The current relationship between Korea and Japan is at its worst since the 1960s, worse than ever before. It is a paradox that this year marks the 50th year since Korea and Japan established modern diplomatic relations. However, it gives us a sense of comfort that there are still some sensible, educated people striving and looking forward to bringing development to the bilateral relationship. Among them is Secretary General Yano Hideki of the Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery Campaign (unofficial translation), who offers a ray of hope.
Kim Min-kyu, chief of public relations and education at the Northeast Asian History Foundation, sat down with Hideki, who was visiting Korea on February 13, to hear more about his opinions.

Material provided by the Northeast Asian History Foundation


What's the purpose of your visit to Korea this time?

There are two reasons. First of all, I want to talk with my Korean partners about the Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery Campaign 2015 that will take place in June. Second, I want to discuss how to respond in Japan, in Korea and in East Asia to Abe's statement scheduled for August 15, in celebration of the 70th year of the end of the war. It's obvious that he will claim to stand for so-called "enthusiastic pacifism" represented by historical revisionism and by more intervention in international security matters. We can't just let it happen because it will surely pose a threat to peace in Japan and in Asia.

The Korea-Japan relationship is worse than ever before. In the present situation, we tend to look back on the roles and values of civil society which work to promote solidarity.

Mutual trust between the two governments has collapsed, and it seems impossible to hold a bilateral summit. However, there have been ongoing activities and campaigns at the civil society level, working on various issues about post-war compensations, nuclear plants and labor and bringing peace to East Asia. There is nothing to talk about on the issue of post-war compensation, however, because the case was lost in trial. However, there have been outcomes from various unions between Korean and Japanese civil society groups. They forced the public revelation of the "Korea-Japan Conference Document." In Korea, two special laws have been adopted to look into the truth about enforced mobilization under Japanese colonization, and efforts have been made to support them. Most of all, there are more networks established between citizens of the two nations, not to mention the fact that mutual trust has deepened. This will be a solid basis on which to prevent any possibility of war and to bring peace.

What do you think were the main causes that deteriorated the two nation’s relationship?

I believe there were two factors. First, it’s the Abe administration’s historical revisionism. During the 95th anniversary of the Korean Independence Movement Day in 2014, President Park Geun-hye mentioned that it was possible for the two nations to develop their bilateral relationship, despite the dark wounds of history, because there have been efforts by Japan to keep the pacific constitution, to maintain friendly relations with neighboring nations and to advance into the future by admitting its past wrongs of colonization through the Murayama Statement of 1995 and the Kono Statement of 1993. Claiming to support historical revisionism, however, the Abe administration tries to destroy every single bit of this basis. Things can never be better in this situation.

Another important factor causing negative influences is the role of media outlets. Most Japanese media outlets do not criticize the Abe administration. Cabinet members involved in hate speech or who participate in the equivalent of Neo-Nazi movements do accept the Abe administration and publish articles and reports on things that encourage anti-Korea or anti-China sentiments. It plays a big part in causing the anti-Korea sentiment among more and more Japanese people.

In Korea, it’s embarrassing to talk about the “commemoration” of the 50th year of normalized Korea-Japan ties. How is it in Japan?

Japan is, too, not in the mood to celebrate this. It’s not only because of an anti-Korea sentiment. Most Japanese people lack any knowledge of the history of the past 50 years. Some of them are not even aware that Japan colonized Korea, Taiwan and Manchuria. We should start to let them acknowledge current issues about the wartime victims of sexual slavery and of ethnic Koreans living in Japan before we take steps toward a Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery movement.

What type of role do you think civil society groups can play to break through the crisis? Some people express concerns that it might cause a backlash.

Citizens of the two countries have carried out activities to properly apologize for the past colonization and to help recover war victims’ rights and honors, over the past 20 years or so, since the 1990s. There was a movement over textbook issues, too. We need to pass on these experiences to the next generation.

What does the Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery movement do exactly?

According to the Korea-Japan Reparation Agreement signed in 1965, the reparation issues have completely been cleared away. To be honest, that's deceiving. Since 1965, from time to time, problems have been brought up related to bomb survivors living in Korea, Korean residents living in Sakhalin and disabled Korean veterans living in Japan. The Japanese government has never shown any response to these claims. The "comfort women" issue hasn't come to a conclusion yet, either, but the launch of the Asian Women's Fund was one reaction to this. The Japanese government has dragged its feet on reparation issues related to its colonization for so long, since 1965. The truth is coming out more clearly via trials for post-war reparations and the revelation of documents of the Korea-Japan talks.

The Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery Campaign has been verifying the steps undertaken to establish the basic treaty and agreement on reparations between the two nations. We work with two groups. The first consists of researchers, people working in the media sector and citizens. They work to clarify how the government dealt with colonialism after the war, based on documents about the negotiation progress, public campaigns for war victims and news reports. The results will be published soon. The other group is comprised of people who got involved in the struggle against the treaty in 1965. We record a video of their testimony. We strive to find of what they made an issue, why they resisted the treaty and how they perceive the problems of colonization during their struggle.

