A Japanese professor emeritus at Waseda University, who previously faced criticism for denying the forced mobilization of comfort women by the Japanese military, is causing controversy by claiming that "South Korea has become richer than Japan, so return the Japanese property from the Japanese colonial period."
On October 13, Professor Emeritus Arima Tetsuo of Waseda University's Faculty of Social Sciences posted on his social media, stating, "Assets owned by Japan and Japanese citizens after the end of the war were given free of charge to local Koreans by the U.S. military." He added, "This is a violation of international law, which dictates that property ownership must not be infringed upon due to war."
Mentioning the Treaty of San Francisco and the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement, he further claimed, "Personally, given that South Korea has become wealthier than Japan, I hope a new agreement will be made to return the assets that Japan and Japanese citizens owned before the end of the war, namely vested property."
Amid the growing controversy, Arima posted a follow-up message to continue his argument.
He stated, "I am proposing a new agreement precisely because I know the contents of the Korea-Japan agreements up to now," and argued, "Originally, the U.S. military's disposal of Japanese property on the Korean Peninsula without the owners' consent constitutes a violation of international law."
He added, "Despite agreements, the South Korean side continues to demand compensation from Japan for comfort women and forced laborers. If so, I think it is only fair that there are Japanese citizens who demand the return of property that was unjustly taken from them."
He equated the claims for compensation by victims of forced mobilization during the Japanese colonial period with the U.S. military government's confiscation of Japanese property, using it as a basis for demanding its return.
However, such claims directly contradict the explicit provisions of the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement.
The agreement stipulates, "It is confirmed that the problems concerning property, rights, and interests of the two Contracting Parties and their peoples, and concerning claims, have been settled completely and finally."
The Japanese government has also maintained the official stance regarding compensation claims by victims of forced mobilization and comfort women that the matter "was completely and finally resolved through the 1965 Claims Agreement."
Netizens who encountered Arima's post reacted with criticism, saying, "It is an absurd argument that turns a blind eye to the history of colonial rule" and "Go back and study history."
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
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