The comic book Kenkanryu (basically, “Hating the Korean Wave” or “Hate Korea Wave”) is the No. 1 bestseller at Amazon Japan and rave reviews from Japanese Netizens are pouring in, according to the Kookmin Ilbo (and others).
The comic book is divided into nine chapters. In chapter three, “The history of Korean-Japanese and the myth of forced relocations,” the comic claims that Japanese companies did not impress Korean laborers; all they did was place ads recruiting Korean workers. It also said Japan spent 20 percent of its national budget on its Korean colony, speeding up its modernization.
In chapter six, “Hangeul and Koreans — the so-called world’s greatest language, history and secrets of hangeul,” the comic claims that Japan did not suppress the use of hangeul, but rather propagated its use and improved the knowledge level of Koreans.
In chapter nine, “Invasions of Japanese territory — the Dokdo Issue,” it says that Korea, which “unilaterally drew the Syngman Rhee Line” that included Dokdo as Korean territory, detained 3,000 Japanese sailors until a bilateral fishing agreement was signed in 1965, and used them as a negotiating card during talks to normalize relations between Seoul and Tokyo.
According to the Chosun Ilbo (Korean) report, the comic describes Ahn Jung-geun as a “foolish terrorist” who hurt Korea’s interests when he assassinated Ito Hirobumi, who the comic says uniquely understood Korea.
Some of the other chapter titles also speak a lot, like the one for chapter one, “World Cup soccer history defiled by Koreans,” and chapter four, “Korea, which steals Japanese culture.”
The Chosun did point out, however, the Japan’s major dailies like the Asahi and Yomiuri have refused to run advertisements for the comic, which they consider radical and biased.
My Daily (Korean) reports that 100,000 copies of the comic were sold within five days.
132 Comments
“Korea” didn’t force its pop culture on the Japanese. If the Japanese don’t like it, they have the option to tune it out. I get it, people are embarassed and bothered by the fact that Japanese women are flocking to Korea. That explains why some Japanese try to painstakingly paint those women as “over 35″ (they’re over the hill anyway so who cares), or they are Zainichi Koreans, pretending to be real Japanese. LOL.
If ethnic Koreans are racially inclined to committing crimes, why is it that in Canada and the US, we don’t have the same problem here with overflowing prisons full of ethnic Koreans? Why is this phenomenal of criminals only being Koreans, only in Japan?
“almost 80% of the fans who show up at Bae Yong Joon?s press conferences and airport arrivals are of Zainichi (Korean Japanese descent)”
Yeah, and the immigration at the airport checked every one of those Zainichi Koreans’ pretending to be Japanese, their passports and concluded that they weren’t Japanese after all. Also, it’s very easy to pick out Koreans from crowd of Japanese.
The Japanese tour groups heading out to Kangwon-do are all zainichi, too.
apollo, what in the world are you talking about? Talk about ignorance at its finest. When did Korea and Japan agree on a treaty, and when did Korea deplete the areas resources? If Japan was interested in “protecting the ocean environment” at all, they wouldn’t carelessly slaughter hundreds and hundreds of dolphins, sharks, and whales each passing day. “Unconditional friendship?” Please. Sometimes I think Japan was created just to piss Korea off. It’s all they’ve ever done. The ancestors of the Koreans/Chinese helped the Japanese out when they were starving, and in return, the Japanese ravaged and raped their women, plundered their villages, humiliated, and tortured them.
Props to kimbob for a great post. Very true.
By the way, my Korean friend read a few translated pages of the manga, and wow. Not only does this book deride Korea, but other countries as well.
Translated into Korean? By whom? I’m not so sure I would put a lot of faith in that.
I have been burned by that kind of thing before, where stuff I wrote in English was mistranslated into something that took what I said completely out of context.
The one that made me laugh was this:
“Japan needs to protect the ocean environment and the fishing resource for the future.”
Japan worried about ocean environment and fishing resources for the future??? Good god, that’s funny.
I do not hate the “Korean Wave,” but I do get sick of seeing and hearing it mentioned in the Korean media as if it is some kind of Renaissance sweeping the globe. Maybe, the writer of this comic book feels the same way?
Chonko’s post (No. 13) seems to paint a very reasonable scenario for the comic book, especially when you compare it to many of the anti-Japanese scenarios in Korean comic books and novels. I also believe that Japan has tried over and over again to reach out to Korea, only to have her hand slapped away almost every time. If Korea is not careful, Japan may be tired of extending her hand.
Koreans in colonial Korea did relocate on their own in search of job opportunities and a better life. The Japanese did teach the Korean language in Korean schools. Japan did invest a great deal in colonial Korea. Tokdo/Takeshima is being illegally occupied by Korea. And I understand that many historians do consider that it was unfortunate for Korea that Ito Hirobumi was assasinated. Therefore, the comic book seems to be making reasonable claims to counter the Korean propaganda on colonial Korea.
This comic book seems to be reflecting a growing frustration and anger that many Japanese may feel in regard to the anti-Japanese movement in Korea.
And there you have it.
Well ain’t that a surprise.
I’ve heard that one about Ahn before in a book about the yakuza by a guy named Kaplan. According to the book (as far as I can remember), Ahn was acting as an agent of the Black Ocean Society (wittingly or unwittingly) when he assassinated Ito. The Black Oceaners thought Ito was too liberal, and sure enough, one year later Korea was officially annexed. It would be interesting to get to the bottom of this, as I trust Korean or Japanese historiographies about as far as I can kick them.
What do you expect from a country where the prime minister glorifies WWII criminals and the teachers get fired when they do not stand up for the “Butcher Song”?
Japan is still living through 1940s.
The Japanese people still have wet dreams about how things were so good during early 20th century. The stage is set for another round of nuclear bomb attacks on Japan Islands, probably by the Chinese or they may use North Koreans to do the dirty deeds.
Somebody has to teach a lesson.
I really respect those teachers who intentionally did not stand up when Kimigayo was playing. They felt strongly that Japan needs changing. They knew that Japan should never go down the path of militarization, invasion of other countries and hegemony in the region.
Yet, they were fired and the rest of Japan just keeps silent. What does this tell you? The Japanese wants to do it all over again.
They are just waiting for a Hitler (or Tojo to be appropriate?) to appear and unite Japan against the rest of the World. Japan has learned nothing through the WWII experience.
