Now Who Will Koreans Hate?

Something major happened recently. The chief of Japan's ruling party apologized for the atrocities committed when Japan occupied Korea from 1910-1945.

WOW.

From the story:

'Ichiro Ozawa, chief of Japan's ruling party, apologized Saturday for wrongdoings his country committed during its colonization of Korea in the early half of last century.

The Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Japan also said he expected his country's parliament to pass legislation next year that will give ethnic Koreans living in Japan the right to vote in local elections.

"There was an unfortunate era in modern history involving the relations of the two countries. It is a historical fact that I, as a member of the Japanese nation and Japan, must apologize to you," he said speaking at Seoul's Kookmin University.

"I believe everyone here thinks that Japan and South Korea should pursue friendly relations and solidarity," he said. "If we remain fixated on the past history, no good results can come from the future of the two nations."

Japan colonized Korea, now divided into North and South, from 1910-1945. Critics say Japan should fully apologize for its crimes during the period, including the sexual slavery of women from nations it ruled.'

The current generation isn't as bad as the older Koreans, but I have a lot of friends who say they really hate Japan. Most of my friends and I roll our eyes at this, but realistically, there are still Koreans alive who witnessed some pretty terrible treatment from the Japanese.

It's a big move for Japan to get up and apologize. Though, it's also important to note that an apology may have been necessary for years. Either way, Ozawa is looking toward the future of Asian relations. Good thinking on his part, especially with China's rise to world power. Asian countries are on the rise. They can only be more intimidating to the west when working together.