– Attractive non-consumable culture and achievable empathy –
Any plan for the future of ROK-Japan relations?
Somei Kobayashi (Associate Professor of College of Law, Nihon University)
Japan-ROK relations just keep on becoming more exacerbated. Both governments are still opposing each other, and the people often experience emotional confrontations. This worsened state is becoming the “new normal.”
I intend to suggest some clues to improve the bilateral relations, with reflection on Japanese society.
Is it true that Japanese people like, but at the same time, do not feel closeness with Korean pop culture?
Hallyu, or the Korean wave, is surely settling down in Japanese society. It is common to find Japanese who are interested in Korean popular culture. The Korean wave is familiar, rather than considered a sensation. However, as various surveys show, some people in Japan feel awkward about Korea. It reminds me that some correspondents answered that while they like Korean pop culture, their sentiments towards Korea would not be considered positive. It is said elsewhere that while some Japanese like Korean culture and call themselves fans of the Korean wave, they feel uncomfortable about Korea when it comes to political and historical issues. Occasionally, when a Korean pop star comments on issues regarding historical or territorial issues between Korea and Japan, his or her fans in Japan would often say they are disappointed or even brand the star as “anti-Japanese.” The fans would feel a sentiment of betrayal, and this sentiment can easily turn into a critical view of Korea.
There is a so-called “filter bubble” as to the reason they feel betrayed. They are interested in Korean pop culture. They like the drama and the food, and they would be glad to use the cosmetics from Korea. However, they are not interested in history, nor are they interested in any other issues that disturb their feelings surrounding the Korean wave. All they care about is Korean pop culture because of the filter bubble. Some might have intentionally created this filter in the hopes of firmly planting the Korean wave in Japan. What is more important is that a filtered view of Korea through the bubble might only be a fantasized one, apart from reality. When those who are interested in Korean pop culture find out the discrepancy, their feelings of betrayal can easily grow and amplify critical stances towards the Korean wave.
If the filter bubble is capable of creating the sentiment of betrayal, which has the potential to grow into negative feelings towards Korea, then it is necessary to shut the filter bubble down. Importantly, we must not only see what we want to see but broaden our perspective towards Korea.
Are students at the University of Tokyo not interested in Korea?
University students in Japan are not interested in Korea. The trend is getting worse. I lecture on Korea not only at Nihon University but also at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University. According to undergraduate and graduate students who took my course, after 1948, annually there are about two to three undergraduate students who author their dissertations on Korea; the same students who are expected to become experts regarding the East Asian Region including Japan, ROK and DPRK. Occasionally, there are years when the number of graduates is reduced to only one. Of course, some students draft dissertations on Korea in other courses on the Komaba campus or in other departments on the Hongo campus. If fewer students at the University of Tokyo are interested in Korea, it is unlikely to say that Japan-Korea relations see a bright future. Why is such a thing happening?
First, some students like Korean pop culture, but it does not automatically lead to academic interest in Korea. Enjoying pop culture is one thing. Delving into it academically, on the other hand, is another. It is unlikely that the interest in Korean pop culture effectively leads to Korean studies.
Second, students hardly think Korean studies is beneficial for a future career. A vast majority of students who are interested in East Asian studies choose China as their major, beginning from the Chinese language to politics and economy. For more students to choose Korea as a subject of study, more appeals, other than regarding the career path, are required.
Lastly, the obvious difficulties between the two nations, such as history issues, tend to make students abstain from Korean studies. When it comes to the interest in Korea in Japan, it is polarized into either Korean pop culture, or the difficult diplomatic/historical issues between the two nations. No wonder students would want to put fewer eggs in the “Korean studies” basket, even after they become somehow interested in Korean pop culture.
The appeal of non-consumable culture
So far, I have mentioned cases of the fans of the Korean wave and students (mostly at the University of Tokyo) to pinpoint social circumstances and reasons why interest in Korea in Japan remains stagnant. It is obvious that widening our perspective is paramount. How will we achieve it? It is to show the people of Japan the appeal of non-consumable Korean culture.