Japan will see the same conclusion once again.
i’m sure the expats here will be doing what they can to defend their japanese pets. notice no condemnation from marmot? if it were koreans who did this….
if it were koreans who did this??.
No memory of Lee OYuong and Chon Yu Ok? Compared with how Koreans publish books about Japan, Japan has far more diverse and healthier openions.
Korean halluciantions like are really pushing its friendly neighbor to go against.
Japanese rightist/revisionist manga are a scary thing that deserve no defense. I think the Marmot only laid out the provocative chapters for us without comment because he hasn’t read it yet.
At some level (and I KNOW Nulji will misinterpret this as my defense of Japan or the manga in question, this disclaimer notwithstanding) I have to think that all the chest-beating in Korea about Tokdo and the trumpeting of the Korean wave contributed to the reported popularity of Kenkanryu. If I were a Korean able to read Japanese, my desire to know what they were saying would trump my revulsion at spending cash on that manga.
Yeah, but I thought Japanese can give a hoot what Koreans think or not think because Korea is insignificant?
I think right now Japan needs SK more than SK needs Japan. With a threat as big as China looming on the horizon, it is about time for these two countries to combine their wits together.
Instead, SK and Japan are only drifting apart. The reason? Japan is behaving stupid. Look at Dokto. Look at Koizumi. Look at the Tokyo mayor.
A country this stupid needs another round of nuke bombs to wake up to the reality.
Surely the publishers could have chosen the format as something other than a Comic book (sorry “graphic novel”) if the intent was for it to be taken seriously? Or is it meant to be taken seriously? I for one can’t stand a single Korean melodrama but I’ve never found it worthy of the time or effort to rage against Yong-sama by devoting a book to the issue.
The sadness to Japan is that Korea is no different from China. The blinded and hallucinated Koreans like baduk are really harming the unconditional friendship Japan had giving. As I can read from his comments, Koreans are very militalistic and aggressive. The ethno-centric education really paid off, I guess.
Unconditional friendship? Does that include land grabbing(Dokto)?
Along the same vein, name one example of Japan’s “unconditional” friendship. I don’t know of any.
I don’t think there is any need for a blog’s owner to make many comments when he has a nice big piece of red meat like this. All he has to do is just wave it around and let us dogs work ourselves into a frenzy.
100,000 is not that much out of a population of 120,000,000(?) and you know that there was going to be a backlash against the “Korean Wave” combined with Japan-bashing in Korea.
It would be nice to see Amrerica’s two principle allies in the region get along. If England and Ireland can do it (for the most part) why not Korea and Japan?
Its about time a Japanese backlash came out after all of that horrendous “Korean Wave” boom that was forced on to Japan through a special deal between the two governments and Korean advertising entertainment companies.
Actually, I have read the comic and the historical issues are not the main topics of the comic. Actually, historical difference only account for 2 of the 15 chapters. What the comic deals with is basically how Japanese are fed up with all of the arrogant superiority notions that Koreans have been feeding the public throughtout the “Korean Wave” boom.
The comic follows a story about a high school student is approached by a Korean TV producer to promote Korean culture on TV. However, he senses something wrong with it since neither he nor any of his friends find anything interesting about Korean TV or entertainment and especially his girlfriend who thinks that Korean TV stars are not that attractive, but at the same time sees the posters, TV shows all over the place. He senses a disconnect and realizes that although every Korean he meets loves to boast about how all Japanese worship Yong-sama and everything about Korea, the reality could not be more different. It goes and shows how basically almost 80% of the fans who show up at Bae Yong Joon’s press conferences and airport arrivals are of Zainichi (Korean Japanese descent) and that there are hardly any people who are under the age of 35 who are interested in Kanryu (Korean Wave).
Then the comic shows the main character getting very upset and angry that even when Japan is very accepting of Korean culture, on the opposite end in Korea, they continue to demean and disparage Japan with hundreds of anti-Japanese books being published a year, anti-Japanese internet movement, etc.
This comic is the result of constant demands for more apologies and compensation. What on earth did Koreans think would happen when they make extravagant anti Japanese claims?
I reserve my judgement until I can get hold of a copy.
i?m sure the expats here will be doing what they can to defend their japanese pets. notice no condemnation from marmot? if it were koreans who did this??. If it were Koreans who did this, I think Marmot would do the same thing he did here: calmly and dispassionately put it into a proper perspective.
100,000 out of a country of 120,000,000 is less than one-tenth of a percent. We know that right-wing true believers probably account for a higher percentage than that, so this is really no surprise.
But what I don’t get is how something like this can happen if, as the Japan apologists say, Japanese just really don’t care what people from insignificant Korea think.
This comic is the result of constant demands for more apologies and compensation. What on earth did Koreans think would happen when they make extravagant anti Japanese claims?
I reserve my judgement until I can get hold of a copy.You mean, you’ll reserve judgement except for that first paragraph, right?
You mean, you?ll reserve judgement except for that first paragraph, right?
No, what I meant was that I would reserve my judgement as to whether the comic contained bigotry or not. If it does, then it is probably the result of all the bigotry coming from Korea, as Japanese were mostly disinterested about what Koreans thought of Japan, until the internet broadcasts those thoughts all over the world.
Shakuhachi, in other words you’re making a judgement already. You’ve just made it twice. You’re presupposing the outcome based on the subjective paradigm you frequently espouse.
While I think your perspective is sometimes interesting, I only pointed that out because it was yet another example that, you’re not always the dispassioned, well-reasoned, and objective person on these issues that you often paint yourself as being.
Yangban, England-Ireland relations are not the best example of harmony, although the IRA did say it will disarm (and we’ll see what that means later). Aren’t Koreans and Japanese genetically related? Then this is sibling rivalry, and it’s childish. The bigotry of some of the commentators here is really fucking ignorant as well.
I wonder what forms of media censorship exist in Japan? It seems irresponsible for anyone to put out this kind of thing but then manga is crap. Korea should send the boys from Rux and Couch to Japan to avenge their national honor.
‘if i could speak japanese…’ slim
you see, that’s the difference between the koreans and japanese regarding their racist nationalism; the japanese keep these kinds of subjects to themselves. don’t expect an english translation any time soon.
i’d love to read what it says too though i can read one of the captions on the cover. it’s the one with the white girl saying: ‘why do the koreans take our land, the bamboo islands?’
