https://www.quora.com/What-historical-reasons-would-cause-a-Japanese-to-hate-Koreans/answer/Donil-Park?__nsrc__=4&__snid3__=4927529319
Donil Park
I think Leah J. Zhang's answer to What historical reasons would cause a Japanese to hate Koreans? is pretty much on point.
The thing is, despising Koreans has been the “normal” for the Japanese. It is subconsciously ingrained into their culture and society, including in the economic and political relations with Korea, for over a century, possibly close to two centuries or more, by now.
This attitude began when Japan successfully started to develop its economy with the technological transfers and trades with the European nations beginning around the 16–17 centuries and eventually modernized itself. In the Japanese's eyes, Koreans were seen as the inferior stock, the diseased, backward, irrational, dirty and unworthy people. This was justified because Japan was supposed to be the civilized nation that had the responsibility and right to lead them (and other countries and nations in the area, but we will focus on Korea for this answer).
So when Japan takes over Korea, plots to murder its empress, suppresses its culture and national identity, economically deprives the Korean masses and drafts its men to serve as forced labourers or soldiers and its women as military sex slaves, none of these is bad or something to apologize for, because this is only something that is done to Koreans. This is suitable and justifiable, because this is just exactly what they deserve. In fact, they should be thankful because Japan is doing them favours by doing all of this. It was helping Koreans develop in to a civilized nation like the Japanese.
Even after the end of the colonial rule, this deeply ingrained sentiment stayed on. For the Japanese, being anti-Korea is the “normal”. They don’t realize that they are anti-Korean, they don’t need to talk about it or even think about it much, because to them, the fact that Koreans are inferior and unworthy is as natural as the air they breathe. So, an ordinary Japanese would be like “What’s wrong with them? Why are they so upset? Why are they so upset with us? Why are they being so emotional?” when they see a Korean, because everything has been in their favour and that has been the “normal” for the longest time.
And they really didn’t need to pay much attention to the puny, insect-like Koreans because for the longest time, even in the 20th century, Korea was way behind Japan, not worth enough to pay much attention at all. But this is not to say that the Japanese are not anti-Korean. They are anti-Korean but the circumstances were such that they never had to overtly express it in any manner, because they were already “winning”.
This is in contrast to the anti-Japanese sentiment that Koreans have, which necessarily had to be overtly expressed in order for the Koreans’ self-preservation and independence. Unlike the anti-Korean sentiment by a Japanese, anti-Japanese feelings (and actions) were potentially a crime punishable, up to by death, during the colonial period.
This attitude is visible in many online postings too, including those by Quorans who are apparently Japanese. They essentially have the attitude that “oh, we Japanese don’t give a shit about Koreans, but they hate us, so we hate them back”. Well, they could ignore and dismiss Korea for a long time like that because Korea really has been way behind Japan in many aspects of development. Things are now changing.
Now, if we get into 嫌韓 (kenkan, often translated as “anti-Korean sentiment” but the characters used actually mean “hating/being repulsed by Korea”), it’s even more interesting. This is an active hatred against Korea, which is arguably held by only a small minority of the Japanese. The thing though, is that 嫌韓 is more deeply rooted and what is visible is only a tip of the iceberg.
Even though the people who are 嫌韓 may appear to be a minority, they are extremely vocal when they speak out. This is because the Japanese population acquiesce in their views or tacitly support their views.
Things are even more interesting when you compare Korean’s anti-Japanese sentiment (반일/反日, literally “against Japan”). Notice the differences in the characters used. The English translations don’t capture this subtlety. While the term for anti-Korean sentiment uses the character 嫌 meaning “hatred” or “repulsion”, the term for anti-Japanese sentiment uses the character 反, meaning “against” or “facing”. This difference aptly captures the natures of the two sentiments. Japan’s anti-Korean sentiment is often one of hatred and despise, often directly at the Korean people, per se. On the other hand, Korea’s anti-Japanese sentiment is really not about the Japanese people per se, but instead about the Japanese regime, its historical actions and the attitude that its current regime has toward such historical actions. Of course, this sometimes boils over and spills into the “hate Japanese” bucket, but it’s only because when the emotions run high, and is never the main or fundamental motivation of anti-Japanese sentiments or demonstrations in Korea, like how the converse is true in Japan.
