East Asian Experiences of Empire

The most well-defined and documented imperialism of the twentieth century was Japanese geographical and cultural expansionism. In a sense, Japanese imperialism in China and especially in Korea furthered East Asian cultural continuity and assimilation; that is, while it is naïve to view all nations of East Asia as monolithic, a forced spread of Japanese and Asian-influenced culture was effected by their imperial efforts during this time. Japan left its mark on Korea and China through a cultural exchange, albeit a somewhat forced exchange. This meant that a common thread of East Asian culture emerged with a vaguely Japanese undertone expressed in their formation of independent nation-states.

As documented in the two primary sources on “comfort women,” Japanese imperialism left an ugly legacy on Asia and the Sino-Korean perception of Japan. With a modernized military and a newly mobilized economy as a result of nationalized “Westernization” applied in tandem with a core preservation of Japanese culture, Japan felt ready to force itself on its neighbors. This was not some benign act of modernization or multilateral cooperation; it was an obfuscated yet overt act of self-proclaimed superiority that left destruction and pain in its wake. Korean and Chinese women were rendered as sex slaves. These sources are likely a microcosm of a broad campaign of rape and indignation that was viewed as a justifiable collateral damage or simply the spoils of war. As mentioned by the esteemed Professor Bonk of the College of Wooster, modern China commemorates the date of the Nanking Massacre to ensure that imperial Japan’s atrocities in the Asian theatre are not forgotten, which is a tacit statement of unresolved resent between them regarding this dark period in Asia’s history.

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