a Proposal (Shusho ga Nankin e, Ko Shuseki ha Hiroshime e…Chugoku Dashin), The Yomiuri Online [In Japanese], January 6, 2010.
The Korea Research Center Releases Survey Results on Korea-Japan Relations
Majority of Koreans OK with Japanese Emperor’s Visit, The Dong-A Ilbo, January 1, 2010.
Japan Releases Teachers’ Guideline for History and Geography
New Guidance Fans Isle Row, The Japan Times, December 26, 2009.
Seoul Hits Tokyo’s New Dokdo Stance, JoongAng Ilbo, December 26, 2009.
New High School Geography Curriculum Supplement Avoids Takeshima Dispute, Mainichi Shimbun, December 25, 2009.
S. Korea Raps Japan’s New Education Handbook on Dokdo, Yonhap News, December 25, 2009.
After 65-years, Korean Forced Laborers Receive 99 Yen from the Japanese Social Insurance Agency
Japan Offers $1.08 to the Laborers it Conscripted, JoongAng Ilbo, December 26, 2009.
Pathetic Compensation, The Dong-A Ilbo, December 25, 2009.
Japan Offers 99 Yen in Lieu of an Apology to Conscripted Laborers in South Korea, The Hankyoreh, December 24, 2009.
Filed under: 429516
Address by His Majesty the Emperor on the Occassion Ceremony of the Twentieth Anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor’s Accession to the Throne [Full Text-English], The Imperial Household Agency, November 12, 2009.
Japan Emperor Says History Vital as Past Haunts Asia, Reuters, November 11, 2009.
Japan’s War ‘Contrary to Emperor’s Wishes’: Son, AFP, November 12, 2009.
Foreign Policy: Pacific Angst Between U.S. and Japan, Foreign Policy, November 12, 2009.
Obama in Asia: Setting a Newly Cooperative Tone, AP, November 13, 2009.
Hatoyama Eyes 4 Key Areas in E. Asia Grouping Concept, Kyodo News, November 15, 2009.
U.S. Presses Japan to Implement Base Accord in High-Level Meeting, Kyodo News, November 17, 2009.
Chinese Premier Meets Japanese War Orphans Revisiting China, Xinhua, November 11, 2009.
Japan Atomic-Bomb Hit City Applauds Obama Speech, Reuters, November 13, 2009.
Hatoyama Calls for ‘Pragmatic Approach’ to Solve Island Dispute with Russia, Mainichi Daily News, November 16, 2009.
China Focuses on Territorial Issues as It Equates Tibet to U.S. Civil War South, New York Times, November 13, 2009.
Filed under: 429516
Chinese Scholar Slams Co-opting Korean History, The Chosun Ilbo, October 20, 2009.
Will Korea be Dragged About by China on Koguryo History?, The Chosun Ilbo, October 20, 2009.
Japan Cautious on Emperor’s Seoul Visit, The Korean Herald, October 19, 2009.
Asia’s Regionalism Block, Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2009.
A Milestone & New Starting Point for China, Japan, ROK, Xinhua, October 11, 2009.
Japan Promotes Asian Economic Bloc, Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2009.
Seoul Welcomes Joint History Textbook, but Says Will Take Time, Yonhap News Agency, October 8, 2009.
East Asian Nations Seek Common History Textbook, The Korea Times, October 8, 2009.
FM: Japan Ready to Face History, China Daily, October 1, 2009.
China, Japan, S. Korea Agree Deeper Cooperation, AFP, September 28, 2009.
U.S. Japan Alliance “Cornerstone” of Japanese Foreign Policy, Xinhua, September 24, 2009.
S. Korea, Japan Hold Summit on DPRK’s Denuclearization, Xinhua, September 24, 2009.
China’s Hu, Japan’s Hatoyama Agree to Extend Thaw in Relations, Bloomberg, September 22, 2009.
Japan Hopes for “Fresh Start” in Seoul Relations, JoongAng Daily, September 19, 2009.
Japanese Emperor’s Visit to Korea Could Backfire, Dong-a Ilbo, September 17, 2009.
Atami Final Resting Place for Tojo, 6 Others, Asahi Shimbun, September 15, 2009.
[ARCHIVE] Japan’s Other War Shrine: Koa Kannon Temple, Taipei Times, August 14, 2006.
Filed under: China, China-Japan, China-Korea, Japan, Japan-Korea, Korea, Yasukuni Shrine
The landslide victory of the DPJ and its junior partners over the LDP-Komei coalition in the recent general election for the Lower House of Parliament has led many to consider the possibility of a positive change in regional relationships between Japan and its neighboring countries. Since the beginning of the campaign period, Yukio Hatoyama and his fellow DPJ leaders have articulated the importance of developing closer, more amicable relationships with Japan’s Asian neighbors, and Hatoyama has been extremely vocal when addressing issues pertaining to the legacy of historical issues that has consistently tested Japan’s relations with its neighbors. While these promises for closer ties has left some in neighboring China and S. Korea optimistic toward the incoming administration, across the Pacific there are many who raise the question, “at what cost?” Hatoyama’s recent Op-Ed in the New York Times entitled, “A New Path for Japan” raised some concerns in the United States of a possible distancing between the US and its ally in the Far East. While DPJ officials quickly dispelled the idea of Japan moving away from the US, the question remains as to how Japan’s role in the region will (or will not) change with the arrival of the DPJ leadership.