This is also evident in that 嫌韓 has become a whole industry in Japan. If you go to bookstores in Japan, you can actually see an entire section dedicated to books on why Korea is the worst country in the world and why Koreans are the worst people in the world. New books are being published on 嫌韓 every day even now, and they are extremely popular. On the other hand, in Korea, no one dedicates this kind of fervent hatred against the Japanese. There are definitely no “anti-Japan” section in Korea’s bookstores, and no one makes a living by being an anti-Japan commentator or author. At anti-Koreans demonstrations in Japan, which are held for no apparent reasons, although the frequency and intensity increase when there are frictions between Korea and Japan like there is right now (July 2019), you often hear things like “Koreans die”, “Koreans go home” and such. On the other hand, anti-Japanese demonstrations in Korea are almost always in response to specific actions or event by the Japanese government, and the rallying calls are usually against Japanese politicians or Japan’s actions, instead of the Japanese people. You hardly ever hear anyone say “kill Japanese” or anything against the Japanese people per se at an anti-Japanese demonstration in Korea.
If you are interested in Korea and Japan as topics on Quora, you might also have noticed that there are Japanese Quorans like Kuwata Kenji (桑田 健司), August Hayek and Montel Marino (and possibly others) who get extremely riled up about defending all things Japan and its historical actions and try to shed bad light on Korea (and China and sometimes U.S. too). Has anyone seen a Korean Quoran who are anything even half like these users? I mean, there, you can see right there what Japanese have covertly been doing trying to influence and shape the popular opinions and perceptions and images about Japan and Korea all these decades.
All of this has also been made easier by the fact that Korea (at least in the case of South Korea) was never able to rid itself of the former Japanese collaborators among its leadership, like how France punished and got rid of the Nazi collaborators after its liberation. Due to Japan’s colonial policy, anyone who was educated enough or had sufficient wealth, connection and power to be in positions of leadership were pretty much all former Japanese collaborators. When the US came in to govern Southern part of Korea under a trusteeship after the Japanese were expelled and when eventually the US had to turn power over to the Korean people, they turned to these former Japanese collaborators because they were already well-entrenched and dealing with them would be much easier and convenient than punishing them and instead dealing with the Korean nationalists. In fact, since Korea’s liberation from Japan, it has been these same Japanese collaborators and traitors to the Korean people and their descendants who have held Korea’s top political and economic powers. Their views and their interests are aligned with those of Japan and they have formed and influenced Korea’s public opinions and sentiments to be pro-Japan in ways that the outwardly anti-Japanese rhetoric definitely misleads casual observers. An example of Koreans who sympathize with the Japanese way of thinking and view, of which there are many, is John Cee. They are called Korea’s “conservative” and I won’t get into the politics of it all, since I don’t think it will interest anyone and I don’t think I have the ability coherently describe it all here. Just take a look at the kind of thinking by this kind of Koreans: John Cee's answer to Does Korea still resent Japan for their actions in WWII? Now, I am definitely not saying that your opinion should be in accordance with the interest of the ethnic group you belong to or that it should be one way or other because you are Korean or because you are Japanese. Truth is the paramount value, but I maintain that there are people like this who make overreaching arguments and lie about things in defence of Japan at the expense of Korea in Korea.
This means that for decades, Japan’s logic and its attitude dominated the Korea-Japan relationship. Whatever Japan did and wanted was seen as right and rational, while Korea’s views and sentiments were relegated to being irrational and emotional, incorrect vis-a-vis the Japanese view. Now, with Korea becoming more affluent and influential, it’s starting to voice its own views, and this phenomenon itself is something new to the Japanese. From their perspective, Koreans are challenging the status quo in the relationship, which is supposed to be the “normal”, and doing so in ways that are disruptive, and therefore “irrational”, “emotional”, “untrustworthy” and so on.
