Japan party opposes return of Korean royal books

Japan party opposes return of Korean royal books. April. 21, 2011 00:42. jkmas@donga.com kplee@donga.com.

Japan`s main opposition Liberal Democratic Party members belonging to the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs oppose the return of royal Korean books looted by Japan in its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, Kyodo News said Wednesday.

The committee was scheduled to receive a briefing on the bilateral agreement the same day by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto on the return and visit the Imperial Household Agency to look at the books, including royal protocols of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, and to begin deliberation on the agreement Friday.

The Japanese government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan sought to ratify the agreement before May 21, when Korean President Lee Myung-bak visits Tokyo. The passage will likely hit a snag, however, due to the objection of the Japanese lawmakers.

The Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers told a meeting Wednesday, “We shouldn’t return Korean books unilaterally since Korea also has many Japanese books.”

As a precondition for parliamentary deliberation of the bilateral agreement, they urged the Japanese Foreign Ministry in February to identify how many Japanese books Korea possesses. Media reports say a survey by the Japanese Foreign Ministry found that more than 1 million Japanese books are in Korea.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry, however, said Japan cannot ask Korea to return Japanese books because Korean books in Japan were illegally taken by the Japanese colonial government while Japanese books in Korea were voluntarily brought by the Japanese.

Separately, the Korean committee on the return of the Joseon Dynasty royal protocols will visit the Japanese Diet Friday. The Buddhist monk Hyemun, secretary-general of the committee, said Wednesday, “Along with the Ven. Beopsang, chairman of the steering committee, and Lee Sang-geun, chairman of the executive committee, I will visit the Japanese parliament Friday and attend as a witness its foreign affairs committee meeting to deliberate on the bilateral agreement on the return of the Joseon Dynasty royal protocols.”

“Given the scheduled May 21 visit of President Lee Myung-bak to Japan, I expect Japan to resolve the matter by that time and the royal books to be returned in late May or early June.“