Most people in Japan who are interested in Korean culture focus on K-POP, drama, movies, food, fashion, and cosmetics, which are consumable. On the other hand, there are Korean things that are not. In any culture, desire is what moves people. The consumables can be afforded through transactions. The non-consumable, on the other hand, cannot be bought but is connected to a fundamental drive for all.
Last September 2021, BTS made a speech to the United Nations, expressing hope for the future generations across the globe. Japanese media were in favor of their speech, and it was delivered to people who were not even interested in Korean issues. Also, the novel “Kim Ji Young Born 1982” was published in December 2018, becoming a best seller. The media made a sensation covering feminism and introducing the #Me Too movement of Korea. The indication is that the voice of Koreans who speak up for women in Korea has reached into Japanese society. Another message of peace rings from the island of Jeju. In 2005, the island proclaimed itself as the “Island of World Peace.” Since 2001, the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity is being held annually to send messages of peace to the world. The implementation of a low-carbon society and the shift to green energy are also efforts to protect the earth and adapt to global warming on Jeju.
These voices from Korea shed light on the future of the entire human society. They include messages of human dignity, world peace, and the protection of the earth and its environment, which are universal. These values, universal to all races, ethnicities, and genders, are a fundamental drive, or a desire we all want to fulfill. The fact that Korea is able to lead the way in raising such voices makes the nation look appealing and admirable, for there are still many others who are incapable.
Those who understand such messages are bound to understand the appeal of the non-consumable culture of Korea as well as that which is consumable. This is expected to be not only effective toward Japan but also other nations across the globe in widening the perspective on Korea.
Expansion in the international student system and mutual exchange of faculty are required to broaden the perspective
To let others know the appealing points of non-consumable Korean culture, contact between Japan and Korea should be expanded. Needless to say, such trials have been occurring, bringing quite an achievement. However, past cases of exchange show some issues to resolve, and I would like to mention two things in advance.
First, the exchange between Japan and Korea tends to be somewhat exclusive to Japanese who are interested in Korea and Koreans who are interested in Japan. In both friendly and academic exchanges, this is probably true. This is why the span of exchange should be broadened to include those who are not interested in their counterparts.
The second is about anxiety about the exchange’s continuity. Many exchanges between Japan and Korea tend to be one-off or are difficult to continue. Inherently, this indicates that the exchange is only superficial, and it is hard to achieve earnest conversations in such a mood.
We need an expansion, both in quality and quantity, in our current exchanges. To do so, as a researcher in higher education, I would like to propose as follows:
The first one is to reinforce an international student system to arouse interest in Korea. Studying abroad, unlike going on a trip, is an intellectual act. It requires the student to settle down in local society and make conversations with local people to learn about them. However, only a handful of Japanese students aim to study in Korea. Also, in the long term, there are few opportunities within grasp for Japanese college students that allow contact with Korean society. Studying in China, on the other hand, sees greater chances, which still means that students in Japan are no less interested in the East Asian region. Here is an exemplary opportunity to arouse interest in Korea among Japanese students.
Now, Campus Asia, an exchange student program between Korea, China, and Japan under an intergovernmental agreement, is currently ongoing in several colleges and universities. I believe the program can be an opportunity to create some demand for Korea.
There are some colleges in Japan with a “Double Degree Program,” where students are eligible to pursue a degree while they are studying in Korea or China. Improving and enlarging this program so that students are able to get degrees in all three countries would induce more students in Japan to become interested in Korea.
The expansion of the international student system, which is going on in Korea, China, and Japan, can greatly motivate indifferent Japanese students as well as indifferent Korean students to take part in the Japanese-Korean student exchange. There is also the possibility that Chinese students will participate in the exchange, which is then expected to further become an East Asian exchange. Last but not least, in such a case, the participation of Taiwanese students can also be a possibility.