This week’s news brief focuses on the varying hopes and fears of the Asia-Pacific as it witnesses the historic change in leadership within Japan:
A New Path for Japan, The New York Times, Aug. 26, 2009.
Korea Hopes for New Era in Japan Relations, The JoongAng Daily, Sept. 01, 2009.
South Korea Eyes Better Ties with Japan’s Next Leader, ChannelNewsAsia, Aug. 26, 2009.
Likely Japan Leaders to Focus on Asia Ties, Wall Street Journal, Aug. 27, 2009.
Hatoyama Seeks ‘Yukio-Barack’ Rapport, China Ties, Bloomberg, Sept. 1, 2009.
Interest High Among Foreign Media in ‘Historic’ Election, The Japan Times, Sept. 1, 2009.
U.S. May Profit from Better Japan-Asia Ties, Reuters, Sept. 3, 2009.
Sino-Japanese Ties not to be Affected After DPJ Assumes Reins of Government, SINA, Aug. 31, 2009.
DPJ to Further Advance Japan-China Ties: Party Chief, Xinhua, Aug. 11, 2009.
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese public Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam declaration, and the country’s surrender to the Allied powers. Although the official instrument of surrender was not signed until September 2, 1945, August 15 is recognized as the date of the conclusion of World War II in the Pacific theater.
In the post-War period, August 15 has come to be commemorated as “Victory over Japan” or “V-J” day in the United States, the “Shusen Kinenbi” or the “Anniversary of the War’s End” in Japan, and “Gwangbokjeol” or “Restoration of the Light” (Liberation) day in South Korea.
Despite the differences in naming, today, August 15th 2009 (August 14th in the United States) marks the sixty fourth anniversary of the day Japan announced its surrender to the World in 1945. The evening edition of the news in the United States, and the morning edition of the news in Japan and Korea have thus far carried minimal coverage of this event. The ‘non-remembrance’ of the end of World War II in the Pacific has frustrated veterans such as Albert Perdeck (NY Times, “Keeping Alive Memories That Bedevil Him,” Aug. 13, 2009) and furthermore, begs the question of whether this symbolizes the world moving on past the post-War era, or whether it is simply a symptom of historic amnesia?
The articles that do, however, report on this event are as follows:
On Liberation Day: It’s Crucial to Know and Surmount Former Colonizer, The Korea Times, Aug. 14, 2009.
The 64th National Ceremony to Mourn the War Dead Held Today, 7200 Bereaved Families Participate [Japanese], The MSN-Sankei News, Aug. 15, 2009.
This Land–Keeping Memories Alive That Bedevil Him, The New York Times, Aug. 13, 2009.
Summer of the General Election, With a Quiet “Yasukuni” Resolution to the Issue Remains Unforeseen [Japanese], The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 15, 2009.
Government to Invite U.S. Bataan POWs, The Daily Yomiuri, Aug. 15, 2009.
Filed under: China, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, History and Education, History in Popular Culture, History Textbooks, Japan, Japan-Korea, Korea, Private Sector/Civil Society, Territorial Disputes, Yasukuni Shrine
Two articles on South Korea reports Korean movements against Japan on Dokto Islets or Takeshima and the Sea of Japan or East Sea. The Northeast Asian History Foundation organized a scholary forum on Dokto Issue.
Korean Times provides a positive commentary on Chinese Director Li Ying’s documentary film, ‘Yasukuni’, which was recently released in Korea.
A Mainichi Shimbun journalist writes on her interaction with hibakusha and introduces a second generation hibakusha Hiromi Peterson, a Japanese who married to an American in Hawaii. She produced a textbook that recounts her family’s experiences after the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The textbook is now used across Hiroshima.
Jay Taylor’s new book titled “The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-Shek and the Struggle for Modern China” sheds a new light on Chiang Kai-shek’s life highlighting his talent as a strategist and rebutting some of popular conceptions such as his reluctance to exhaust his army in battles against the Japanese Army, utilizing new materials.
South Koreans want water called East Sea, UPI August 6, 2009
‘Japan’s Claim to Dokdo Threatens Peace in N-E Asia’, Korea Times, August 6, 2009
‘Yasukuni’ Cuts Into Spiritual Dimension, Koera Times, August 6, 2009
Serving as a bridge to spread the message of the atomic bombing, Mainichi Shimbun, August 6, 2009
The Generalissimo, Christian Science Monitor, August 6, 2009
Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific 