NAHF’s Position on the Reopening of

Japan’s National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty

January 20, 2020
Seoul

The Japanese government is escalating its provocation over the Korean island, Dokdo, by featuring it in the reopened National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty on January 21, 2020. As such, the Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF, President Kim Do-hyung) hereby states its position in protest.

In recent years, the Japanese government has grown increasingly brazen about Japan’s past acts of aggression instead of reflecting on the way it pillaged its colonies and attempting to heal the wounds of victims. NAHF is gravely concerned about the Japanese government’s mistaken perception of history and obtuse awareness of human rights. Moreover, through school textbooks, government documents, and local events, Japan has been making baseless claims regarding Dokdo, which it illegally seized for war purposes. Now such claims are being presented through an expanded exhibition for a museum’s reopening. Japan should bear in mind that Dokdo is historically, geographically, and legally a territory of the Republic of Korea.

Time cannot obscure transgressions committed throughout history. Past wrongdoings cannot be erased even though the war ended more than seventy years ago. The only way to right wrongs and move toward the future is to genuinely self-reflect and act accordingly. In that sense, the National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty should be closed immediately.