Friday, March 5, 2010

South Koreans invading Japan!!! We're serious!

If you have been deluded into believing it is only whacky Koreans that have a stick up their arse about Japan, and not the other way around, look again. Japanese nationalists frequently talk up the danger of zainichi Korean restaurants residents* in their midst — especially those associated with "pro-North" organizations because they provide something of a lifeline to their relatives in the DPRK — but this occasionally extends to tourists, especially those on Tsushima.

From the Japan Times:
Even though these visitors contributed an estimated ¥2.1 billion to the local economy and generated 260 jobs on an island struggling with depopulation, word that a plot next to a Maritime Self-Defense Force facility is occupied by a lodge that houses mostly South Korean fishermen has irked local residents and conservative politicians.

"Although the MSDF says the presence of the lodge does not present any problem with its activities, we feel as if we are being kept under surveillance" by the South Koreans, said Masayoshi Matsui, who heads the local chapter of the Japan Conference, a group of conservatives.

The purchase of the land in 2007, which was originally owned by a Japanese pearl farming company, was made in the name of a local Japanese resident and it did not cause any legal concerns as the area was not under city zoning rules, according to the Tsushima officials.

That's not how the islanders and conservative politicians see it, however, pointing to an ordinance passed in March 2005 by South Korea's Masan Municipal Assembly. The ordinance designated June 19 "Daemado (Tsushima) Day," and claimed the island as South Korean territory.

The municipal assembly in the South Korean southern port city said the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the last dynasty on the Korean Peninsula, dispatched its navy to conquer Tsushima, which was said to be a base for Japanese pirates, on June 19, 1419.

The total land area known to be held by South Korean entities accounts for only 0.007 percent of the island, but those alarmed by the move see these places as possible bases for spies and guerrilla infiltrators.
How convenient that JT leaves out that the Taemado claims were nothing more than a retaliation for Takeshima Day proclamations by Shimane Prefecture and nothing more. Unlike Japan's persistent claims of rightful ownership of Tokto/Takeshima, the ROK government holds no such position on Taemado/Tsushima.

Nevertheless, it does provide a convenient excuse to rouse the nationalist troops, not unlike how Japan's various Tokto declarations do with Korea's nationalists. [And this would be a good time to point out another difference between Japanese nationalism and Korean nationalism: the latter has never led to invasion of another country, well except maybe the South by the North.]
Eriko Yamatani, an Upper House Member with the Liberal Democratic Party, has been calling for special legislation on Tsushima to restrict land sales to foreigners and to introduce measures to boost the local economy without heavily depending on South Korean tourists.

She heads a Diet group seeking to protect Japanese territory.

The Marmot's Hole has in the past brought us stories about Tsushima officials trying to attract South Korean buyers, but he later pointed out problems (herehere, and here). I covered part of that here.

My guess is that most Tsushima people find these folks annoying, and perhaps even detrimental to their economic needs. The South Koreans, after all, are bringing tourist dollars and infusing the local real estate market with cash. Tsushima, as just about any Japanese person will tell you, is an isolated backwater. Indeed, South Koreans are providing a well-needed boost:
Tsushima officials take a more sanguine view. They continue to promote the island as a tourist destination to South Koreans, hoping to raise the number of visitors to 100,000.

Kenichiro Motoishi, head of the city's tourism and industry promotion office, pointed out that the central government has tried to support the economy of remote islands to maintain the country's territorial integrity since the 19th century, but has failed to do so because of its weak financial base.

"If (tourists) spend money here, we don't care if they are Japanese or South Koreans," Motoishi said.

"We cannot overlook transactions concerning national sovereignty, but otherwise they are welcome. What's the difference between the Korean property purchase and the Japanese acquisition of Rockefeller Center?" Motoishi said, referring to the outcry in the United States over the purchase of the landmark building in New York in the late 1980s by Japanese real estate developer Mitsubishi Estate Co.
Ah, the silliness from both sides that provides obstacle after obstacle to good relations between these two countries that should be close allies and friends, à la France and Germany.

Won't someone please think of the children?! Just shut up and go fishing. [HT to Wangkon by email, though I had already seen it.]

* I was hungry when writing this at the Apple Store, anticipating an açaí bowl, hence turning zainichi residents into zainichi restaurants. But it works, because it is zainichi restaurants that are feared to serve as conduits of cash for clunker regimes. And pachinko parlors. And probably some other businesses. Not that most zainichis are propping up Kim Jong-il, just a few.  Sadly, I didn't notice the error until after The Marmot linked to this. 

