Japan: Opening Up Old Wounds

In a land where harmony is prized, especially in politics, Masayuki Fujio's stance was uncharacteristically defiant. "If I resign," said Japan's Education Minister, "it would mean going back on my statements." Since Fujio would not resign, Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone fired him. It was the first time in 34 years that a Japanese Cabinet member had been dismissed.

The reason for the ouster was an interview in which Fujio said that the "Korean side has some responsibility" for Japan's 1910 annexation of that country, since Korean representatives had sanctioned the act. He also excused the 1937 "rape of Nanking," during which some 200,000 Chinese were massacred by Japanese troops.

A full-scale diplomatic crisis immediately ensued. The Chinese and North Koreans were indignant: the South Koreans postponed a joint foreign ministers' meeting, and the South Korean press even suggested that Nakasone's upcoming visit to Seoul be canceled. In the wake of the uproar, the Prime Minister found a new, less outspoken Education Minister.