Well, the Left Behind” series is a best seller in America , but saying that it’s the representative opinion of Americans, or even believing American Christians is blowing things way out of proportion. OTOH, they’re popular enough that they can’t just be ignored.
L. Ron Hubbard novels were best sellers too.
Best-sellers are often made so by the publishers themselves pushing the books to be sold at very, very low prices, as a way of getting publicity. I have no idea if that happens in Japan or if it is happening with this comic book, but having an agenda to push adds one more reason for this practice to be employed.
You?ve just made it twice. You?re presupposing the outcome based on the subjective paradigm you frequently espouse.
I can see that you reject the principal of cause and effect. Since the comic seems to deal with Korean accusations towards Japan, it is safe to assume that the comic is the result of these accusations.
Best-sellers are often made so by the publishers themselves pushing the books to be sold at very, very low prices, as a way of getting publicity. I have no idea if that happens in Japan or if it is happening with this comic book, but having an agenda to push adds one more reason for this practice to be employed.
I have mine on order, and I have been told that I will have to wait for weeks.
baduk (8:41 am):
Japan and Korea made a fishing treaty so both parties could equally benefit from the region. And then Korean police forcefully occupied the islands, begun to chase Japanese fishermen away, then took everything they could until resources are depleted. Japan needs to protect the ocean environment and the fishing resource for the future.
Which country guaranteed won after the IMF crisis? Who helped Korea to be a part of OECD, or UN? Which government created Yon-sama fever for the sake of “The Friendship Year” and tourism in Korea? But for whatever Japan does, Korea takes a side of Chinese and come backstabbing.
By the way, Chusun Ilbo’s last paragraph is not reflecting the situation of the post-war Japan.
Big Publishers like Asahi and Yomiuri don’t run the ads (or rarely mention of the darkside of Korea, such as criminal activity and anti-japanese movements), because they are afraid of the organised phonecall campaign and bomb-threats by… you know, the certain segment of Japanese regidents…
Shakuhachi wrote:I can see that you reject the principal of cause and effect. Since the comic seems to deal with Korean accusations towards Japan, it is safe to assume that the comic is the result of these accusations.You must really see yourself as a master of discourse and argument if a mere disagreement with your a priori judgement is seen by you as a “reject[ion] of the principal [sic] of cause and effect.” (Unless you were actually referring to a school headmaster who uses “Principal of Cause and Effect” as an ominous pseudonym).
Without having read it, how can you be so sure that this cause-and-effect is the reason this was published? You made a judgement without having read it, though you suggested the need to do otherwise, and that judgement is based on your subjective paradigm on these issues.
I have mine on order, and I have been told that I will have to wait for weeks.That wouldn’t support or refute what I’m saying happens (and for the record I’m NOT saying that is necessarily the case here).
Companies send out their workers to buy up books. Groups give heavily discounted deals to their members (certain right-wing books that make the best-seller lists are sold for $1 to members of certain websites; left-wing groups might do the same thing). Other methods are used, too. The goal is manipulating the best-seller lists so that a book will seem more important than it would be on its own merit.
I learned a lot today. Without Japan, South Korea couldn’t have gotten into the U.N.
Also learn this Kushibo. The world will be a better place, if Japan minds their own business. Countless number of people were murdered because the japanase believe in some little boy who calls himself the Divine to purify the spirit by killing and raping.
I can’t read Korean, so…
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Regarding hangul:
When the idea of nationalism was introduced from Japan to Korea, Hangul began to be considered as a national symbol by some reformists. As a result of the Gab-o Reform (?ͺ?°??????€?ͺ?°?????) by pro-Japanese politicians, Hangul was adopted in official documents for the first time in 1894. After Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, Hangul was compulsorily taught in schools until Japan began its national mobilization policy in 1937. The Gabo Reform or Gabo Gyeongjang (?°??€ ?²½???; ?²???ζ?΄?Ό?) describes a series of sweeping reforms introduced into Korea (at that time called Joseon) in 1894, during the reign of King Gojong. …
See: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Hangul
GBeavers hit the nail on the head in comment #38.
I have a hunch that the Japanese don’t have it out for Koreans in a hostile way but perhaps are frustrated with the sense of bitterness Koreans don’t try to hide about Japan’s past and the Korean Wave which probably seems overwhelming at times. If this book was intended to really be damaging to Korea, it would have been translated into Korean or English. Clearly this was intended for a Japanese audience.
Based on what I have read about the book here, I think it is unfortunate that someone is making a profit off it, but I can’t say that I am surprised this happened. Is it not fair for the Japanese to be just as frustrated about this as Koreans are with Japan? Did you really expect the Japanese to sit there and take all the anti-Japanese sentiment Koreans are not afraid to dish out? (And yes, this can go the other way here, too and it has.)
And I think Koreans will be the first to tell you that they are not afraid of vocalizing their dislike for Japan. So based on that, I can see how it would get on the nerves of the Japanese people.
I’m not saying what Japan did to Korea in the past was right. It was a very ugly part of Japanese history and it should not be forgotten but however, perhaps it’s time to tone down the anti-Japanese rhetoric and put things more in a modern-day perspective.
You can only expect a country (in this case Japan but it applies to all nations) to take such abuse for so long before voicing their own frustrations…
GBevers wrote:I also believe that Japan has tried over and over again to reach out to Korea, only to have her hand slapped away almost every time. If Korea is not careful, Japan may be tired of extending her hand.Too often, that is the case. But when Japan’s hand was used for shooting people, lynching, torture, rape, etc., I can see why people “irrationally” fear the hand of Japan.Koreans in colonial Korea did relocate on their own in search of job opportunities and a better life.This is true, but it is by no means true for all. There were many Koreans who went to Japan for work and academic opportunities because the Korean colonial administration highly restricted these things.