11 comments:

  1. the Japanese nationalism? lol

    I think you should read this blog

    http://fetia.blog34.fc2.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. the Japanese nationalism is anti-western. it is not against china or korea..

    Japan alredy experienced it almost 150 years that korean is trying..


    korean nationalism and sinocenterism

    http://www.jref.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29173


    I forgot it
    http://fetia.blog34.fc2.com/?all

    ReplyDelete
  3. From what I can gather from your link (I don't read Japanese), you're saying that nationalism is a political development stage that Japan was in a long time ago, so it can't be nationalist, right?

    Without arguing whether that's accurate or not, I'd still say that there are nationalist elements, possibly even dangerous ones. I think (and hope) they're a powerless minority.

    Also, unlike Japanese or Chinese nationalism, I'm not too worried about South Korean nationalism, since South Korea doesn't go invading its neighbors.

    ReplyDelete
  4. so, you can not read Japanese..
    you are trying to compare with these by some madia?


    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20080622a1.html

    Japan nationalist is like this..that is, Pan asianism

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dragon_Society

    at first, Just check out this video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzx87AKJyYU

    >>I'm not too worried about South Korean nationalism, since South Korea doesn't go invading its neighbors.


    who cares the korean invasion?
    their nationaism are occured by Hwabyeong and Han (cultural)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwabyeong

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_(cultural)

    The subconsciousness as the nation is bad like han(Grudge)
    It is necessary to lose their nationalisms to develop them as a nation.

    Japan always feel their nagative Unconsciousness though the korean does best.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You're not really making it clear what you're trying to say. It seems you're saying that Japanese nationalists are not really bad because, according to certain scholars using a certain definitional state of nationalism, Japan's nationalism is no longer nationalism.

    So what is it then? And is it bad?

    You also seem to be saying that the really bad stuff in Japan is actually caused by non-Japanese, or at least not regular Japanese. Am I correct that that's what you're saying?

    And can I ask, assuming the claim in the video is true, why do you think so many Burakumin (60% of the major group) become yakuza?

    And do you really think, as the man in the video claimed, that there are no non-Burakumin Japanese in yakuza (he said 60% Burakumin, 30% Korean, and 10% Chinese)?

    ReplyDelete
  6. And do you really think, as the man in the video claimed, that there are no non-Burakumin Japanese in yakuza (he said 60% Burakumin, 30% Korean, and 10% Chinese)?

    noisy black bus with japanese flag uyoku called right winger is somthing like this.
    30% of them are the korean
    braku ppl were discriminated ppl in Japan
    I think you should realisze why they do that
    if you call them nationalist, you would completely wrong.
    Japapanese real nationalist motto is pan asianism. they dont care about what korean try to. that is, to make united asia such like the japanese democratic party.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Black bus's bad image makes ordinaly Japanese natural nationalism to get down..

    they naver complain with the ploblem of Takeshima.
    However, they complain of northern territories.

    They do not want to connect the processing in postwar days, that is, the peace treaty with Russia.
    Their purposes want still to put Japan in the state of the defeat.

    as for intenet in Japan, the Japanese net users who are interested in korea are as same as you guys..
    they like to criticize korean media so on just like you

    you should check chosun online in japanese. if you can read Japanese, you would understand these article and news are entertained and the Japanese feel them korean entertaiment as idiot korean madia just like korean times in english

    ReplyDelete
  8. most Japanese never discuss about korean matter or takeshima problem in real life except internet world.
    korea,as a nation is sick of Hwabyeong..

    Japan is not competing with South Korea.
    han(cultural)is their motivation to do something. that is why they always need enemy. japan is a good target

    ReplyDelete
  9. you remmember the 2002 world cup?
    korea vs USA
    What performance did they do?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDd-UBL4Njo
    it was a revenge of salt lake's skating...
    most Japanese felt that was realy bad paformance..
    Because I feel the grudge as the subconsciousness in korean state
    Their special efforts are not rewarding.

    'winner or loser'
    The ugly woman is a loser in korean society
    that is why The woman in South Korea has plastic operation for that.

    I think most westerner in korea never understand why korean do that...
    Foundation or their mentality ...are not understood though a phenomenon thing can be described.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You do realize, hoihoi51, that by coming here and leaving so many messages like this, that you are coming across as one of those Korea-complaining Japanese from the Internet that you say aren't typical Japanese.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sounds like he's got a really bad case of Han/Hwabyeong(or should that be hwaTbyeong?) against Korea. Wonder what those are called in Japanese?

    ReplyDelete

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