Seoul Regrets Japan General’s Distortion
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Seoul and Beijing slammed Tokyo Saturday for a former Japanese air force general's claim that Korea, China and other Asian countries benefited from Japan's colonial rule, which ended at the conclusion of World War II.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Saturday that the former Japanese military official was trying to distort history.
``Japan should repent of its wrongdoings and learn from them. By doing so, Japan can build good relations with other nations,'' said the foreign ministry.
The ministry urged Japan not to distort history again.
Seoul's reaction came after Toshio Tamogami, Japan's former Air Self-Defense chief general, claimed in an essay submitted in a contest that Korea, China and other Asian countries were better off under Japanese colonial rule.
In an article titled True Views of Modern History, he insisted that many Asian countries assessed positively the legacy of Japanese colonialism and therefore it was regretful to hear allegations that Japan was an aggressor.
Tomogami, who became chief general in March 2007, also argued that his country had never sent its military to the Korean peninsula or mainland China without the prior consent of the two nations.
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso expressed regret over the former military general's claim, saying his remarks were inappropriate.
Aso indicated that the military general expressed his personal view in the article but it was still inappropriate, given his leadership position in the Japanese military.
The Japanese government dismissed Tamogami last Friday shortly after the specific elements of his article were made public and stirred neighboring governments.
China lashed out on Tomogami's comments Saturday.
Jiang Yu, a deputy spokesman of the Chinese foreign ministry, said in a statement that China was ``shocked and angered'' by the high-ranking military official's comments.
His interpretation not only distorted history but also justified Japan's aggression in neighboring countries, it said.
``It is a historical fact that the Japanese military waged a war of aggression against China and other Asian countries, resulting in major casualties,'' the statement said.