In 2010, you took the world by surprise when you received the Lim Jong Guk Award, given to an individual or a group for their dedication to take the lead in bringing to light pro-Japanese Koreans. What made you drive the campaign in Japan?

The account of Kim Hak-sun, in her later years, made us act. We were shocked that there were real victims who sacrificed for the war and for colonization, and that they were requesting an apology and reparations from the Japanese government for their wrongs some 40 years ago. We began to respect her, and then we thought that now was the time to change the paradigm of the peace initiative in Japan. In 1995, when we heard that families of victims drafted to work in a steel mill filed suit, we decided to join in the struggle.


You have participated in a wide variety of campaigns and movements. When was the most rewarding moment?

Every single case in Japan went against the plaintiff. We didn't earn anything, not even during the campaign to adopt a new law for victims' reparations. Therefore, I have nothing to say when asked about things for which I feel rewarded. However, I was happy when Korea adopted a law to support labor victims from war time, when the decision of the Supreme Court came out on May 24, 2012, and when the victims and lawyers admitted that it was the outcome of efforts made by civil groups of both nations.

It seems that civil groups who insist on showing a considerate attitude toward its neighbor have slowly lost their power since the launch of the second Abe administration. Perhaps, now is the hardest time to carry out your campaigns?

I have nothing to say, but to agree with the statement that we are now experiencing the hardest of times. However I can say that we never had an easy time since we started the campaign in the 1990s. Our group has come up with a number of good results, though. Since the Durban Declaration of 2001, the movement has spread all across the globe to rid the world of colonialism. It might seem small now, but if the movement continues, I believe the tide of history will flow in the direction we hope. With that in mind, we just keep moving forward.

The younger generations in both Korea and Japan seem to have less interest in supporting peaceful relationships with neighboring nations.

That is one of the biggest problems we face today. However, we have a ray of hope. One social group working on sexual slavery issues conducted a poll among both Korean and Japanese students last year. When asked about the need for apologizes and reparations from Japan, some 98 percent of Korean students and 64 percent of Japanese students said yes. Despite the strong wave of anti-Korea and anti-Asahi newspaper sentiment found across Japanese society, about two thirds of respondents showed a positive response. I saw a ray of hope here. Also, a lot of students are getting involved in a movement against the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets, proposed by the second Abe cabinet. One of the important key objectives for the Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery campaign is to invite more students and young people to participate in the movement.

As an activist working to build friendships with Koreans, what would you recommend or advise for both the Koreans and the Japanese?

I am afraid what I say may be misleading. I haven't established solidarity with any Korean citizen. I became friends with war victims, volunteers, lawyers and civil campaigners. We can start sharing our hobbies and together enjoy the animations, art, exhibitions and music of each country. It's important to make friends. This will surely become the basis for the development of bilateral ties.

Do you want to say any words on how to improve the relationship between Korea and Japan?

I'm not sure that I can definitively achieve that, but I want to try two things. First, I want to learn Korean. I've visited Korea about 100 times over the past 20 years, but I can only speak some simple greeting words. A lack of language skills deters us from understanding what the victims are saying. I am trying, but it's still very difficult. The second thing might not be directly linked to the bilateral relationship. It's our long-term goal to bring a normalization of the diplomatic relationship between North Korea and Japan. It's been 50 years now since efforts began between Korea and Japan to normalize the ties, but Japan has been almost disconnected from North Korea. I hope we can solve the problem as soon as possible.

What do you want to suggest the Northeast Asian History Foundation do to rise above past conflicts and to bring forth peaceful coexistence?

I want to ask for continued attention and support for victims of the war and colonization. In recent years, more and more countries are developing an interdependence with one another in the areas of business or foreign affairs. With that in mind, wars and armed disputes are not in accordance with current trends. However, peace doesn't come easily. The preamble to the constitution of UNESCO declares that, "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed." In other words, it's most important to recover inner peace in the mind in order to keep the world at peace. I would like to ask the foundation to pay attention to this.

Yano Hideki is the secretary general of the Japanese committee of the Korea-Japan Solidarity Recovery Campaign 2015. He has been involved in the post-war reparations movement since the 1990s. He has supported Korean wartime laborers and soldiers, trying to help them receive compensation, and has filed lawsuits demanding the cancellation of certain enshrinements in the Yasukuni Shrine. He has worked with Korean civil groups since 2010 to bring peace and recently became the first Japanese citizen to receive the Lim Jong Guk Award. The award is given by the Institute for Research into Collaborationist Activities to individuals or groups which play a role in bringing to light pro-Japanese actions during colonial times.

Translated by Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writer