Remember what I said about how this all started in the 16- 17th century? Leah J. Zhang's answer to What historical reasons would cause a Japanese to hate Koreans? also cited war records, independence and economy as the reasons for the Japanese despising and looking down on Koreans. There is irony to all this too.
War records
I am not sure it’s accurate to say that Koreans were defeated militarily by the Japanese “multiple times” since Korea successfully repelled all of Japan’s military incursions. It’s funny how Korea has successfully repelled the Japanese and at times policed the Japanese pirates that THEIR government could not control (for example, see Ōei Invasion - Wikipedia).
It’s really kinda funny for the side that constantly invaded and pillages the other to laugh at the other for it. Kind shows how perceptions can be twisted to the point of being perverse.
Independence
Kind of in the same vein, have you ever considered how Japan could remain independent for most of its history?
Aside from the fact that it’s isolated by the sea, the reason why it hardly suffered any foreign invasion was thanks to Korea.
Throughout the history, Korea repelled the invasions from China and nothern horse riding peoples and it’s thanks to this and the fact that Korea itself was extremely pacifist that Japan was saved from foreign invasions. Had Korea not been able to defend itself from the invasions from the west (China) and North (the rider peoples), Japan would certainly been invaded way more frequently.
Case in point, Mongol invasion. When, after more than 30 years of resistance, Korea finally falls and becomes subjugated to the Mongol invaders. What happens next? Yes, Japan gets invaded. That invasion did not go well for the Mongols and Koreans (who joined the invasion against its will - Korea had no resources to commit to something stupid like this after it’s entire land has been ravaged for more than three decades by the Mongols’ total destructive tactics - it was only because of the Mongols’ coercion that Korea had to provide men, ships and supplies for this campaign), but that all goes to show that when Korea falls, Japan is an open field for invasion. In other words, Japan has been shielded from foreign invasions thanks to Korea while Korea got bludgeoned by all those invasions.
This is actually something that has been acknowledged by the Japanese elites themselves (Seikanron - Wikipedia). One of the motivating rationale for Seikanron, the “Advocacy of a punitive expedition to Korea”, which eventually lead to Japan’s colonization of Korea, was that Korean peninsula was like a “dagger extending from the continent to Japan”. They recognized that Korea and Japan’s relative geographical positions are such that if Korea was hostile to Japan, Japan’s security would be threatened, so that is one of the justifications behind them acting pre-emptively and controlling Korea before someone else can control Korea and threaten Japan.
I suppose Koreans can’t ask for gratitude from the Japanese because of the protection it provided to the Japanese (gratitude is not in the Japaneses’ nature and it wasn’t like the Koreans were defending their homeland to protect the Japanese anyway) but it’s just so ironic that Japan would then constantly invade and make attempts on the weakened Korea, and then today, look back on all this and laugh at Koreans because they weren’t independent. Again, total perversion.
Another case in point, recall what happens when there is an invasion to Japan with no buffer. When admiral Perry invades Japan from the east, the Pacific, where there is no one and nothing to protect Japan, Japan so powerlessly and helplessly succumbs. So I mean, let them laugh all they want, but this is just so ironic and, from a Korean’s perspective, aggravating.
Economy
The main things that really allowed Japanese economy to develop and to get upper hands in their trades with the Europeans were silver and china (as in ceramics). Both of these were made possible only thanks to Korea.
As far as silver goes, up until the 15th century or so, silver has always been a commodity that the Japanese demanded in their trades with Korea. However, the technology for silver smelting was stolen from Korea, by way of Korean engineers/technicians. This is well documented in the records, and the World Heritage website for Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine website Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Centerhttps://ginzan.city.ohda.lg.jp/w...) notes this as well (now, the website says “The "Haifuki Method," which passes air over a mixture of lead and silver in order to sort the silver from the raw ore, was first introduced to Japan at Iwami Ginzan in 1533 by two technicians, Keiju and Sotan, who came from the Korean Peninsula at the invitation of a wealthy merchant named Kamiya Jutei from Hakata, Kyushu.” but we are all familiar with the Japanese euphemism for things like this. Yeah, “came from Korean Peninsula at the invitation of”. LOL. Yeah, those technicians “came”, nothing more. And then they won’t so much as just say “Korea” and would mince their words to say “Korean Peninsula” because they don’t want to acknowledge Korea here. Those individuals just happen to be people from the “Korean Peninsula”, you know. A very common thing when you look at the way Japanese discourse of history is written.)
