Japanese Professor’s Shameless Remarks: “South Korea Is Wealthier Now—Assets Seized from Japanese After Defeat Should Be Returned!”
Reporting by Korean media outlet KOREA WAVE on October 16: Controversial remarks made by Professor Teruo Arima, emeritus professor at Waseda University, have sparked public backlash. Arima argued that South Korea has surpassed Japan in wealth and called for the return of assets originally owned by Japanese nationals in Korea, which were seized following Japan’s defeat in World War II.
In a post on social media, Arima stated: “After Japan’s defeat, U.S. forces transferred assets belonging to Japanese residents in Korea to local Koreans.” He contended, “War should not infringe upon property rights; otherwise, it would violate international law.”
He also referenced the Treaty of San Francisco, noting: “At the time, Japan sought a swift withdrawal from the Korean Peninsula. When U.S. forces demanded disposal of Japanese assets, Japan had no choice but to accept the outcome.”
Additionally, he asserted: “Under the Treaty of San Francisco, assets held by Japanese nationals in Korea should have been protected.”
Furthermore, he cited the 1965 Korea-Japan Compensation Agreement, stating: “Japan provided economic cooperation funds and loans to South Korea, the scale of which was comparable to South Korea’s national budget at the time.”
He went on to demand: “Given South Korea’s current level of prosperity now exceeds Japan’s, I hope a new agreement can be reached to return assets confiscated from Japanese nationals after the war to Japan and its people.”
The post triggered widespread outrage in South Korea, with online users criticizing it as “baseless and unreasonable,” “shameless,” and urging: “You should revisit history.”
One netizen pointed out: “Japanese authorities should explain why their country was present on the Korean Peninsula, invaded a neighboring nation, and seized property—then complain about having lost those assets?”
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1879158193000459/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.