Wednesday, October 4, 2017

North Korean Nuclear/Missile Tests as Backgrounds of Japan's Election


North Korean Nuclear/Missile Tests as Backgrounds of Japan's Election


Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of the Japanese Diet in the middle of the North Koran nuclear missile crisis.  There is strong criticism against Abe's decision.  But it is apparent that PM Abe doesn't think that a war will occur sooner or later in the Korean Peninsula.

From 1910 to 1945 the Korean Peninsula was under control of the Imperial Japanese Government.  The Korean Kingdom was diplomatically and legally absorbed by Imperial Japan.  Since the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868 where the nation opened its door to the world, abolished samurai regime, and launched modern government around the emperor, Japan wanted the Korean Kingdom to follow suit, establish a diplomatic tie with Japan, and cooperate with Japan to stand against Russians invading the Far East and Chinese still having a political influence on the Korean government.

Through the the First Sino-Japanese War (1894 – 1895) and the Russo–Japanese War (1904-1905), Japan intensified its interference with the Korean government.  Although Japan removed the Chinese influence on the Korean court in the the First Sino-Japanese War, pressure of Russians and their policy to invade the Far East never ceased.  Russian troops and Japanese troops faced each other in Manchria, north of North Korea.  Chinese did not show any sincere attitudes to stop the Russian invasion in cooperation with Japan.  Finally, Tokyo decided to annex Korea.  It was carried out without strong protest from Koreans most of whom were farmers controlled by the Korean noble class.

Under the Japanese occupation, Korea achieved some Westernization.  Western countries that colonized some regions in Africa, Asia, or America took more from their colonies than they gave to the colonies.   But the Imperial Japanese Government gave more to Korea than it took from Korea to improve agriculture and build industries in Korea.  So, there was no big uprising of Koreans against Tokyo.

However, in 1945 in WWII,  the US carried out atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet Union started war against Japan and invaded Manchuria.  Then Tokyo surrendered, and Korans got independent from Japan.

Japan was devastated and its industries were severely damaged by US air raids in WWII.  But when the Korean War occurred between 1950 and 1953, the Japanese economy enjoyed special procurement boom.  The US sent many troops to the Korean Peninsula, used Japan as bases of support for those troops, and purchased large quantity of military equipment and related items in Japan.

After the Korean War that split the Peninsula between north and south, Japan and South Korea (the Republic of Korea) concluded the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea in 1965, which settled every issue between Japan and Korea since Japan's annexation of Korea, including various compensation of Koreans forced to work in Japan in the era.

However, with an increase of economic power of South Korea, it changed its position in relationship with Japan.  In 1990s, some left Japanese raised an issue of the Korean comfort women who were forced to provide services to Japanese troops in WWII.  Then Koreans joined this accusation of Japanese ex-militarism (Japan adopted the pacifist Constitution after WWII.).  When it entered the 21st century, anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea was further intensified.  Some Koreans are trying to build statues of a comfort woman even in the US and Europe as well as in front of the Japanese consulate in South Korea.

In the mean time, North Korea did not conclude peace treaty with South Korea and the US after the Korean War where China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea while the US and major members of the United Nations bolstered South Korea.  North Korea became essential for defense of China against the US stationing many troops in South Korea and Japan.  North Korea's trade with China became essential for existence of North Korea.  The two countries came to depend on each other.  Besides, the Kim family stuck to the position of dictator in North Korea since its independence after WWII even after the death of Kim Il-Sung in 1994 and Kim Jong-il in 2011.  Kim Jong-un, a son of Kim Jong-il, still pursues the militarism with development of long-range missiles and nuclear bombs.

But the most significant issue for Japanese is the fact that North Koran spies and agents who illegally entered Japan abducted many Japanese, took them to North Korean, and forced them to teach Japanese to North Korean spies and agents since 1970s till probably 1990s.  It is believed that North Korea abducted hundreds of Japanese, although they returned several Japanese and their families in response to then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang for diplomatic negotiation that eventually failed.      

Today, North Korea conducts nuclear tests and missile tests so openly and frequently.  Looking back to long and complicated history between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese Government needs careful handling.  Most of Japanese people don't think that a war in the Korean Peninsula is imminent, but also think it is too careless for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to have dissolved, in the end of September, the lower house with decisive power to choose prime minister of Japan.  If anything wrong should occur in the Korean Peninsula or between the North Korean military and US/South Korean troops, Japan cannot avoid serious influence.  It is even assumed that hundreds of thousands of Korean refugees will rush to Japan over the Sea of Japan if a military conflict should happen in the Peninsula.

So, this general election in Japan seems to be going on in the bad timing and the bad situation.  PM Abe's judgment to hold the election under this condition should be one of the issues in the election.