But the fact that some went for a better life (some also went to Japan-administered Manchuria for the same reasons) does not negate or erase the fact that many were duped or forced into going into certain type of work or were conscripted into life-threatening work.The Japanese did teach the Korean language in Korean schools.Here is something where you and I might possibly agree. Some of the most infamous things perpetrated by the Japanese Government-General, especially those related to cultural eradication and assimilation into Japan, were imposed in the last third of the occupation, particularly right before and during the Pacific War. Yet many Koreans believe that these practices occurred throughout the entire 35-40 years of occupation. So, yes, the Japanese authorities put in place schools that taught Korean language. Those same schools eliminated Korean teaching later. Japan did invest a great deal in colonial Korea.And they took out a great deal, as well. The net difference was probably in the minus column, but even if it were in the plus column, that it happened by military force makes any such claim suspect.Tokdo/Takeshima is being illegally occupied by Korea.Japan is claiming an island it once controlled only because it had forced another country into a protectorate.And I understand that many historians do consider that it was unfortunate for Korea that Ito Hirobumi was assasinated.I wonder if the assassination of former Resident-General Prince Ito Hirobumi provided a pretext for taking over Korea, but I’m not so sure that Katsura Taro and other expansionists had already decided they were going to take it over and would have found some other pretext (I know some people who also believe that An was an unwitting dupe for the elimination of Ito, a Katsura opponent).Therefore, the comic book seems to be making reasonable claims to counter the Korean propaganda on colonial Korea.It’s right-wing propaganda for Japanese consumption. If it were about countering Korean propaganda, why isn’t it being published in Korean (or is it?)?This comic book seems to be reflecting a growing frustration and anger that many Japanese may feel in regard to the anti-Japanese movement in Korea.Doubtful. The views mentioned by Marmot’s existed long before the recent outbreak of anti-Japanese sentiment. They are long-existing viewpoints that would exist and are put forward by right-wing politicians even in the absence of Korean anger.
but I?m not so sure that Katsura Taro and other expansionists had already decided they were going to take it over and would have found some other pretext (I know some people who also believe that An was an unwitting dupe for the elimination of Ito, a Katsura opponent).I meant to say that I’m not so sure they weren’t going to take it over and would not have found some other pretext.
I can?t read Korean, so??
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The first link says.
‘why does Korea invade Takeshima, which is Japanese territory?’
‘There is no need for more apologies or compensation to Korea’
‘Samurai, Kendo, Sushi, tea ceremony, paper folding etc, along with Japanese comics are all claimed to be of Korean origin by Koreans’
Well now. That is all true. Koreans dont have a basis to criticise the comic on that basis. In fact, the subject came up in the ‘ethnic roots of Japanese’ comments section.
Im having to squint to read the other two pages, but it goes on to talk about Korean illegal immigration to Japan (the current Korean residents of Japan, hardly of whom were so called ‘forced laborers’) and Korean Cyber terror, which is also true.
You must really see yourself as a master of discourse and argument
YES! Your inferior Kyopo logic will crumble before the onslaught of my awesome rhetorical powers! Tremble in fear before the power of my CHEWBACCA DEFENSE! POW!
Jodi wrote:GBeavers hit the nail on the head in comment #38.Yep, he’s got that Japanese right-wing propaganda down pat. Start out with a somewhat valid point and that sneak in those far more controversial points as if they are part-and-parcel of the same truth. He’s swallowed it whole and really kept it down.I have a hunch that the Japanese don?t have it out for Koreans in a hostile way but perhaps are frustrated with the sense of bitterness Koreans don?t try to hide about Japan?s past and the Korean Wave which probably seems overwhelming at times.But we’re talking about two different groups of Japanese here. The average Japanese may be dismayed or shocked at how Koreans and especially Chinese are reacting. Some may be resentful. But the people who made this comic book are not the average Japanese reacting wringing their hands over other Asians’ anger toward their country. These are people who have a right-wing, nationalist agenda that they are trying to get as many as possible to buy into. The timing might seem like one thing caused the other, but in the past when this thing has happened, there wasn’t a proximal Korean or Chinese factor leading to it.If this book was intended to really be damaging to Korea, it would have been translated into Korean or English. Clearly this was intended for a Japanese audience.Exactly, as propaganda to promote a right-wing agenda.
The same thing happens in Korea with certain left-wing groups promoting an anti-Japanese or anti-American agenda. Take the death of the two girls in 2002. Many Koreans were genuinely angry about the incident, especially since it seems no one was punished for what seems to be gross neglect. But behind the scenes were agenda-driven nationalist groups who were not reacting to the girls’ deaths but waiting for something like that to happen so they would have fertile ground for their viewpoint.Based on what I have read about the book here, I think it is unfortunate that someone is making a profit off it, but I can?t say that I am surprised this happened. Is it not fair for the Japanese to be just as frustrated about this as Koreans are with Japan? Did you really expect the Japanese to sit there and take all the anti-Japanese sentiment Koreans are not afraid to dish out? (And yes, this can go the other way here, too and it has.)I agree with that opinion, but this is really not what is at work with this particular group.
And I think Koreans will be the first to tell you that they are not afraid of vocalizing their dislike for Japan. So based on that, I can see how it would get on the nerves of the Japanese people.
I?m not saying what Japan did to Korea in the past was right. It was a very ugly part of Japanese history and it should not be forgotten but however, perhaps it?s time to tone down the anti-Japanese rhetoric and put things more in a modern-day perspective.
You can only expect a country (in this case Japan but it applies to all nations) to take such abuse for so long before voicing their own frustrations??
Kushibo, for goodness sake, learn how to use the Quicktags
Hahhaha, I was just about to write the same thing, Kushibo
(Oh, i almost forgot to add:)
PLUS KOREAN CHICKS REALLY DIG ME! SO THERE!
Shakuhachi, in #49, are you referring to me accidentally not putting a block of Jodi’s text in quotations? (If it’s not that, then what are you referring to?)
I didn’t mean to have that in there at all. Someone called me just before I sent that, and I forgot to remove the stuff I was going to edit out.
I wish Marmot would include a PREVIEW function here.
Give the BOLD a rest Kush!
Nice article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08.....alism.html
Although I’m sure the pro-Japan and anti-Japan loonies here (and elsewhere) will agree that the article is horrible and biased propaganda (even if they cannot agree which side it is biased to).
Give the BOLD a rest Kush!Okay, I’m really confused now: I haven’t used any bold (or all-caps) for this post’s comments. Not on purpose, anyway. Except for #53, I can’t see any bold here.