This smelting technology did not catch on in Korea, but it did in Japan, allowing Japan to produce an obscene amount of Silver, which allowed them a huge advantage in their trade with the Europeans.
As far as china goes, no further needs to be said than to note that another name for the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) - Wikipedia is “Ceramics War” or “Pottery War”. In fact, it was one of the main objectives of the Japanese invaders to kidnap as many craftspeople as possible, with premium on kidnapping potters. The Korean potters they kidnapped greatly contributed to Japan’s (previously non-existent) ceramics industry and allowed Japan to benefit from trading with the Europeans.
Again, it’s kinda funny to see them being proud of the wealth that is built on invasions and stealing and laughing at the invaded country with it.
Yeah, I don’t think there is any justifiable historical reason for the Japanese to hate Koreans. It’s not like Korean pirates harrased the Japanese people throughout the history (Wokou - Wikipedia), it’s not like Koreans launched massive invasions against Japan multiple times (Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) - Wikipedia), it’s not like Koreans brutally ruled the Japanese colonially (Korea under Japanese rule - Wikipedia) it’s not like Koreans ever drafted the Japanese people into forced labour or sexual slavery (Japanese war crimes - Wikipedia, Comfort women - Wikipedia), it’s not like Koreans ever blamed the Japanese for natural disasters and massacred them (Kantō Massacre - Wikipedia).
On the contrary, Korea, since the ancient times, transferred culture, knowledge, technology, wealth and (perhaps unwittingly) provided protection from the outside world, without ever trying to invade Japan and enslave its people. So it is indeed quite puzzling that (some) Japanese hate Koreans and have anti-Korean sentiments, while getting upset about Koreans having anti-Japanese sentiment, when I think they only have things to be thankful to Koreans about.
If you sat down to read all the way to this point, I thank you. That is all from me.
Donil Park
I think Leah J. Zhang's answer to What historical reasons would cause a Japanese to hate Koreans? is pretty much on point.
The thing is, despising Koreans has been the “normal” for the Japanese. It is subconsciously ingrained into their culture and society, including in the economic and political relations with Korea, for over a century, possibly close to two centuries or more, by now.
This attitude began when Japan successfully started to develop its economy with the technological transfers and trades with the European nations beginning around the 16–17 centuries and eventually modernized itself. In the Japanese's eyes, Koreans were seen as the inferior stock, the diseased, backward, irrational, dirty and unworthy people. This was justified because Japan was supposed to be the civilized nation that had the responsibility and right to lead them (and other countries and nations in the area, but we will focus on Korea for this answer).
So when Japan takes over Korea, plots to murder its empress, suppresses its culture and national identity, economically deprives the Korean masses and drafts its men to serve as forced labourers or soldiers and its women as military sex slaves, none of these is bad or something to apologize for, because this is only something that is done to Koreans. This is suitable and justifiable, because this is just exactly what they deserve. In fact, they should be thankful because Japan is doing them favours by doing all of this. It was helping Koreans develop in to a civilized nation like the Japanese.
Even after the end of the colonial rule, this deeply ingrained sentiment stayed on. For the Japanese, being anti-Korea is the “normal”. They don’t realize that they are anti-Korean, they don’t need to talk about it or even think about it much, because to them, the fact that Koreans are inferior and unworthy is as natural as the air they breathe. So, an ordinary Japanese would be like “What’s wrong with them? Why are they so upset? Why are they so upset with us? Why are they being so emotional?” when they see a Korean, because everything has been in their favour and that has been the “normal” for the longest time.
And they really didn’t need to pay much attention to the puny, insect-like Koreans because for the longest time, even in the 20th century, Korea was way behind Japan, not worth enough to pay much attention at all. But this is not to say that the Japanese are not anti-Korean. They are anti-Korean but the circumstances were such that they never had to overtly express it in any manner, because they were already “winning”.
