Novelist Murakami speaks out on Japan`s territorial disputes

Novelist Murakami speaks out on Japan`s territorial disputes. September. 29, 2012 04:49. bae2150@donga.com.

Famed Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami has expressed deep concern over the latest territorial dispute between his country and China over the Senkaku Islands, which the Chinese call Diaoyu.

In an essay carried by the major Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun Friday, Murakami, 63, said he was “shocked” by the removal of Japanese works in bookstores across China and urged that territorial disputes should not stop "soul exchanges" across borders.

The newspaper posted an article his essay on the front page of its Friday edition and devoted about two-thirds of the third page to the full text of Haruki’s contribution.

Haruki is one of Asia’s best-known authors and a leading candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year. His bestselling books, including "Norwegian Wood," "Dance Dance Dance," "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" and "1Q84," have been translated into most Asian languages and enjoy high popularity.

The following is the gist of the essay.

One of the most fortunate achievements made in East Asia over the last 20 years is the formation of unique cultural blocs in the region. Thanks to dazzling economic growth in China, South Korea and Taiwan, equal cultural exchanges among them have become possible and allowing many cultural accomplishments to cross borders.

The East Asian cultural bloc is growing solidly as a rich and stable market. For example, the popularity of South Korean television dramas in Japan has made the Japanese feel closer to Korean culture than before. The number of Japanese learning the Korean language has increased sharply. When I was at an American university, many Koreans and Chinese students visited my office for talks. Many people have made great efforts for a long time to make it possible.

One of the main purposes of cultural exchange is to promote the understanding that we are all human beings who share emotions and inspirations, even if we speak different languages. That is the path through which souls can come and go beyond national borders. I fear that as both an Asian and Japanese writer, the steady achievements we’ve made will be hugely damaged because of recent territorial spats.

Territorial problems are inescapable consequences as long as national borders exist. They can and should be worked out, however. When a territorial dispute is in the realm of “national emotions,” it creates a dangerous situation with no exit. It’s like getting drunk on cheap sake. Drinking just a small cup of this cheap sake sends blood rushing to the head. People’s voices grow louder and those actions get violent. But after making a noisy fuss about it, all that is left is a bad headache when dawn breaks.

Politicians and critics who lavish their people with cheap liquor should be avoided. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler solidified the basis for his power by trumpeting the recovery of lost territory. We are aware what outcome this brought about. Politicians and critics can use fancy words and instigate their people but in the end, the people are the ones who get hurt.

Retaliation will come back and hit you. Under no circumstance should we lose our due respect for other cultures. The path for souls to come and go must not be blocked.