Bold-face looks like this when I do it. Is the rest of what I’m writing in bold-face, too?
chariot
In August 1999. Ask your Korean friends or go to the libralies.After the treaty, Koreans set up fishing nets all over the neutral zone around Takeshima, and swept everything that fish needs to survive. There is nothing in their territories, and that’s why they invade into the Japanese EZZ. My uncle is one of those very flustrated fishermen in Sea of Japan.
And don’t blame Japanese on Whaling. It’s Europeans/Americans who killed tons of whales for oil. Culling Dolphines is a sad thing, but it’s like protecting sheep from wolves. Japanese are only protecting the resources, dig it? BTW, you already sound like a typical Korean: )
North Americans and Europeans having nearly wiped out the whales in the 19th century does not excuse Japanese and Koreans (or Norwegians and Icelanders) doing so today.
About the dolphins, are you saying that the dolphins are killed on purpose to keep them from the fish? My impression (which I admit may be incorrect) is that the dolphins were getting killed inadvertently in fishing nets by reckless fishing activities .
my wife (who lives in japan) just finish reading the book. it is best described by chonco#13, Its about time a Japanese backlash came out after all of that horrendous ?Korean Wave?? boom for her.
anyway she found it to be intended “anti-korean wave”, not exactly “anti-korea” in her opinion.
of course it describes nationalistic counter-arguments against some of traditional korean claims like japanese prohibited hangul, forced labor, not to mention comfort women during the annexation period. but thoes arguments are nothing new and she did not see any new proof or evidence. (personally me and my wife support most of the arguments in the book, though)
and in the hp of the auther (in japanese only) he describes difficulty he had to find a publisher for the book. also he seems to have “pro-japanese” view point but not so much rightets to me.
it costs 1000yen which is relatively high for a comic book.
i think the bright side of the korean-wave is it brought more information for better understanding of korea which would be beneficial for both countries. but at the same time it has ironical negative consequence, and this book is one good example.
before that happens, majority of japanese were just indifferent about korea. co-sponser of world cup02 and yakiniku(korean barbecue)period.
then the korean-wave becoming kind of boom for almost 2 years, many ordinary japanese (no rightests/nationalsts) have tried to learn more about this country; more people are visiting korea, checking web sites of japanese version of korean media, reading books about korea(there are many pro-korea books written by japanese as well as nationalistic flavors)
more they know about korea, they realize how japanese are hated, and how our history and culture are distorted there to suit korean agenda (i am not saying japanese are totally innocent for history distortion). this is the background this book is relatively well accepted now(still just 100thou. the best seller in japan last year is the latest harry potter in almost 3mil copies).
btw, a korean friend of mine told me about a comic book called “nambol”.
i personally dont read it, but it was a story about the south and the north korea jointly invade japan, and coloneze it. it was said to be one of the best seller around 3-4 years ago. i wish somebody tell me about the book.
it was also translated into english, because koreans have “no racistic nationalim” according to nulji.
i wonder how korean people perceived this book.
Your browser settings are whack, maybe, Kush, because there’s bold a-plenty in your comments–maybe it happens when you pull quotes from other comments, I dunno…
It’s unfair and childish to say “don’t blame us, ____ did it first.” The Japanese slaughter of whales/dolphins/sharks for so much as a simple fin is unethical and unjust (IMO, of course). Thanks for the information on the fisheries treaty. I skimmed some quick searches, but none of them mention anything about Koreans “depleting the resources.” I suppose if this were true, it wouldn’t be so often referred to as ‘valuable fishing grounds.’
For the record, I am not Korean, nor Japanese. I’m simply a white American whom has gained interest in Asian current events. I will admit that I am ignorant on the subject, but even I can tell when somebody’s view is whacked out. You must be Japanese. =)
If I’m just inputting stuff, I don’t know how my browser settings could be the problem. We have several computers here in the office, including two Macs, and they all show my stuff without bold face. Right now I’m sending this on a PC…
Your browser settings are whack, maybe, Kush, because there?s bold a-plenty in your comments?maybe it happens when you pull quotes from other comments, I dunno??And this is also on the PC, with a quote right before.
And this is also on the PC, with a quote right before.And right now, this is on a Mac.
Is there any difference? If not, then I don’t think it’s from my computer, but who knows?
I should also mention that this is Safari and the PC messages (before #63) are on Microsoft Excoriator.
“And this is also on the PC, with a quote right before.” This is in bold. “And right now, this is on a Mac.” This is also bold–unless that was intentional, your computer has mystical bolding properties
Anyway, sorry Kush. Just to weigh in on this very tedious subject, part of what might be setting off this mini-backlash in Japan is that the S. Korean gov’t has protected and funded domestic movies and TV, and so culture becomes tied up with politics. It’s more than a little ironic, because the Koreans have been complaining about the dominance of Hollywood, but then try to emulate it to the point of the gov’t calling its showbiz village or whatever it is “Hallyuwood.”
chariot
Eating not-endangered whales and dolphines is unethical? Or are you just talking about the slaughter of shark for fins (something that we can both agree with). Either way, I can tell that you are ignorant: Shark fins are for Chinese……, and dogs are for Koreans:)
Let’s stop there. I don’t wanna start talking about Mc’Donald’s…
Apollo, can you supply the kanji for those, as well?
ζ????,?????,??ͺ??,????,????,????,ζ??,????,?????,?????,ζ???,??????Can this site support kanji? It’s helpful.
Some site notes another Ai-Kan(???), Mek-Kan(ζ? ??), Rak-Kan(ζ?½??), but I didn’t see much point there.
Sorry for continuous mistyping, but hope you would enjoy the latest slangs from Japan. Going to bed.
I can read your kanji. What is the kanji for -ha?
foreigner wrote:?And this is also on the PC, with a quote right before.?? This is in bold. ?And right now, this is on a Mac.?? This is also bold?unless that was intentional, your computer has mystical bolding propertiesMaybe your computer simply realizes just how important my words are, so they are automatically in bold. Or maybe Shakuhachi has gone insane, haunted by my piercing insight, and you’re just seeing things because you have inadvertently succumbed to the suggestive charisma Shakuhachi has honed in order to seduce big-breasted eleven-year-olds.
