I decided to study history again because I wanted to dig deeper into current affairs. This time, there was an article called "Profitable" History "" in a magazine called PRESIDENT with a similar purpose. Since the content was written that is related to modern history, I would like to introduce it for a moment.
This time it's the anniversary of the end of the war, so let's talk about the war. World history (especially Chinese history) is also included. Prime Minister Abe has announced a discourse, but why did he get so confused? It was easy to understand, so let's take a look at the background while summarizing "Profitable" History "".
Historical background during the day
To know the current state of Japan-China relations, it is necessary to know the history of the early modern period (especially the latter half) of Japan and China, so let's explore the policies of the government during the Edo period in Japan and the Ming and Qing eras in China.
- Japan ... Welcome to the development of rural areas ⇒ Each clan is focusing on school development and economic development
- China (Ming / Qing)… I dare not give guidance because of the threat of local development
I think that various factors are involved in the background of such a government policy. It seems that China is a multi-ethnic nation that has traditionally been a traditional (weak local control by the central government). Perhaps it was because they didn't want to give them a chance to take advantage of neighboring countries and ethnic groups in the event of a domestic emergency.
There is also a reason for the failure to modernize. The Qing dynasty was at its peak, and the population exceeded 300 million at the end of the 18th century. After that, the number of people will continue to increase to more than 400 million, but at the same time, many disasters will occur due to the destruction of nature due to overpopulation. This turmoil causes civil war. At the same time, there was an invasion of the Western powers, and we aimed to modernize to counter it, but the unstable Qing dynasty at our feet could not achieve that purpose.
I personally love Chinese history, so I honestly feel uncomfortable if it's just a victim's point of view that Europe likes. Was it such a weak country? In that sense. There may be a little bit of such a personal perspective. After investigating, I'm introducing the theory of ↑.
What about the other Japan? It is generally said that the control of the central government becomes less effective as the region becomes stronger, but as a countermeasure, the Tokugawa Shogunate has adopted a system of change of attendance with the family of the daimyo as a hostage. This seems to have been able to afford to welcome the development of the region. The development of this region seems to have greatly contributed to the modernization of Japan.
In the era of isolation, some daimyo actually had a clan that traded with Ryukyu (via China) and Russia in order to ease the burden of changing attendance. Satsuma is the representative, and it is said that even if he changed his office from a distant place, he could afford it financially compared to other clan.
In addition, Confucianism (especially Cheng-Zhu) was one of the disciplines during the Edo period, and it became one of the means for success in life. Cheng-Zhu School is adopted to match the idea of social order and the idea of feudal rule in the Edo period. It's rough to say, but it seems that the intention was to spread something like the ideology that justifies Tokugawa nationwide so that it wouldn't go against it, and in fact it worked well for a long time. .. The permeation of this ideology would have been a factor in welcoming the development of the region.
Ironically, in the late Edo period, when Cheng-Zhu school began to be studied considerably, it became the idea of the emperor rather than the absolute view of the shogun, who was the lord, and became the driving force of the Meiji Restoration.
Anyway, this difference will continue to linger after World War II. China began full-scale modernization after the reform and opening-up route in 1978, and domestic industry has developed in recent years. Today, GDP has turned around during the day.
Postwar processing of World War II
German post-war processing
Germany's war responsibility is often compared, but being "blamed" means that there is a partner. The difference is said to be in the power balance between Japan and Germany.
First, Germany. Many of Germany's neighboring countries have a strong voice in the protagonist class during World War II. Furthermore, after the war, after the occupation period until 1949, the territory was divided and it was in a very weak position, and it became the forefront of the Cold War era. Under such circumstances, it was fatal to not be able to participate in the United Nations established in 1945 or NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) established in 1949. It seems that reconciliation with neighboring countries was indispensable. It was a situation where we had to make concessions.
Postwar processing of Japan in World War II
Japan's main opponents are the United States and China. Until 1952 after the war, it was under the occupation of the Allied Powers centered on the United States.
Speaking of being a neighboring country in the meantime, the Chinese Civil War from 1946 (Kuomintang VS Communist Party) and the Korean War from 1950. The Chinese Civil War settled down in 1949 as it is now. The Korean War is also a proxy war between the West and the East. Both are battles that involve the conflict between democracy and socialism.
Perhaps these turmoil delayed Japan's postwar process. Time has passed since the Japan-China Peace Treaty with Taiwan in 1952, the Japan-Korea Basic Treaty in 1965, the Japan-China Joint Statement in 1972, and the end of the war. Japan has been recovering, including its economy, over time. China had a conflict with the Soviet Union at this time, so it was necessary to improve the relationship smoothly, and in South Korea, the Park Chung-hee administration, which was established in a coup d'etat in 1961, was unstable. It became a good material for Japan.
Under these circumstances, Japan was able to take an advantageous position during post-war processing, and from such a background, there may have been potential dissatisfaction with both China and South Korea. It is said. In addition, although suspicious these days, both countries have developed at a considerable speed. It seems that the dissatisfaction has spurted out as a "historical problem" because the power balance has changed from that time.
Summary
There may be various other factors, but the theory of power balance is quite reasonable. I can't say it well, but especially in the case of China, I feel that my feet are just wobbling when I try to compete with other countries, and that I haven't been able to survive well until now.
China has been in a state of sudden economic development these days, so there may be some tone down in some cases. Either way, future power relationships are likely to make a difference.