Dokdo - Remember the Name

I am sure we all know the wartime crimes of Nazi Germany. Through the numerous documentaries, from the World History Class, and the books about World War II, many people in the international community have some knowledge about the Holocaust. When you take a moment, you may even recall several names of the people - especially, Anne Frank, a young girl who became the victim of the Holocaust. In Yad Vashem, you can take a look at the names of the victims of the Holocaust.

Differently, people do not have as much knowledge about war crimes and brutal actions by the Japanese Empire during World War II. Invading Korea and part of China, Japan also killed numerous innocent people to prevent their movement for independence and enforce their rules to the people. They even forced the people to change their name into Japanese style names - regarding the importance of NAME on one’s own identity, changing the name was a notion of tearing up the identity of Koreans. Furthermore, Koreans were (forcefully) conscripted by the Japanese Empire as the military soldiers, student soldiers and wartime brothels for Japanese soldiers. Majority of them could not revisit their hometown in their lifetime and ended their lives in the battlefields, missing their families.

The worst part is that the Japanese government, not the Japan Empire in the 1940s, denies all these events. They still worship the war criminals who killed numerous Korean and Chinese people during the invasion. They often forget the consequences of violence and imperialistic greed and instead attempts to expand their influence again in Asia and the world. Of course, not all Japanese people agree to their government. Many people and intellectuals are speaking up for Japanese governments to stop their irrational actions and viewpoint about the war crimes.