The matter of Jeju Cherry Trees might seem a trivial past injustice, but similar disingenuous attitudes pervade the Japanese Society, We have to continue to attain historical reconciliation even in the worst era of the Ukraine War.

Northern Okinawa has been recently inscribed by UNESCO as World Natural Heritage under the auspices of the IUCN. However, the U.S. Navy base called Jungle Warfare Training Center is located adjacent to the designated area with its deployment of ospreys ousting endangered species. Military wastes are still there. It shows the political powerlessness of the Okinawans, the Indigenous people still oppressed by the majority in Japan as well as the governance problem due to the U.S. -Japan treaties. I think the international pressure after the inscription is essential. Facing many serious environmental problems in East Asia, the Indigenous perspective should be focused.

The joint international educational project has been developing between Hokkaido University and Jeju University based on reparations cases in both islands of tragedies. There are many reasons why I as a Japanese civil law/ reparations scholar have got interested in the Jeju tragedy: the need for building peace-making network, the historically- strong relationship between Jeju and Japan, and the continuity of violence between the Korean right-wing soldiers at the Jeju mass killing and the Japanese soldiers in the colonization era. The challenges of Jeju reparations are still immense: including most importantly, unfinished individual symbolic and economic reparations and the US responsibility. To attain true reconciliation, more Americans should know these past injustices in accordance with the theoretical framework/ process of reconciliation: (1) fact findings of past injustice and their recognition, (2) the admittance of historical responsibility (3) sincere apologies and supplementary reparations from perpetrators’ sides, and then (4) forgiveness from victims’ sides. As for the Jeju tragedy, international efforts towards this direction is imminently required.

There are many reparations cases in East Asia, especially relating to Japanese invasion and colonization, such as those on forced slave labor, comfort women, Chinese massacres; and a number of related lawsuits have to date been filed. However, most of these legal cases have been turned down, even though a limited number of cases (e.g., the Hanaoka and Nishimatsu Chinese forced labor cases) have been resolved outside of the courts. In this paper, the Jeju April 3rd massacre has been taken close up as one of the Asian reparations cases. Thus I’ll try to discuss how to deal with this past injustice compared to other related reparations cases and point out the challenges we are facing relating to this horrifying historical injustice in the 1940s-50s in this peaceful Jeju island. First, international as well as domestic reparation cases will be surveyed in depth. Second we’ll deal with why the legal cases have been unsuccessful so far in Japan, and the ways to overcome legal obstacles. Then we will discuss the mechanism of reparations and its goal: reconciliation and a change of the international and racial relationship. The important role of an apology will also be considered.

There are many reparations cases in East Asia, especially relating to Japanese invasion and colonization, such as those on forced slave labor, comfort women, Chinese massacres; and a number of related lawsuits have to date been filed. However, most of these legal cases have been turned down, even though a limited number of cases (e.g., the Hanaoka and Nishimatsu Chinese forced labor cases) have been resolved outside of the courts.In this symposium, the Jeju April 3rd tragedy has been taken close up as one of the Asian reparations cases. Thus I’ll try to discuss how to deal with this past injustice compared to other related reparations cases and point out the challenges we are facing relating to this horrifying historical injustice in the 1940s-50s in this peaceful Jeju island.First, international as well as domestic reparation cases will be surveyed in depth. Second we’ll deal with why the legal cases have been unsuccessful so far in Japan, and the ways to overcome legal obstacles.Then we will discuss the mechanism of reparations and its goal: reconciliation and a change of the international and racial relationship. The important role of an apology will also be considered.