뉴스레터

Question

Yushukan, a military museum in Yasukuni Shrine, is said to propagate a revisionist take on Japan's imperial aggression and distortions concerning Korean history. Is it true?

Answer

Yushukan is a military and war museum located within the Yasukuni Shrine complex. It opened its doors in 1882. It was originally a kind of "weapons display," but "Yushukan" [遊就館] was later designated as its official name. The museum, which serves to memorialize the fallen soldiers during the Sino-Japanese Wars, Russo-Japanese War, and World War I, expanded gradually. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, the Supreme Commander of the Allies Powers/General Headquarters banned public servants from officially worshipping at the Yasukuni Shrine and shut down Yushukan. Yushukan was reopened in 1986. Between May 2001 and June 2002, a large-scale expansion in terms of facility and display was undertaken. Currently, the museum houses some 100,000 pieces of weaponry and personal possessions as well as around 5,000 photographs of fallen soldiers.

There have been many criticisms from Korea and elsewhere about not only Yasukuni Shrine itself but also Yushukan. Fundamentally, Yushukan glorifies and defends Japan's imperial aggression and distorts Korean history. This is why it is a place we must take an interest in and closely monitor. There are many instances of distortions concerning Korean history at Yushukan. Some notable examples include the narrative on Empress Jingu's invasion of Silla and the depiction of Japan's annexation of Korea. Regarding the latter, the museum states, "The newly-appointed Resident-General Terauchi Masatake [寺內正毅] met with Prime Minister Lee Wan-yong and agreed on a draft treaty. On the 22nd, the Korean government, including the king and members of the cabinet, approved and sanctioned the draft treaty. The Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was concluded on the same day." The explanation is a historical distortion, giving the impression that the treaty had been concluded in a legally legitimate manner.

Yushukan also whitewashes Japan's aggression in Asia and Japan's provocation of the Pacific War. Yushukan refers to the war as the "Great East Asian War" and claims, "The many nations of Asia gained independence after the Japanese military's glorious victory."

The renowned U.S. political scientist Francis Fukuyama warned against the severity of the Yushukan issues as follows: "The problem is not the 12 Class-A war criminals interred at [Yasukuni] shrine; the real problem is the Yushukan military museum next door."

Yasukuni Shrine is technically a private religious institution. Hence, if the Korean government or foreign ministry requests correction measures against what is exhibited and depicted at Yushukan, it is very likely that Japan will reject the request, arguing that it is interference in domestic affairs. Accordingly, requests for correction should be made via an organic network of private entities, the academia, and relevant organizations in the short term. In the long-term, we should find ways to request the shutdown of this problematic museum altogether.