‘Japan must apologize to all’

The Japanese imperial couple must apologize to Koreans and other nationalities that suffered under the country’s aggression during World War II and, instead of honoring only their war dead at Banzai Cliff, should also pay their respects at the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi.

This was the concern raised by the Korean Association of Saipan during a meeting with Japanese consul Takeo Saito on Monday at the Japanese Consulate in Puerto Rico, according to a statement by the association. The group’s president, Seung Baeg Kim, and directors of the association were accompanied by Korean journalists during the meeting.

The Korean group also weighed in on ongoing controversies about Japanese history books that downplay Japan’s role during the war and territorial disputes involving Japan and Korea.

“Japan must immediately stop their distortion of truth in fabricated school curriculum,” said Kim in the statement, adding that Japan must immediately stop their “greed” for land such as claiming the island of Dokdo as Japanese territory.

Dokdo consists of two tiny rocky islets surrounded by 33 smaller rocks. The islets are located about 215 kilometers off the eastern border of Korea and 90 kilometers east of South Korea’s Ullung Island.

Kim read the group’s statement to Saito, hoping that the highest-ranking official of the Japanese Consulate on Saipan would convey the message to the emperor.

Kim said, though, that Saito was non-committal about the request.

Kim clarified that the association is not against the imperial visit per se, which aims to pay tribute to Japanese ancestors who perished on Saipan during the war. In fact, he said, the visit is very commendable but the problem is that those who have been forced to sacrifice their lives for the war were not just the Japanese people.

“Here [Saipan] is the place where thousands of precious lives from all over Asia sacrificed during the war.”

Kim said the members of the association are requesting the Japanese government to express their sincere regret and call for grave reflections from them.

“With this, your country will be acknowledged not just as a country with [an excellent] economy, but also a respected country with great duty to the global society,” said Kim.

The association said it has been hard to comprehend why Japan will not allow itself to carry out such simple actions for the benefit of those who were affected in the war.

Kim said his group has already set up banners and streamers at its office in Susupe last Monday expressing their concerns with regards to the much-awaited visit of the imperial couple.

The association’s statement said they are now insisting that Japan should not ignore and never forget the truth of the “poor souls” who were sacrificed on the island. Kim said there were several innocent people who died in the war.

“It is for them that you should pay tribute and burn incense of repent[ance]…and that should be the purpose of the Japanese imperial couple’s [visit] to Saipan,” said Kim.

Members of the association also said they are looking forward to a purposeful and promising future in the CNMI.

“We also earnestly hope for a better economy for us all. This is what we, Koreans, will not stop working for. …We wish that this visit of the Japanese emperor be of an opportunity for this new start for us all,” the association said.

Kim said the association is composed of 2,005 members from South Korea who have been living and working in the CNMI. The group has existed in the Commonwealth for the past 30 years.