Honorary Prof. Okonogi criticizes arguments, saying they change shape too often and are politically motivated to suit the politics of the day, with two major elections coming up in either country
Honorary Professor Masao Okonogi of Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, top, and Professor Nam Ki-jung of Seoul National University. Both scholars participated in the seminar entitled,” The Current and Future of the Korea-Japan Relations,” held at the Korea Productivity Center in downtown Seoul, recently. (Photo: KPC)
Honorary Professor Masao Okonogi, 74, of Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, criticized the Korea-Japan rift, saying it has become political between the leaders of the governments. He said their arguments are politically motivated and are used increasingly as a means to advance the political objectives in their countries, with no intention to solving the rift for good.
Okonogi is a leading pro-Korean academics in Japan. He made the criticism in his speech delivered at a recent seminar entitled, “The Current and Future of the Korea-Japan Relations,” co-hosted by the FROM 100 and the Korea Economic Daily held at the Korea Productivity Center in Jongro Ward in Seoul. His speech was entitled, “the Korea-Japan Relations Facing the Crisis of the System.”
He continued, saying that the governments of both Korea and Japan made the wrong moves to change the main arguments in the trade conflict, and security and then back to history and they are about to continue to make those wrong moves in the future, too.
The elections in the two countries may be strong factors to change the arguments in the conflict, which are the upper house election in Japan toward the end of this year and the general election coming up in Korea next April.
Masao Okonogi is Professor Emeritus of Keio University, visiting professor of Kyushu University, and chair professor of Dongseo University. He received his B.A. (1969), M.A. (1971), and Ph.D. (1986) in political science from Keio University. He studied at Yonsei University from 1972-74. From 1981-82, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Hawaii and George Washington University. He was Director of the Center for Area Studies (1995-99), Dean of Faculty of Law and Politics (2005-07), and the 1st Director of Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at Keio University (2009).
He has published and edited numerous works, including Human Security and North Korea (2009), Crisis on the Korean Peninsula (2006), Market, State, and International Regime (2001), North Korea During Kim Jeong Il Era (1999), The Korean Peninsula During the Post-Cold War Era (1994), North Korea at the Crossroads (1988) and Korean War (1986).
He chaired the Korea-Japan Forum for the Japanese side, one of the most bi-lateral important events for the two neighboring countries. Around 50 politicians, journalists, and academics attended the event this year.
He suggested a mediatory set up, and the ruling by the international court of law may be needed to take care of the bi-lateral problems, which have been growing worse. Japan called Korea a country not worth trusting and Korea faced up to the challenge by cancelling the GSOMIA, shutting out any chances for talks.
He argued that the chances are slim for an international court ruling against Korea’s demand for Japanese recompensation for its colonial rule of Korea. He said the court would most likely deliver a humanitarian ruling that Japan should make compensations on humanitarian grounds as it might be too late to make a ruling on legal grounds.
Some argued for the resumption of the 1965 negotiations on the Japanese compensation.
Nam Ki-jung, Professor at the Japanese Research Institute of Seoul National University, said the Japanese Compensation Right was not built on a solid foundation, comparing it to a building. It’s wrong to expect everything will return to normal when PM Abe is gone as the compensation rights were not fully complete when made and various changes in Japanese politics brought the changes to the original compensation rights demand to put in a situation where it is today, the professor said.