This is in contrast to the anti-Japanese sentiment that Koreans have, which necessarily had to be overtly expressed in order for the Koreans’ self-preservation and independence. Unlike the anti-Korean sentiment by a Japanese, anti-Japanese feelings (and actions) were potentially a crime punishable, up to by death, during the colonial period.
This attitude is visible in many online postings too, including those by Quorans who are apparently Japanese. They essentially have the attitude that “oh, we Japanese don’t give a shit about Koreans, but they hate us, so we hate them back”. Well, they could ignore and dismiss Korea for a long time like that because Korea really has been way behind Japan in many aspects of development. Things are now changing.
Now, if we get into 嫌韓 (kenkan, often translated as “anti-Korean sentiment” but the characters used actually mean “hating/being repulsed by Korea”), it’s even more interesting. This is an active hatred against Korea, which is arguably held by only a small minority of the Japanese. The thing though, is that 嫌韓 is more deeply rooted and what is visible is only a tip of the iceberg.
Even though the people who are 嫌韓 may appear to be a minority, they are extremely vocal when they speak out. This is because the Japanese population acquiesce in their views or tacitly support their views.
Things are even more interesting when you compare Korean’s anti-Japanese sentiment (반일/反日, literally “against Japan”). Notice the differences in the characters used. The English translations don’t capture this subtlety. While the term for anti-Korean sentiment uses the character 嫌 meaning “hatred” or “repulsion”, the term for anti-Japanese sentiment uses the character 反, meaning “against” or “facing”. This difference aptly captures the natures of the two sentiments. Japan’s anti-Korean sentiment is often one of hatred and despise, often directly at the Korean people, per se. On the other hand, Korea’s anti-Japanese sentiment is really not about the Japanese people per se, but instead about the Japanese regime, its historical actions and the attitude that its current regime has toward such historical actions. Of course, this sometimes boils over and spills into the “hate Japanese” bucket, but it’s only because when the emotions run high, and is never the main or fundamental motivation of anti-Japanese sentiments or demonstrations in Korea, like how the converse is true in Japan.
This is also evident in that 嫌韓 has become a whole industry in Japan. If you go to bookstores in Japan, you can actually see an entire section dedicated to books on why Korea is the worst country in the world and why Koreans are the worst people in the world. New books are being published on 嫌韓 every day even now, and they are extremely popular. On the other hand, in Korea, no one dedicates this kind of fervent hatred against the Japanese. There are definitely no “anti-Japan” section in Korea’s bookstores, and no one makes a living by being an anti-Japan commentator or author. At anti-Koreans demonstrations in Japan, which are held for no apparent reasons, although the frequency and intensity increase when there are frictions between Korea and Japan like there is right now (July 2019), you often hear things like “Koreans die”, “Koreans go home” and such. On the other hand, anti-Japanese demonstrations in Korea are almost always in response to specific actions or event by the Japanese government, and the rallying calls are usually against Japanese politicians or Japan’s actions, instead of the Japanese people. You hardly ever hear anyone say “kill Japanese” or anything against the Japanese people per se at an anti-Japanese demonstration in Korea.
If you are interested in Korea and Japan as topics on Quora, you might also have noticed that there are Japanese Quorans like Kuwata Kenji (桑田 健司), August Hayek and Montel Marino (and possibly others) who get extremely riled up about defending all things Japan and its historical actions and try to shed bad light on Korea (and China and sometimes U.S. too). Has anyone seen a Korean Quoran who are anything even half like these users? I mean, there, you can see right there what Japanese have covertly been doing trying to influence and shape the popular opinions and perceptions and images about Japan and Korea all these decades.
