Why do you think Europeans have gotten over the second world war but Japan and Korea still hate each other?

Question

Yes Japan did bad things in the second world war but it has nothing to do with the country of today and the nationalists on all sides are just being destructive. To me the lessons of world war 2 are more about avoiding the mistakes of the past and seeing what humanity in general is capable of when led down the wrong path. it's not about blaming individual nations for everything and then ignoring the warning signs if it ever happens in your own country. Also Germany committed worse crimes than Japan in WW2. When I was with Korean friends this guy would get upset when a Japanese version of a Kpop song came on even if it was originally released in Japanese by a Korean group. Some of the best songs of certain groups are Japanese songs so it's not my fault your country wants to make money by selling to Japan.

bolverk · Accepted Answer

The two nations share a complicated history. They have fought on and off since at least the 7th Century, and Japan has repeatedly tried to invade the peninsula since then.

In 1910, it annexed Korea, turning the territory into a colony.

By the late 1930s, Japan was starting to mobilise for war. It began to force people to work in the factories and mines, or enlist as soldiers.

It also sent tens of thousands of women from across Asia - many of them Korean - into military brothels to service Japanese soldiers. The victims became known as "comfort women".

Japan's rule of Korea ended in 1945 when it was defeated in the war. But it took another 20 years before South Korean President Park Chung-hee agreed to normalise relations with the country in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and grants.

Tokyo argues that the 1965 treaty that restored diplomatic ties and provided more than $800m (£620m) in Japanese financial help, has settled the matter.

However, it remains far from resolved.

Why isn't the issue settled?
Yoo Euy-sang, a diplomat and author of the book Diplomatic Propriety & Our Interests With Japan, told the South China Morning Post the row was ongoing for two reasons, external: one, the 1965 deal did not "settle all the problems related to our colonial past", and two, that it "took away citizens' individual rights to ask for reparations".

The issue of "comfort women" remained particularly contentious: in 2015, Japan apologised and promised to pay 1bn yen ($9.5m; £7.9m) - the amount South Korea asked for - to fund victims.

"Japan and South Korea are now entering a new era," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters at the time. "We should not drag this problem into the next generation."

Japan revisionists deny WW2 sex slave atrocities

But activists say they were not consulted, and rejected the deal. President Moon Jae-in, elected in 2017, suggested it be altered.

The historic dispute rumbles on, with neither country looking likely to bend.

Why has it blown up now?
The issue reared its head again in 2018, when South Korea's top court ordered a Japanese firm to compensate Koreans it used as forced labour.

Mitsubishi Heavy, one of the firms involved, has reportedly refused to comply with the court order, while two other companies have had their assets seized in South Korea.

The issue has angered many in South Korea, with people boycotting Japanese goods. One man smashed up his Japanese-made car.

It's also led to a flare up in tensions over a group of islands claimed by both countries.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, stuck to its line, saying all reparation issues had been settled by the 1965 treaty.

NamerOfStars · Accepted Answer

Because Germany  didn't  do worse things than Japan did during World War 2- but everyone thinks they did. The Imperial Japanese made the Nazis look like kittens, and they just get a pass for it. In Japan itself, the educational system was, for a time, poised to stop teaching about the attack on Pearl Harbor, up until a group raised enough of a public stink to change that. The members of that group were mostly people who'd PARTICIPATED in that attack- which, covering almost 1/6 of the planet's surface, was an incredible military accomplishment, whatever you may think of its morality. Adding to this, that wasn't the first time the two nations have clashed; were it not for the military genius of Yi-Soon Shin, one of the greatest naval leaders humanity has ever produced, Korea would have been invaded by a basically unstoppable army of Japanese samurai, who at the time were ruthlessly slaughtering THEIR OWN PEOPLE. Koreans might well have ceased to exist if he'd lost. And while it's true that everyone who committed those atrocities is dead, the pain lingers. And unfortunately, so does the motivating spite. Look at Northern Ireland. The Koreans are worried that an unrepentant Japan will try it again. The Japanese are upset because they're being hated and resented for something that ended decades before they were born. And the rising power of China terrifies both.

purplepoppy · Accepted Answer

If you look at European history in general countries have a way of getting over wars pretty quickly and moving on. People seem to hold grudges against political groups more than countries so people might talk about the nazis rather than the Germans.

