Japan-Korea Relations: how Japanese security, econmic, and politcal policies effect these neighbors

Introduction and Abstract

Japan and South Korea have long had a rocky relationship with one another , ever since the turn of the century . The purpose of this is to examine this relationship and compare it to Japan 's relationships with other East Asian nations

The turning point in these relations was World War II , during which Japan committed mass atrocities toward South Korea and its neighbours

This first examines Japan 's military background and how it led up to the events of World War II . It then focuses on the various wartime

br atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking and the tests of Unit 731 , then covers present-day disputes such as textbook revisionism and Prime Minister Koizumi 's visits to the Yakusuni war memorial

The concludes with an overview of Japan 's diplomatic and economic relations with other countries in northeastern Asia

Japan 's Military background

Military culture , especially during Japan 's imperialist phase , had great bearing on the conduct of the Japanese military before and during World War II . Centuries previously , the samurai or aristocratic warriors , of Japan had been taught unquestioning obedience to their lords , as well as fearlessness in battle . After the Meiji Restoration and the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate , the Emperor became the focus of military loyalty . In the late 19th century during the Meiji era , Japan followed the lead of other world powers in developing an empire , pursuing that objective aggressively . Japanese popular culture became increasingly jingoistic through the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century . One of the most prominent signs of the rise of Japanese nationalism was the adoption of Shinto as a state religion from 1890 , including its entrenchment in the education system . Shinto held the Emperor to be divine because he was deemed to be a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu . This provided justification for the requirement that the emperor and his representatives to be obeyed without question

Victory in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95 ) marked Japan 's rise to the status of a world power . Unlike the other major powers Japan did not sign the Geneva Convention , which calls for the humane treatment of civilians and POWs , until after World War II . Nevertheless the treatment of prisoners by the Japanese military in wars such as the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05 ) and World War I (1914-18 , was at least as humane as that of other militaries (Source : Reference .com

Events Pre- and during World War II

Japanese rulers attempted to invade the Korean province on at least two occasions before finally succeeding in annexing it in 1910 . Under Japanese rule , Koreans were made Japanese citizens , forced to learn the Japanese language , even take Japanese names . During World War II , many Koreans were brought to Japan as a source of cheap labor in the mining construction , and shipbuilding industries

Male Koreans were given the right to vote in Japan and to be elected to Japanese national and local legislatures . After the Second World War however...