Left Flank

I can attest to the irritation the subject of Japan's colonial relationship with the Korean peninsula provokes, and James Turnball is reaping the whirlwind by taking on any project with Japan and Korea together as a subject. I know I catch flak whenever I hint at the subject with my wife.

So, let me quote briefly what I can before my wife finds out.

...Japan's quite weak position at the turn of the Nineteenth Century forced a uniquely intensified form of colonialism, which again any preconceptions based on European colonialism would give quite a false impression of. Japanese colonialism was different in several crucial ways:

• It began much later, and was initiated, led and controlled by the Japanese state for the sake of Japanese development rather than by private companies and business interests in pursuit of profit.
• It only occurred in those areas geographically closest to Japan, and, not unimportant, culturally and racially closest to Japan too.
• Given the above, then Japanese colonization ultimately involved the complete transformation and development of colonies' economies and the establishment of modern bureaucratic states where none had existed before, and while all this was purely for the sake of Japan, this involved much more investment and establishment of infrastructure and industry than the extractive industries of European colonies ever did.

One day, Turnball will publish a best-selling book, and I'll be slaving away in some office all puffed up because I was there «at the creation». Yet, hopefully not spoiling the ending here, but the irony is, that Japan has turned the fruits of its latecomer status into bully points opposing the Washington Consensus and the neo-liberal paradigm in general, particularly the part about the state's role in development. And, furthermore, Japan has offered itself selflessly as the lead goose in the formation leading East and Southeast Asia into prosperity. Ironically, too, Tokyo's current diplomatic and economic relationship is excellent with those colonial possesions, like Vietnam, it ravaged so thoroughly during the Pacific War. Turnball is on to something.

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