36th IARF Congress 2023, Day 2: Japanese-Korean Reconciliation by Prof. Kunihiko Terasawa

Description

Kunihiko Terasawa examines Japanese-Korean reconciliation through the intertwined religious and political history of the two countries. He begins with older exchanges in which Korean kingdoms transmitted Buddhism, learning and culture to Japan, then traces the rise of Meiji nationalism, State Shinto and imperial ideology that culminated in Japan’s annexation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. The colonial period brought forced assimilation, compulsory shrine attendance, suppression of Korean language and identity, forced labour and the system of “comfort women,” while the March First Movement of 1919 became a major nonviolent independence movement involving Christians, Buddhists and Cheondogyo.

Terasawa pays particular attention to missed opportunities for religious solidarity. He discusses Uchimura Kanzō, Yoshino Sakuzō, Buddhist reformer Senoo Girō and Christian social activist Toyohiko Kagawa, arguing that Japanese Buddhists and Christians might have resisted State Shinto and imperial aggression more effectively by defending religious freedom together and building transnational ties with Korean and Chinese reformers. Turning to unresolved post-war disputes, he argues that treaties and governmental statements are insufficient without historical self-examination, grassroots repentance, forgiveness and sustained exchange. He proposes religious cooperation, education and public remembrance as foundations for a future Japan-Korea relationship based on human rights and religious freedom.