お久しぶりです！

こんばんは！竹中です。

長らく放置されてたこのブログですが最近自分の意見や考えを文章にするのが楽しいので僕が活性化していきたいと思います。

近況ですがゼミも決まり、一段落しました。ゼミは政経で一番厳しいと言われる東南アジア地域のゼミにしました。面接では『大学辞めたら？』とかサディストのようなこと言ってましたが、河合塾の講師の山西先生に一種似た空気を感じました笑。『学生の仕事は勉強だよ？』ごもっともです笑。

やっぱり２１世紀はアジアの時代なのではないかと強烈に感じるので日本にとって絶対に東南アジアは無視できない存在でしょう。最近は興味が中東からアジア地域に確実に移っています。また来年からシンガポールに留学するのでこの地域は将来にわたって関わることになるかもしれません笑

てな訳で最近Asian Development and Globalizationという授業で書いた論文です。この授業は７人くらいの超少人数で(最初は１５人くらいいた)、しかも中国人、韓国人、シンガポール人など国籍もバラバラです。授業の公用語は英語ですが、実際マジつらいっす笑。何言ってるかわからない。でも議論は面白い。

The impact of Japanese imperialism on Asian Development.

Japan’s aspiration for the Great East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere began in 1984 with Sino-Japanese War. Modernized Japanese army defeated china, as most people expected Japanese to win. “The implication of this victory would guide Japanese policy in Asia for almost the next century”⑴ In addition to this victory, Japan won the fight against even the European power, Russia. As a result, Japan had come to have control over Korean peninsula, which was extremely important for a geopolitical reason at that time, and established its status as a big power in Asia. Its victory over two countries, especially Russia, was significant. “Speaking more than a half centuries later, Mochtar Lubis, the distinguished Indonesian journalist, fairly summarized a reaction that transcend national boundaries. “One of the factors which pushed our nationalist movement”, he told us, “was the defeat of Russia by the Japanese. An Asian country, an Asian power had been able to defeat a European power. ”⑵ The victory over Russia apparently inspired Asian countries, and made Japan believe that they must release Asian nations from European powers. In this way, Japanese imperialism began sweeping across Asian countries. They occupied or annexed many Asian countries and left good and bad influence to posterity.

I would like to take a look at positive influences Japanese imperialism left in Asian countries. Many countries which Japan had occupied or annexed benefited economically from Japanese rule and achieved high economic growth. For instance, Japanese government invested intensively in Korea because Japan regarded Korean peninsula as a vital base for expanding its territories. “During THE colonial period, 1910-45, the Japanese government attempted to integrate completely the Korean economy with Japan, and thus introduced many modern economic and social institutions, and invested heavily in infrastructure, including schools, railroads and utilities. Most of these physical facilities remained in Korea after the Liberation.”⑶ Because of these investments, Korea developed rapidly in 1930s and the development was called “Korean industrial revolution”. With the Korean industrial revolution, enrollment ratio of primary school was improved, consumer spending increased rapidly, and public security was restored. In post- war era, Korea became a wealthy and highly developed country by rapid economic growth called Miracle on the Han River. Likewise, in Taiwan, in which Japan started to gain control over its authority by Shimonoseki treaty on April 17, 1895, Japanese government invested in infrastructure and improved economy, industry, and public safety. Especially, a sugar industry, which later became one of the biggest sources of tax, was invested intensively by Inazo Nitobe. A development of the sugar industry made it possible for Taiwan people to increase their income and achieve fiscal independence b y 1905. Because of the stable tax revenue which sugar industry supported, public spending in the form of budget allocations for public works such as railroads, irrigation systems, and electric power plant was made easier to build⑷. In other words, in my opinion, Japanese investments in major infrastructures in Korea and Taiwan during colonial period became a base for rapid development in post-war era.

However, there are many negative influences Japanese imperialism left in Asian countries which Japan occupied or annexed. In my opinion, Japan committed two types of war crimes: normal war crime and cultural one. First, Japan committed a lot of war crimes such as summary execution, rape, forced labour, preventable famine, and looting. They ignored basic human right of colonial people in order to win the wars and develop their country. Second, most importantly, Japan suppressed colonial people culturally and deprived them of the most basic human right. For example, in Korea, native Korean people are forced to change their original name by a notorious policy called soshi-kaimei and to give their loyalty to Japan. In addition to this policy, Korean people are obliged to learn Japanese language instead of their mother tongue and a lot of subject in Japanese. “Focus was heavily and intentionally placed upon the psychological and cultural element in Japan’s colonial policy, and the unification strategies adopted in the fields of culture and education was designed to eradicate the individual ethnicity of the Korean race.” ⑸ The fact that their country was colonized and exploited lingers on even today and will be remember in the future. Former colonial people have a strong anti-Japan sentiment expect Taiwan in which people tend to be relatively less obsessed with anti-Japan sentiments. Because of anti-Japan sentiments former colonial people have, there are lot problems Japan can not solve such as territorial and history issue. As a result, Japan and former colonial countries have not archived future-oriented relationship based on reconciliation and cooperation.

In conclusion, in order to gain economical benefit, Japan expanded its territories, colonized many neighbor countries and invested in infrastructures in the colonies. Because of the extensive investment, former Japanese colonies had made a basis for the rapid development and achieved rapid economic growth in the post war era. However, what Japan committed during the war had more meaning to colonial people than the fact that Japan invested in their countries and made basis for economic growth. The way Japan expands its territories and exploited neighbors was too cruel for colonial people to forgive Japan. In other words, if Japan wants to solve the many issues and reconcile with them from the heart, Japan should show their sincere apologies and remorse toward them over and over again.

⑴ Frank Gibney. (1992). THE PACIFIC CENTURY, America and Asia in a Changing World. P, 104

⑵Frank Gibney. (1992). THE PACIFIC CENTURY, America and Asia in a Changing World. P, 105

⑶Lee, Jong-Wha. "Economic Growth and human Production in the Republic of Korea,- 1992". United Nations Development Programme.

http://hdr.undp.org/docs/publications/ocational_papers/oc24aa.htm

⑷Mikio Sugimoto. (1997). Taiwan, Korea and Philippine from the data produced point of view. 邦題：データから見た日本統治下の台湾・朝鮮プラスフィリピン　杉本幹夫

⑸Matsumura, Yuko. ""Cultural Genocide" and the Japanese Occupation of Korea. http://www.cgs.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/workshops_e/w_2004_02_23_e.html