By defining colonialism in its true sense, this essay refutes the postwar narrative that labels Japan’s rule over the Korean Peninsula as colonial exploitation. It exposes the distortion created by GHQ occupation policy and anti-Japanese propaganda from China and South Korea, as well as the uncritical acceptance of these narratives by Japanese media.

2017-08-12
Arima.
Colonialism is a mode in which all resources of another country including human resources are exploited to the utmost.
What took place was an annexation that was desired by the other party and also desired by the world at that time.
In a mere span of thirty-five years.
More than twenty-five percent of the state’s national budget at that time.
Was directed.
Into the Korean Peninsula which at that time was one of the poorest regions in the world.
Which possessed one of the world’s worst caste discrimination systems.
And which could without exaggeration be described as remaining in an ancient social state.
Enormous amounts of capital and technology were poured into it.
And it was rapidly modernized.
Needless to say the aforementioned caste discrimination system was also decisively dismantled.
To call such a process colonialism.
Is something that can only originate from GHQ occupation policy.
And from anti-Japanese propaganda propagated by totalitarian states such as China and South Korea.
That this is the case.
Arima does not know.
That expression of his is that of a doctrinaire individual.
In other words.
A leftist.
A sectarian.
Only last night did I finally realize this.