SDHF Newsletter No.213 The Japanese Colonial Regacy in Korea

The Japanese Colonial Legacy in Korea 1910-1945: A New Perspective
George Akita and Brandon Palmer
MerwinAsia Publishers, 2015
Reviewed by Aldric Hama

July 11, 2018

The prevailing Korean “nationalist” narrative of the colonial era (1910-1945) portrays the Koreans as victims of Japanese imperialism and ascribes numerous evils to the Japanese, including “cultural annihilation,” “exploitation” and “sexual slavery of women”.
Professors George Akita and Brandon Palmer shared this view until they conducted a thorough research into the colonial period history based on a wide range of sources.
The conclusion of their research completely contradicts the prevailing view. Japanese policies were “embedded in realism, moderation, mutualism and proportionality in its application” to Korea, thereby forming the “foundation for South Korea’s postwar developmental miracle.”
Regardless of the facts, the reviewer laments that the Korean “nationalist” narrative has been wholeheartedly accepted not only in Korea but also in Western countries, including America. This has led to US government pronouncements against Japan that are ideologically based and historically inaccurate–such as the House Resolution that condemned Japanese “forced military prostitution” during World War II.

Book Review: https://www.sdh-fact.com/review-article/1194/
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/1910-1945-Japanese-rule.pdf

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman
for KASE Hideaki, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact