asiansknowing-blog

[asiansknowing-blog]

On BTS/Korea and Japanese Imperialism

Hi, I’m sorry to make this first post so urgently but please take your time to read and think on this topic before spreading more rumors. 

Recently, BTS has been under fire for one of the members, Jimin, wearing a shirt that is “offensive” to Japan. And are confirmed to not be appearing on any Japanese television anymore.

It is a shirt celebrating the liberation of Korea and the end of Japanese colonialism. People were upset because they believed it was cruel to wear a shirt celebrating the atomic bombing

Except the problem IS the relation between Japan and Korea. It always has been. Obviously they aren’t celebrating the death of over hundred-thousands of people in the Pearl Harbor bombings. It’s not about that.

It’s about the end of the horrendous era of slavery and abuse in Korea.

“The Japanese military during the 1930s and 1940s is often compared to the military of Nazi Germany. . .”

“It really began in 1895 with Japan’s assassination of Korea’s Queen Min, and invasion of Korea. . .If you add, say, 2-million Koreans, 2-million Manchurians, Chinese, Russians, Many East European Jews (both Sephardic and Ashkenazi), and others killed by Japan between 1895 and 1937 (conservative figures), the total of Japanese victims is more like 10 million to 14 million.”

It’s about the end of how over 400,000 Korean/Asian women were kidnapped, raped and used for sex slavery

“an estimated 90 percent of ‘comfort women’ did not survive the war”

“Meanwhile, women who had been forced into sexual slavery became societal outcasts. Many died of sexually transmitted infections or complications from their violent treatments at the hands of Japanese soldiers; others committed suicide.”

“In 1987, after the Republic of South Korean became a liberal democracy, women started discussing their ordeals publicly. . .the issue flared into an international dispute when South Korea criticized a Japanese official’s denial of the events.” 

A link to more personal accounts of what happened to these women. Trigger warning: it’s hard to read and graphic about the sexual abuse.

It’s about how Japan still hasn’t properly apologized for any of it

It’s about how Japan LEAVES OUT parts of its horrific history in their TEXTBOOKS, further contributing to the confusion of the animosity many older generation Koreans hold towards Japan.

“The Chinese say 300,000 were killed and many women were gang-raped by the Japanese soldiers, but as I spent six months researching all sides of the argument, I learned that some in Japan deny the incident altogether.”

Japanese people are in complete denial, stating things such as, “The Chinese government hired actors and actresses, pretending to be the victims. . . “

“Fujioka believes [comfort women] were paid prostitutes. But Japan’s neighbours, such as South Korea and Taiwan, say they were forced to work as sex slaves for the Japanese army.”

“Equally, Japanese people often find it hard to grasp why politicians’ visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine - which honours war criminals among other Japanese soldiers - cause quite so much anger.”

However, a twitter user has compiled a thread on their take of the controversy over the tshirt, stating it’s not just about the shirt.

Either way. Many Japanese news outlets and American news outlets have been covering the story contributing Jimin’s shirt as the cause for the cancellation of BTS’ appearance on Japanese television. 

I know this is a long post. But I just want to ask, please don’t just pass this off because it’s not about Western culture and history. There’s a lot more I want to say on these topics, but I want to make it clear that I don’t hold animosity towards Japanese people or Japan. I just don’t want there to be ignorance among Western BTS fans that don’t know the heartbreaking history of South Korea and why this is so important.