Koneko911 · Accepted Answer

Comfort women and the fact that Japan won't admit to raping Korean women and girls during that war

normalice · Answer

I don't know enough about the region to form a guess. I just know they are super racist towards each other. Europe is less so probably because they aren't separated by ocean. But add to that the fact that South Korea has had to rely on constantly heightened military awareness to fend off North Korea - one of those "when your only tool is a hammer" situations.

But also from what I understand Korea had no involvement in WWII. It was little more that an after thought where Japan just said we should have it for no reason, and took it, after the war was already over. I could be wrong about that but it is nonetheless the case that "getting over" grievances is only possible when the symptoms of those grievances have cleared up. I don't know the full extent of the damage caused by Japan's occupation of Korea but I suspect it has not been fully repaired yet, and that's why people still hold a grudge. Granted, there are likely some unrelated problems that people in Korea pin on Japan, because it's convenient, but that sort of thing typically only lasts a generation unless there is still real damage caused to point to.

RebelinSteel · Answer

We have lived in almost constant warfare in Europe, we are fairly used to it. It’s down to religion and politics, we can pretty much annihilate a city but mention football or some other connection and we are fine again. When the First World War was declared, a lot of people just accepted that it was yet another war with France, then surprised it was Germany.

The culture is Europe lends itself to accepting that normal people are outside of the political and religious fuckwit leaders and accept being cordial afterwards.

SotiCoto · Answer

Europe is pretty inbred if you think about it.
Most of it used to be part of the Roman Empire. And not so long after that, huge swathes of it were invaded and recolonised by the Danish. And then there was the Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon's Empire, the British Empire... and the whole time the royals were all intermarrying so everyone had claims on everyone else's territory.
Basically everyone has had their fingers in everyone else's pie so long that everyone in Europe is practically cousins by this point.

Now I can't speak for China or Korea, but Japan was culturally isolated for centuries to the extent that they don't even seem to regard other countries as real, valid places... and about their only interaction with the outside world was attacking it. Especially Korea. Honestly it only changed because they attacked a bigger, stronger country that also doesn't really regard other countries as real, valid places... i. e. the USA.

DrPepper12 · Answer

Both are a function of geography which had oversized effects on history. Korean scrappiness has been a result of it being "a shrimp among whales" as it says. Korea has been a vassal state to China for almost all of it's history. Cultural diffusion from China, especially during the Tang Dynasty, imported Chinese ideas such as Korean vassal status. The Meiji restoration in 1868, after China's long decline and being carved up into Europen spheres of influence, made Japan the hegemonic power in need of labor and resources Korea provided in brutal ways. Korea has always tried to maintain cultural if not political independence, so much so it turned to Christianity as a rebuke to both China and Japan and to encourage European sympathy and support.

Europe's geography required short memories and also led to rapidly shifting alliances and frequent warfare. The devastation of both world wars forced decolonization and the Genesis of what would become the EU.

lightbulb27 · Answer

They don't trust them, Japan did a lot of damage.

Their education systems promoting certain views?

Europe has developed closer ties... by way of USA... they don't have the fear since they are "NATO".

China/Japan/Korea are not tied together that way.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Propping up your own dictatorial regime (China and formerly South Korea) means orchestrated hatred against other nations. The Chinese hatred against Japan goes way beyond being miffed for late or missing apologies. The Chinese people that talked openly to me were almost paranoid about Japan‘s every move („They want to attack others again!“), it was ridiculous.

strateguy632 · Answer

because of the difference in occupation. Europe france sees germany as an occupier who changed.
korea sees japan as worse than occupier, japan did harsh atrocity, whipping people etc. like in hunger games, and does not see any change.

Drewtate · Answer

Japan acts like they did nothing wrong in Korea and in China where they murdered 30 million Chinese. Most European countries got away pretty lightly in regards to war with Japan.

BonzoInBitburg · Answer

Japan also occupied the Philippines and did terrible things there too and the Philippines got over it.

BCA6010 · Answer

Those countries hated each other long before the world wars.

OtterMan68 · Answer

Japan didn't own up to their war crimes in Korea and China for a long time

Dongie · Answer

You think it could have anything to do with the dark family plantation with 25,000,000 worshipers? NK

jahaims · Answer

Japan occupied Korea and China. They didn't occupie any European countries

thegreenyogi · Answer

It's all a matter of perspectives I suppose.

bobby_bush_eater · Answer

There's more history than WW2.

OddBeMe · Answer

Uhh…Russia is still pretty pissed dude.

Why do you think Europeans have gotten over the second world war but Japan and Korea still hate each other?

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