Seriously, if you are getting stuff from me in bold even when they are written on two differet platforms using two different browsers, I don’t think the cause is from my end. But I’m not a computer expert, so I don’t know.
woops. “ζ΄Ύ”. It used to be only Shin-Kan(??ͺ??ζ΄Ύ), and Han-Kan(?????ζ΄Ύ), Pro-Korean and Anti-Korean?Ό? But because there were no Anti-Korean movement exited in Japan before 2002, this journalist came up with the word Ken-Kan(????). It’s not even a year since all there variations begun to show up. So the title of this book is not exactly “Anti-Hanryu” but more like “Way of Ken-Kan”.
For most of us here, this book is not worth reading. It just touches very basics of J-K frictions in few topics. The author on his official site notes that this book is for “all who don’t know anything about what’s going on in Korea” which are probably 90% of its people…, but it’s certainly interesting to see that this kind of books are finally appear on bookstores in Japan.
besides, the quality of this manga is barely acceptable for a japanese standard. Will it go for a million-seller? Who knows. Bye.
I have this theory. The more you are alike, the more the hatred. I think this perfectly explains the dynamics between Korea and Japan.
The article will appear on Genomics, but the latest study suggests Koreans and Japanese are the closest genetically. (to the dismay of many). This was a study of about 8500 Koreans and Japanese to help treat genetic diseases. Korean genetic differences with Japanese account for 5.5%, while Korean genetic differences with the Chinese account for 8.9%. The biggest spread difference from Koreans were with the Africans.
Probably because of the massive rape-sex machine the Japs unleashed on the Koreans during their occupation.
‘because koreans have no racist nationalism according to nulji…’ mae
‘that’s the difference between the koreans and japanese regarding their racist nationalism; the japanese keep these kinds of things to themselves.’ nulji post #21
i know you learned english so perhaps you missed the fact that i do state there’s such a thing as korean nationalism.
I want to point out the obvious fact that stupidity ignorance is not an exclusively Korean trait.
I mentioned this before, but I mention it again. I once talked to a young Japanese lady, having taking her to a Korean BBQ we talked about Korean/Japanese food. She mentioned she never realized that Jinro was Korean brand. Of course, she also said she didn’t know karubi and rosu was Korean. Well, that’s all understandable and all, because there are tons of Korean kids adament about “noran-moo” being Korean. But she would insist to me that naeng myun was Japanese. I told her, not so explicitly that naeng myun is a traditional dish from that country that has a fetish for kidnapping Japanese middle school students.
Here you so-called objective non-korean-non-japanese people will say, “ah who cares? that dish might be Jurchen in origin for all we know.”
Ahh. Here in the United States, I hear conversations like this ALL the time. “I don’t like Uncle Ben’s rice. I prefer j-a-p-a-n-e-s-e rice.” “oh have you ever had j-a-p-a-n-e-s-e pears before? It’s juicier and crisper than ours.” “Oh this honey ginsaeng tea is really yummy and supposed to be good for you. I think it’s Japanese.” “I like Japanese art. I like those nice shiny green cups.”
Ok. We Korean people got our asses kicked during dubya dubya tooh(and also one and prior to that too) and consequently have a very large chip on our shoulders. But this is a very very common experience for us lonely people unfortunately born in this small peninsula sandwiched between China, Japan, and Russia.
Ask a South American if he is Mexican and he will get angry at you. Well. But of course, except for people in mission fields, educated US Special Forces members, etc, people are completely clueless as to why they would be. sorta lacked this nuanced view of how people in the 3rd world look at the world.
Do you know why african american professors always talk about the african nature of Egypt and the Nubian civilization? Because the world assumption is that Africa is and has always been and by extension, always will be a primitive continent full of primitive people who has not contributed anything significance to human society.
Korea, as well as many many other 3rd world nation also face the same problem. Unfortunately this “chip on shoulder” syndrome manifest itself in the form by that trully atrocious Korean comic book, “Nam Bul” by Lee Hyun Sae.
Here I want to digress a little and respond to a poster who said that the author of the comic book in question claimed that he had a hard time finding publisher. Um. What author, especially in a competitive field like manga, has an easy time of find publisher unless you published works like say, “Slam Dunk” or “Ryuroni Kenshin?” If you are making any tacit points by mentioning this, I want to say that using such logic, the publishing world has an illuminati inspired censorship for all well writen propose, and thereby keeping the world IQ level at a low level. Afterall, if Shakespeare was born today, I bet you my left testicle that he Penguin or McGraw won’t publish him. Maybe he would be published in the back pages of some zine in lower east side.
The one thing I do agree with you Jodi (post 43) though is that I wish that all the countries in Asia could all just play nice. But, it’s easier said than done…but, than again Japan did attempt to unify Asia with fists rather than words. Big wounds take a long time to heal, which can be sped up if managed properly.
However, I’d have to disagree with you on GBevers’ (post 38) comments.
This comic book seems to be reflecting a growing frustration and anger that many Japanese may feel in regard to the anti-Japanese movement in Korea.
Btw, keen observation GBevers.
As for your other paragraphs Kushibo (post 44) did a good job in attempting to try to fill the enormous holes GBevers’ arguments. Let me add a comment around what I know of apologizing in Asia.
I also believe that Japan has tried over and over again to reach out to Korea, only to have her hand slapped away almost every time. If Korea is not careful, Japan may be tired of extending her hand.
The value of an apology in Asia is worthless if not backed up by a sincere action that is considered equal the original misdoing. Take a look at some of the comments on this post on The Indepundit in particular the fact that the Japanese Government hasn’t backed up their apologies with properly weighted actions.
Apologizing in Japan is a part of Japanese daily life, but from what I understand even in Japan when apologies are not accompanied by actions that are perceived to erase the original misdeed than that apology carries little weight.
Hence, if Japan really wanted to make an apology in a way that would be taken serious by all Asian countries that it committed atrocities against than it would have backed up its words with actions like — finally cleaning up the debacle over their history books and remunerate the victims from each of the countries that it committed atrocities against, rather than just playing the waiting game and hoping that they all die quickly.
As for your dissent on the whole Korean wave thing, I’m gathering that you now know how the rest of the world feels when it has to listen to the great old America propaganda machine. One country’s patriotism is simply incessant screeching in the back the head of the people of another country.
Okay, I’ve been taking a break from the Marmot, but this is just too interesting a topic to pass up. Let me try to put this whole issue in some perspective.
