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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE November 22, 2005
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| August 20, 2005 |
Panel Discussion on Historical Reconciliation in Northeast Asia |
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| A war survivor, right, and recent victim, second from right, giving testimony onboard the Peace and Green Boat |
A core theme of the voyage of the Peace and Green Boat is historical understanding and reconciliation, and in this spirit a symposium with two events were held onboard addressing historical perception and its impact on the choices we make in the future. The program began with testimonials from two people, one Korean and the other Chinese, to share stories of the impact on civilians of the Japanese Imperial Army’s occupation of East Asia during the Asia-Pacific War.
The first speaker was a vibrant Korean woman who’d experienced the worst of war as a child and young woman. She explained how she’d been kidnapped by Japanese soldiers at the age of 15, and with five other Korean women, was forced into ‘service’ for a group of 300 Japanese troops. Under constant threat of death, as she was regarded as less than human and whose only purpose was the satisfaction of the sexual needs of the soldiers, she experienced great physical and psychological brutalization and long-lasting injury. After the war, women like her who’d survived the experience faced decades of shame and social marginalization. Though she does not hate people, her desire to see justice done was clear when she stated “I will live 200 years till Japanese Government apologize and compensate for what they have done to us.” |
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| Some of the wounds suffered from contact with an abandoned chemical weapon |
Second to speak was a young man from China, Mr. Tei, who accidentally touched a canister of chemical warfare gas abandoned by the retreating Japanese army 60 years earlier. Though only 25 years old, Mr. Tei faces a lifetime of disability caused by the chemical weapons, a problem which remains insufficiently addressed by the Japanese government. Mr. Tei shared that he was not alone when he was contaminated, but his friend with him then died from the toxins soon after. Incidents like this are occurring with alarming frequency, especially in the northeast of China. |
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The second session of the symposium was a panel discussion between three representatives each of Korea and Japan. The panel tackled the challenge of achieving a common understanding of what happened during the war, between civilians in both countries, not only governments. A central point of discussion was the need to counter the revision of history textbooks, an attempt to whitewash history and escape responsibility by the Japanese government. A milestone was achieved in 2003 when a committee composed of civilians representing various East Asian countries completed a joint history textbook entitled “History Opening the Future.”
The symposium ended with the clear recognition that in order for people in East Asia to build links and the foundations for long-lasting peace and friendship, a common recognition of what happened during and after WWII needs to be pursued, together. This is not only a call for Japan to officially recognize what it did during the war, but also for Korea and China to learn from Japan’s experience in democracy and development in the post-war period. Events like this taking place everyday onboard the Peace and Green Boat and in the ports of call are important steps which need to be repeated, little by little, until a new foundation of peace and friendship between the peoples of East Asia is realized. |
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