The second is the mutual or interexchange of faculty. It is well known and commonly accepted now that the number of Korean faculty members in universities and colleges in Japan is quite large. However, in Korea, aside from language courses, the number of Japanese professors is quite low, and they are most often seen in science and engineering departments. In the fields of the humanities, only a few Korean students are given the chance to learn from Japanese professors. So, my suggestion is that there be a mutual exchange system between Japanese and Korean colleges for a lecture. The point is that the exchange lectures should last at least half a year. A one-time course does not provide sufficient chances for the teacher and the student to mingle, not to mention to have earnest conversations. From 1985 to 2008, the Japan Foundation dispatched Japanese faculty to its Beijing Center for Japanese Studies within the Beijing Foreign Studies University. Their mission was to instruct Chinese students and provide academic guidance. The program not only helped the Chinese students to better understand Japan but also the Japanese to broaden their range of interests in China. Both Japan and China praised the outcome of the program. While the case was not one of mutual exchange, it can still be a clue to implementation in Korea.
The focus is to dispatch indifferent faculty members. This is about sending a Japanese faculty member who is not a Korean studies major and is indifferent to Korea. The same applies to the counterpart: sending someone in Korea who is not a Japanese studies major indifferent to Japan. Again, the criteria for selecting whom to dispatch will ultimately increase future academic conversations between Korea and Japan as they will be interested in each other based on their experiences in each other’s countries.
Importance of empathy, and the role of Jeju
Being in contact with Korean society and making conversations with Koreans can become an opportunity to know the true attractiveness of the non-consumable culture of Korea, which in turn broadens one’s understanding about Korea. This process can also serve as a chance to find values that are the same and, at the same time, different. Among those people who share the same values, a consensus is formed, and the consensus is not a unanimity but sharing of feelings as to “what comes first,” or “what truly is valuable.” The voices calling out for human dignity, peace, and the environment were viable languages to many people in Japan who felt the same. The non-consumable culture of Korea invokes such senses. Japan’s and Korean empathy are important not only for both but also for the future of global society. Above all, this empathy can be a clue to resolving the historical issues between the two, just as I have pinpointed in one of my other columns[i].
Then, what would be the role of Jeju in this? The following is my conclusion.
First, the voices from Jeju should be amplified. Unfortunately, the active image of Jeju towards peace and climate change is underacknowledged. It is needless to say that such actions should be noticed and broadcast in every aspect possible, including from travel booklets to socia media services. Tourism promotions should also find broader potential in Japan, such as Japanese school field trips, to increase substantial opportunities to introduce to Japan what Jeju is involved with. Getting added information means finding undiscovered value. Obtaining chances to visit novel places means having opportunities for new conversations. The possibility of empathy increases with such value and conversation.
My next suggestion is to reinforce the link between Jeju and Okinawa. Both entities have in common that they had a tragic history and that they were once independent. Also, the industrial structure based around tourism and the geographic features of the islands make them look more alike. Both have steadily constructed and implemented their moves regarding peace, and both are facing similar assignments. Pondering such issues will build up a base for empathy. The link between Jeju and Okinawa is capable of becoming the think tank for resolving issues, which in turn will become a driving force and a model for establishing new Japan-ROK relations. Empathy is a “bond” that firmly binds the link. There is no need to mention how important it is for us to expand this empathy.
Japan-ROK relations are the sum of all the forms of connection between Japan and Korea. The connections are taken part in not only by government officials and politicians, but also by researchers, students, travelers, fans of cultures, and by those who are completely indifferent to the other nation. We witness that such connection is weakening to a seemingly irrecoverable degree because of political circumstances, international politics, and emotions and sentiments. However, the empathy created in the Japan-Korea exchange empowers this pluralistic, multilayered connection. For both Japan and Korea to step ahead together, each and every one of us needs to find something in common towards raising empathy rather than something highlighting difference, and there are still many common options both Japan and Korea can choose from. I do not take pleasure in facing the aggravated Japan-ROK relations squarely, nor do I presume it is too late for the future of the two nations.
[i]https://www.japanpolicyforum.jp/diplomacy/pt2020082117020410640.html
Dr. Somei Kobayashi is an associate professor of College of Law, Nihon University. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Social Sciences from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan. He specializes in Korean Studies and International History of East Asia during the Cold War.