Over the centuries, traditional Korean and Japanese arts, crafts, and architecture have been of a similar quality and nature. Artists and artisans in both countries tried to capture and express a certain exquisite beauty, and a certain expression of nature, in their creations. And of course, there was a flow of people and inspiration between the two countries (but I wouldn’t say that either country’s output was simply derivative of the other’s).
But starting from an equal footing, Japanese art and culture gained a wide following in the West, while Korean art and culture did not. Why? Well, Japan opened up to the West big time in the late 19th century, while for strategic reasons (misguided though they were), Korea kept its doors closed as long as possible. Then Korea fell under the shadow of Japanese colonialism, a horrendous peninsular war, and widespread poverty. Meanwhile, from the late 19th century onwards, people like Lafacadio Hearne, Toulouse-Lautrec (who took his inspiration from Hiroshige and other Japanese woodblock printers), Puccini (Madama Butterfly), and Gilbert and Sullivan (Mikado) did their part to popularize the more accessible Japan among Western cultural consumers.
Japan attracted negative attention towards itself in the early 20th century too, of course, but didn’t someone say that infamy is better than no fame at all? (Seems to be the watchword of some has-been Hollywood celebrities….)
In postwar era, Tokyo hosted the Olympics in 1964 and Osaka had a major world’s fair in 1970 (correct me if I’m wrong on the latter place or date), further enhancing (and probably helping to rehabilitate) the country’s image in the west, while the Shinkansenthe world’s first high-speed traincaptured the popular imagination. (What is a more quintessentially 20th-century image than that of the Shinkansen passing in front of Mount Fuji?) And there’s always the 60s James Bond film You Only Live Twice….
So Westerners studied Japanese Buddhism, learned the Japanese Language, appreciated Japanese art (many 20th-century books on East Asian art devote whole chapters to Japan, leaving only a couple of pages to Korea), architecture, and film (witness Kurosawa), ate sushi and sashimi and drink sake in Japanese restaurants, played Japanese video games, bought Sony Walkmans, and drove Toyotas, Hondas, Mazdas, and Nissans.
(I don’t know about the rest of the world apart from North America and by extension Western Europe, but I know that Toyotas and National (Matsushita = Panasonic) products got sold around the world….)
Meanwhile, Korean Buddhism, the Korean language, Korean art, architecture, and film, and Korean cuisine languished in the west. Korean film was largely unheard of (there was one film that made the artsy circuit as I recall, titled something like Why has Bodhi-darma left for the west?), and nobody took Hyundai’s early exports (the Ponies and Excels) seriously. Of course, it’s changing now, with Korean films winning major European awards (though I don’t like Old Boy myself), and Samsung and Hyundaiand to a lesser degree, LG (remember Lucky Goldstar?) and Kiawinning widespread brand recognition and consumer appeal.
So in the face of decades of Japan this, Japan that (echoing Virtual Wonderer’s comments in 78), Koreans must have felt some sort of pride in seeing their cultural output being suddenly avidly consumed in Japan, the very purveyor of Northeast Asian culture to the world. It’s probably a similar pride to the ones Canadians have whenever they see Canadian actors in American movies (which happens more often than you know, unless you’re a Canadian and know who they are
).
That said, this is where Jodi’s and Mae’s comments probably come to bear, that as Japanese people tried to learn more about Korea, some learned more than perhaps they wished to about how some Koreans see Japanese people. (We should not forget the historical reasons for these views, however, although they are sometimes distorted or bigoted; and of course, some Japanese also hold distorted or bigoted views towards Koreans.)
So what’s the solution? What’s the way forward? I’ll leave apart the issue of apologies and compensation (”We apologized!” “No, you didn’t!” “Yes we did, and you didn’t appreciate it!” “No you didn’t, and if you really apologized, we would appreciate it!” “You’re ungrateful!” “You’re arrogant”). I’ll also leave apart the North here, as Japan and the North (and the South and the North) have their own sets of complicating issues. Anyhowat the risk of reopening a controversya start might be a history textbook written by scholars from both South Korea and Japan, that excluded the nationalist views of both countries. This would be a major step in setting the next generation of Koreans and Japanese on a course towards more reconciliation and understanding. Maybe continued promotion of each country’s culture and tourism in each country to the other country; maybe working out a solution to the issue of those two islands in the sea between the two countries. Maybe a free trade agreement. There are lots of possible ways forward….
Well, that’s all for now. Hope I didn’t make too many typos, cuz I don’t want to proofread all of what I just wrote….
Cyyopo,
Japan did pay compensation for World War II and for its colonization of Korea. In Korea’s case, they started receiving compensation in 1965, I think. As for the apologies, the way it works is that Korea demands them, Japan gives them, and then Korea turns them down by saying they are not sincere enough. Recently, Korea and China have changed their tune by demanding an apology, getting it, and then saying, “What good is an apology without action?” Whatever Japan does, it is never good enough because both Korea and China need someone for their people to hate instead of their own governments.
Cgyopo, you say, “the value of an apology in Asia is worthless if not backed up by a sincere action that is considered equal the original misdoing.” I am curious as to which Confucian text you got that out of? And even if true, no one in Asia seems to be following that philosophy. Korean politicians and businessmen screw the little guy all the time, get caught, apologize, and then that is the end of it. Jail terms rarely happen and, if there are, they are short, or pardons are received on the next holiday. In Asia, it seems the most a victim can hope for is an apology since they seem to rarely get justice.
As for the history books, the “debacle” is that the Koreans and the Chinese have been so brainwashed that few are able to recognize reasonably objective history when they read it. Besides, history is almost always subjective, depending on perspective. Korean and Chinese histories are certainly not objective. At least Japan allows its children to be exposed to be exposed to more than one version of history, whereas the Korean and Chinese governments provide only one official version of history. That is why Koreans always seem to say the same thing in regard to their history and why they have trouble responding to anyone with a different view. For example, Koreans often become flabbergasted when someone suggests that good things also happened during Korea’s colonial period or that Japan also has legitimate claims on Tokdo/Takeshima. Often the only way they can respond is by calling the opposing view “absurd” and then repeating one of the brainwashing mantras they learned in school.
The difference between a brainwashed society and a non-brainwashed one can be summed up as follows:
When Korea claims Tokdo/Takeshima, Japan says, “We disagree,” but when Japan claims Tokdo/Takeshima, Korea threatens diplomatic war and claims that Japan is attempting to reinvade Korea.
