politics

U.S. seeks Japan, S Korea meeting to improve ties

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black_jack does not portray the truth about history.

Koreans should learn from Taiwanese, who had the same experience of being annexed by Japan, yet they don't hold grudge or teach their kids to hate Japan.

There is a reason why there is a perception that Taiwanese did not actively express their resentment against the Japanese. It had to do with the takeover and occupation of the island by the Nationalist forces after their defeat on the mainland in the late 1940s. As the saying goes, they had "bigger fish to fry." But make no mistake, there are older Taiwanese who recall the time under Japan's rule with resentment. (I personally knew some Japanese who served on Taiwan and were horribly embarrassed by how Japan treated the Taiwanese.)

When I was on Taiwan, I asked people about their feelings about things. Of course, they have very mixed feelings about the mainland. But if hostilities were to develop between Japan and China, most Taiwanese would be eager to join the Chinese to fight against Japan. While adults do not teach their children to hate Japan, they do teach history.

Koreans have some cause to feel bitterness. They recall how Japan tried to destroy their language and culture. There can be little on the positive side to balance that attempt to destroy.

But your observations about Taiwan are completely wrong from my experience. Your words are generalizations, but what comes through is the arrogant posturing of making the Taiwanese appear superior to the Koreans. As a result, your words only reflect very poorly on the thinking of some Japanese.

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Translation: U.S. to Japan and S. Korea: You two pixies knock it off!

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Only thing the US can suggest is that SK had better get over holding a pointless grudge about the past because its not doing anything beneficial for them. Japan also needs to straighten out its history textbooks to include facts about its WW2 history and not white wash it.

Look to the future and what can be done to make things better. Never forget the past, but don't try to dwell there for the rest of your lives.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@ Ka_Chan

Your comments seem to be barking up the wrong tree. I would have thought this issue is concerning how US try to play a mediator roll on the Japan/SK issue not with China and Japan.

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I don't think SK wants better relations...

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South Korea just dont believes the myth of military alliance with US or Japan is the cornerstone of their nation's security! The road through the DMZ to Pyongyang must via Peking! This is a fact shouldnt ignore. South Korea just dont want any military ties with Japan, it was a very uneasy to speak but bring back the colonial history to 'reject' it politelty

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paid respects at the Yasukuni shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead including war criminals.

this doesn't make sense. why do Japanese people honor war criminals?

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Japanese and Taiwanese seem to understand each other even without speaking. In the case of Koreans, it is often said, the filial piety of Confucianism as a kind of fundamentalism precedes or perhaps eliminated the notion of letting go which Taoism and Buddhism may have taught them in the previous ages, and makes it difficult for them to get along with Japanese. Grudge of the father stays and should stay forever. Even the passage of time does not allow the name and fame of the dead to be defamed by the freedom of pursuing historical truths or freedom of expression. A writer is sued for defamation of a dead person a hundred years later even if he writes the truth. It is unthinkable in Japan. Such Koreans' temperament was perhaps culturally molded during Chosun dynasty which ousted Buddhism. Without considering the gap between the traits of the two nations, it is fruitless for U.S. or anyone else to urge them to improve ties.

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Totally a waste of time. These two country have not and probably will not have good relation in the life time of anyone here. The bad relations didn't start because of WWII, it was bad long before that. Korea is like a sibling that been bullied since it was young. Probably never will able to have good relations with is bullying sibling. China is another matter since today China can really bully Japan if it really wanted to get revenge and there will be nothing Japan can do about it and the US can only protect Japan so far. In economic terms, Korea is beatng the pants off Japan and buying up assets but that is about it. China can destroy the Japanese economy with the help all those Japanese companies that have setup shop in China but that will cost them. An economic war would benefit China over Japan but is it worth the price. Don't think they will to do that yet. Not until they figure a way to do it without affecting Europe and the US.

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Japan already knows how to improve ties with Korea and China. They need to stop trying to deny or downplay their past war crimes at every opportunity. Abe is the best example - the top official of Japan, even months ago attempting to question or deny their past. When did you last see a German chancellor downplay their past? Think I'm biased? Just search for 'Japan's denial of history' and see if the Japanese view is shared by anyone outside Japanese borders.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

@ka_chan: cool plans and great imagination powers, kid.

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Black_jack I couldnt agree more with you.

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That's never going to happen. Even the Koreans in US hate Japan so much that they take over editorials and ads/billboards to bash Japan about the disputed island. The same goes for the Chinese and Taiwanese about the disputed islands. This is all over major cities in US. I've personally seen that in New York and LA. I've been to a famous Korean restaurant in LA's K-town a year back where the manager kicked out a couple of businessmen who spoke Japanese in the restaurant. The Japanese patrons made a big scene out of it then other Korean patrons started to yell at the Japanese. Let's just say a lot of racial comments were made toward the Japanese and vice versa against the Koreans. With this type of hatred between the two in US no less, how are the two suppose to improve ties?

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

SerranoJun. 21, 2013 - 08:18PM JST Translation: U.S. to Japan and S. Korea: You two pixies knock it off!

Totally incorrect. It is South Korea's anti-Japan stance affecting diplomatic and political relations between the two that is causing the problem. Japan has no similar anti-Korean agenda and what little one does see are always responses to South Korean provocations. South Korea needs to decide whether it wants to remain a US ally under our protection, or does want to go back to being a Chinese tributary state.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

As long as the Koreans can't overcome their inferiority complex against Japan and keep brainwashing their innocent children to hate Japan, the relation between the two nations will not improve. Koreans should learn from Taiwanese, who had the same experience of being annexed by Japan, yet they don't hold grudge or teach their kids to hate Japan. Unlike the Koreans who always distorts the history and exagerate the negative side and hide positive side of the Japanese era, Taiwanese have an objective view and observation of that time. They teach both positive side and negative side of the Japanese policies when it was part of Japan.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

highball7Jun. 22, 2013 - 06:25AM JST That's never going to happen. Even the Koreans in US hate Japan so much that they take over editorials and >ads/billboards to bash Japan about the disputed island. The same goes for the Chinese and Taiwanese about the >disputed islands. This is all over major cities in US. I've personally seen that in New York and LA. I've been to a >famous Korean restaurant in LA's K-town a year back where the manager kicked out a couple of businessmen who >spoke Japanese in the restaurant. The Japanese patrons made a big scene out of it then other Korean patrons started >to yell at the Japanese. Let's just say a lot of racial comments were made toward the Japanese and vice versa against >the Koreans. With this type of hatred between the two in US no less, how are the two suppose to improve ties?

If that's true, Koreans in the United Sates need to learn that we have anti discrimination laws.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

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