All of this has also been made easier by the fact that Korea (at least in the case of South Korea) was never able to rid itself of the former Japanese collaborators among its leadership, like how France punished and got rid of the Nazi collaborators after its liberation. Due to Japan’s colonial policy, anyone who was educated enough or had sufficient wealth, connection and power to be in positions of leadership were pretty much all former Japanese collaborators. When the US came in to govern Southern part of Korea under a trusteeship after the Japanese were expelled and when eventually the US had to turn power over to the Korean people, they turned to these former Japanese collaborators because they were already well-entrenched and dealing with them would be much easier and convenient than punishing them and instead dealing with the Korean nationalists. In fact, since Korea’s liberation from Japan, it has been these same Japanese collaborators and traitors to the Korean people and their descendants who have held Korea’s top political and economic powers. Their views and their interests are aligned with those of Japan and they have formed and influenced Korea’s public opinions and sentiments to be pro-Japan in ways that the outwardly anti-Japanese rhetoric definitely misleads casual observers. An example of Koreans who sympathize with the Japanese way of thinking and view, of which there are many, is John Cee. They are called Korea’s “conservative” and I won’t get into the politics of it all, since I don’t think it will interest anyone and I don’t think I have the ability coherently describe it all here. Just take a look at the kind of thinking by this kind of Koreans: John Cee's answer to Does Korea still resent Japan for their actions in WWII? Now, I am definitely not saying that your opinion should be in accordance with the interest of the ethnic group you belong to or that it should be one way or other because you are Korean or because you are Japanese. Truth is the paramount value, but I maintain that there are people like this who make overreaching arguments and lie about things in defence of Japan at the expense of Korea in Korea.
This means that for decades, Japan’s logic and its attitude dominated the Korea-Japan relationship. Whatever Japan did and wanted was seen as right and rational, while Korea’s views and sentiments were relegated to being irrational and emotional, incorrect vis-a-vis the Japanese view. Now, with Korea becoming more affluent and influential, it’s starting to voice its own views, and this phenomenon itself is something new to the Japanese. From their perspective, Koreans are challenging the status quo in the relationship, which is supposed to be the “normal”, and doing so in ways that are disruptive, and therefore “irrational”, “emotional”, “untrustworthy” and so on.
Remember what I said about how this all started in the 16- 17th century? Leah J. Zhang's answer to What historical reasons would cause a Japanese to hate Koreans? also cited war records, independence and economy as the reasons for the Japanese despising and looking down on Koreans. There is irony to all this too.
War records
I am not sure it’s accurate to say that Koreans were defeated militarily by the Japanese “multiple times” since Korea successfully repelled all of Japan’s military incursions. It’s funny how Korea has successfully repelled the Japanese and at times policed the Japanese pirates that THEIR government could not control (for example, see Ōei Invasion - Wikipedia).
It’s really kinda funny for the side that constantly invaded and pillages the other to laugh at the other for it. Kind shows how perceptions can be twisted to the point of being perverse.
Independence
Kind of in the same vein, have you ever considered how Japan could remain independent for most of its history?
Aside from the fact that it’s isolated by the sea, the reason why it hardly suffered any foreign invasion was thanks to Korea.
Throughout the history, Korea repelled the invasions from China and nothern horse riding peoples and it’s thanks to this and the fact that Korea itself was extremely pacifist that Japan was saved from foreign invasions. Had Korea not been able to defend itself from the invasions from the west (China) and North (the rider peoples), Japan would certainly been invaded way more frequently.
Case in point, Mongol invasion. When, after more than 30 years of resistance, Korea finally falls and becomes subjugated to the Mongol invaders. What happens next? Yes, Japan gets invaded. That invasion did not go well for the Mongols and Koreans (who joined the invasion against its will - Korea had no resources to commit to something stupid like this after it’s entire land has been ravaged for more than three decades by the Mongols’ total destructive tactics - it was only because of the Mongols’ coercion that Korea had to provide men, ships and supplies for this campaign), but that all goes to show that when Korea falls, Japan is an open field for invasion. In other words, Japan has been shielded from foreign invasions thanks to Korea while Korea got bludgeoned by all those invasions.
This is actually something that has been acknowledged by the Japanese elites themselves (Seikanron - Wikipedia). One of the motivating rationale for Seikanron, the “Advocacy of a punitive expedition to Korea”, which eventually lead to Japan’s colonization of Korea, was that Korean peninsula was like a “dagger extending from the continent to Japan”. They recognized that Korea and Japan’s relative geographical positions are such that if Korea was hostile to Japan, Japan’s security would be threatened, so that is one of the justifications behind them acting pre-emptively and controlling Korea before someone else can control Korea and threaten Japan.