In listing exposure of Northeast Asia to the West, I forgot about M*A*S*H. But hey, it was set in a time of war and destitute poverty, filmed in Southern California, had its few token two-line Korean roles played by Chinese Americans, and apparently wasn’t really about the Korean War at all, but about another war in Southeast Asia ten years later….
I won’t respond to what Bevers wrote, but I was not putting the issues of apologies or textbooks out there as a springboard for more expressions of nationalism (or anti-nationalism)….
Nationalists unleash the anti-Japan wave backlash
Some foreigners living in China will tell you that they avoid discussing Chinese politics with the locals, but for me the hot button to avoid has always been Japan. Among young Chinese people, nothing leads to clenched teeth and irrational ranting qu…
Curious, that was an excellent overview of the situation up there in No. 80–it will fall on deaf ears with a lot of people here who have a one-note agenda, but thanks.
As for the apologies, the way it works is that Korea demands them, Japan gives them, and then Korea turns them down by saying they are not sincere enough.It is not as simple as that.
An official apology about, for example, the Comfort Women issue, does become empty when government officials make later statements that undermine the official apology. Or when an apology is made about the brutal and unjustifiable occupation and then an official later says, but you guys benefited a lot, right?
And while I agree that the Japanese government has reasonable concerns about re-visiting the issue of remuneration, it is a morally bankrupt position to say you have already provided compensation in 1965 for something you denied until the 1990s that you had ever done.
The fact that your students in Inchon can’t express the complexities of these highly complicated issues in English does not mean they are all brainwashed.
On the subject of apologies and compensation, here’s a question for the UK posters: is it true that the Japanese did not appropriately apologize to the British, and that they offered only ??76 (in 1952) to POWs of the brutal Burma Campaign? Or is this a BBC exaggeration?
From the BBC in 2004:
Still fighting for peace
by Chris Summers, BBC News Online
Many former British POWs find it difficult to forgive
Bitter divisions remain between the British and Japanese veterans of the Burma campaign. On the eve of the 59th anniversary of VJ Day, is a reconciliation possible?
With shared memories of a war fought in broiling jungle heat, monsoon rains and malarial mosquitoes, soldiers on both sides of the Burma campaign remember it as a time of hunger and fear.
“It was Hell,” says Masao Hirakubo, a lieutenant in the Japanese 15th Army when, 59 years ago, Emperor Hirohito ordered an unconditional Japanese surrender.
Although close to six decades have passed since VJ Day, it is a time which still weighs heavily on Mr Hirakubo, now 84.
He has spent the last 15 years trying to help the two sides reach an understanding, although many British veterans remain angry at the treatment of captured servicemen and civilians.
Mr Hirakubo’s efforts to bring about reconciliation have earned him an OBE, although his argument that Japan’s current government does not need to apologise for the actions of the wartime rulers, does not hit the mark with UK survivors.
Gwilym Davies: Laid ghosts to rest
Burma Star Association spokesman David Baker, says: “A lot of our members are in favour of reconciliation but others have experienced things of such a nature that they cannot forgive and forget.”
Labour camps
More than 36,000 British soldiers lost their lives during the Burma campaign, of which more than 26,000 never received a proper burial. They became known as the “Forgotten Army”.
Thousands more were captured and spent up to three years either working on the notorious Thai-Burma Railway or in slave labour camps back in Japan.
It is the former POWs who find it hardest to forgive or forget the contempt in which they were often held, by Japanese soldiers who had been taught never to surrender.
Many felt insulted by compensation of ??76, paid out by Japan in 1952, and they continue to press for a “meaningful apology and proper compensation”.
The bitterness that remains is felt keenly by Mr Hirakubo, a businessman who moved to London in 1965.
He was spurred to action in 1989 by his shock at the British response to the death of Emperor Hirohito, when many newspapers said he was a war criminal and urged the Royal Family not to attend his funeral.
War criminals
Assisted by funding from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation he set up the Burma Campaign Fellowship Group and started organising visits to Japan for British veterans.
[Photo]Lt Hirakubo, 24, with the sword he used to kill enemy soldiers
The trips take in a Tokyo shrine said to hold the spirits of Japan’s 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted war criminals, and the sites of the battles of Kohima and Imphal, which were the turning point of the Burma campaign.
One of the first veterans he met was Gwilym Davies, from Aberystwyth, who decided to lay his own ghosts to rest by shaking the hands of his former enemies.
Mr Davies, 83, who served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Burma, said he was disillusioned by the continued bitterness and hatred expressed towards the Japanese by many veterans.
“We have got to hand something down to our children and grandchildren and we don’t want to hand on a vicious and dirty world filled with hatred,” he says of his wish for reconciliation.
The Japanese may have been cruel in the war, says Mr Davies, but he adds: “I saw a lot of cruelty on our part too. We were no angels.”
‘Mixed feelings’
Accepting Mr Hirakubo’s belief that it is time to lay the past to rest is not easy for many UK veterans.
[caption] The Japanese government has expressed regret for what happened but they have not made a meaningful apology — Arthur Titherington, Japanese Labour Camp Survivors Association
“There are a lot of areas where reconciliation has taken place but as an association we can’t take a view because there are such mixed feelings among members,” says Mr Baker of the feeling in veterans’ group the Burma Star Association.
They are particularly critical of his argument that there is no need for a Japanese apology.
Mr Hirakubo, who now lives in quiet London suburb, points to the Treaty of San Francisco.
“We said we were sorry but we should not have to say we are sorry every day. Once is enough. We should move on.”
‘Meaningful apology’
The extent of Japan’s apology remains a sticking point.
“The Japanese government has expressed regret for what happened but they have not made a meaningful apology,” says Arthur Titherington, secretary of the Japanese Labour Camp Survivors Association.
“We want them to use the word shazai, which literally means ‘I have committed a sin for which I humbly apologise’. But they won’t do it because it would oblige them to pay compensation.”
He points out the German government, even though it had nothing to do with the Nazi regime, paid millions in compensation to victims of the European slave labour camps.
“What we are doing is not out of hatred or bitterness. We are just trying to get justice,” says Mr Titherington.
Burma campaign
1885 -Burma becomes part of the British Indian Empire. In 1937 it became a separate colony.
11 December 1941 - Japanese 15th Army invade Burma, fou