I suppose Koreans can’t ask for gratitude from the Japanese because of the protection it provided to the Japanese (gratitude is not in the Japaneses’ nature and it wasn’t like the Koreans were defending their homeland to protect the Japanese anyway) but it’s just so ironic that Japan would then constantly invade and make attempts on the weakened Korea, and then today, look back on all this and laugh at Koreans because they weren’t independent. Again, total perversion.
Another case in point, recall what happens when there is an invasion to Japan with no buffer. When admiral Perry invades Japan from the east, the Pacific, where there is no one and nothing to protect Japan, Japan so powerlessly and helplessly succumbs. So I mean, let them laugh all they want, but this is just so ironic and, from a Korean’s perspective, aggravating.
Economy
The main things that really allowed Japanese economy to develop and to get upper hands in their trades with the Europeans were silver and china (as in ceramics). Both of these were made possible only thanks to Korea.
As far as silver goes, up until the 15th century or so, silver has always been a commodity that the Japanese demanded in their trades with Korea. However, the technology for silver smelting was stolen from Korea, by way of Korean engineers/technicians. This is well documented in the records, and the World Heritage website for Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine website Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Centerhttps://ginzan.city.ohda.lg.jp/w...) notes this as well (now, the website says “The "Haifuki Method," which passes air over a mixture of lead and silver in order to sort the silver from the raw ore, was first introduced to Japan at Iwami Ginzan in 1533 by two technicians, Keiju and Sotan, who came from the Korean Peninsula at the invitation of a wealthy merchant named Kamiya Jutei from Hakata, Kyushu.” but we are all familiar with the Japanese euphemism for things like this. Yeah, “came from Korean Peninsula at the invitation of”. LOL. Yeah, those technicians “came”, nothing more. And then they won’t so much as just say “Korea” and would mince their words to say “Korean Peninsula” because they don’t want to acknowledge Korea here. Those individuals just happen to be people from the “Korean Peninsula”, you know. A very common thing when you look at the way Japanese discourse of history is written.)
This smelting technology did not catch on in Korea, but it did in Japan, allowing Japan to produce an obscene amount of Silver, which allowed them a huge advantage in their trade with the Europeans.
As far as china goes, no further needs to be said than to note that another name for the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) - Wikipedia is “Ceramics War” or “Pottery War”. In fact, it was one of the main objectives of the Japanese invaders to kidnap as many craftspeople as possible, with premium on kidnapping potters. The Korean potters they kidnapped greatly contributed to Japan’s (previously non-existent) ceramics industry and allowed Japan to benefit from trading with the Europeans.
Again, it’s kinda funny to see them being proud of the wealth that is built on invasions and stealing and laughing at the invaded country with it.
Yeah, I don’t think there is any justifiable historical reason for the Japanese to hate Koreans. It’s not like Korean pirates harrased the Japanese people throughout the history (Wokou - Wikipedia), it’s not like Koreans launched massive invasions against Japan multiple times (Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) - Wikipedia), it’s not like Koreans brutally ruled the Japanese colonially (Korea under Japanese rule - Wikipedia) it’s not like Koreans ever drafted the Japanese people into forced labour or sexual slavery (Japanese war crimes - Wikipedia, Comfort women - Wikipedia), it’s not like Koreans ever blamed the Japanese for natural disasters and massacred them (Kantō Massacre - Wikipedia).
On the contrary, Korea, since the ancient times, transferred culture, knowledge, technology, wealth and (perhaps unwittingly) provided protection from the outside world, without ever trying to invade Japan and enslave its people. So it is indeed quite puzzling that (some) Japanese hate Koreans and have anti-Korean sentiments, while getting upset about Koreans having anti-Japanese sentiment, when I think they only have things to be thankful to Koreans about.
If you sat down to read all the way to this point, I thank you. That is all from me.
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