Japan's Colonization of Korea: Discourse and Power

233 Pages·2006·2.63 MB·English

by  Alexis Dudden

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JAPANESE/KOREAN HISTORY
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“Excellent.” —Korean Quarterly D
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“Japan’s colonial domination of Korea is the subject of numerous
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studies, most of them quite valuable. None, however, is as fasci-
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nating as this thoughtful examination of the role of language in

the legitimation of the use of force in international relations. . . . A

fascinating revelation of the critical interplay between language and J
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power and the production and character of ideological discourse in
both domestic and international relations.” —Choice P
A JAPAN’S COLONIZATION OF KOREA
“A welcome and important addition to a growing body of works
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that show not only Japan’s emergence as an imperialist power but
its integration into the broader colonial system. It casts the entire ’
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imperialist enterprise—with Japan as an integral part of that enter-

prise—in a fresh light, even while it raises disturbing questions about C
the implications of Japan’s experience for contemporary America.” O DISCOURSE AND POWER
—American Historical Review
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“Dudden’s book greatly contributes to our understanding of . . . East O
Asian history and of how international law was used to establish an
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unjust regime.” —Japan Times
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“A concise and powerful account of how Japanese policymakers fi rst Z
carefully studied and then meticulously invoked international law
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to justify the annexation of Korea in 1910. Accomplishing what few
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scholars before her have done, Dudden has written a transnational
history of the Japanese colonization of Korea.” —Asahi Shimbun I
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Alexis Dudden is Sue and Eugene Mercy Associate Professor of His-
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tory at Connecticut College.

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A Study of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute
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COVER ART: Kobayashi Kiyochika, Our Army Attacks the Chinese Camp
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at Pyongyang, 1894 (detail). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Jean S. and
Frederic A. Sharf Collection 2000.222. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts. O
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COVER DESIGN: Adrianne Onderdonk Dudden
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ALEXIS DUDDEN
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University of Hawai‘i Press
2840 Kolowalu Street
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
Japan’s Colonization of Korea
A STUDY OF THE WEATHERHEAD EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Japan’s Colonization of Korea
DISCOURSE AND POWER
Alexis Dudden
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I PRESS
HONOLULU
© 2005 University ofHawai‘i Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
10 09 08 07 06 05 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dudden,Alexis.
Japan’s colonization ofKorea :discourse and power /Alexis Dudden.
p. cm.— (The studies ofthe Weatherhead East Asian Institute)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8248-2829-1 (hardcover:alk.paper)
1.Korea—History—Japanese occupation,1910–1945. 2.Japan—Foreign
relations—Korea. 3.Korea—Foreign relations—Japan. 4.Japan—Foreign
relations—1868–1912. 5.Korea—Foreign relations—1864–1910. 6.Korea—
International status. 7.Law—Japan—History. 8.Law—Korea—History. I.Title.
II.Studies ofthe Weatherhead East Asian Institute,Columbia University.
DS916.55.D83 2005
341.26—dc22
2004017575
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute is Columbia University’s center for research,
publication,and teaching on modern East Asia.The Studies ofthe Weatherhead East
Asian Institute were inaugurated in 1962 to bring to a wider public the results of
significant new research on modern and contemporary East Asia.
University ofHawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the
guidelines for permanence and durability ofthe Council on Library Resources.
Designed by the University ofHawai‘i Press Design & Production Department
Printed by The Maple-Vail Manufacturing Group
To my mother and father

Contents
Acknowledgments
ix
Introduction
1
1 Illegal Korea 7
2 International Terms of Engagement 27
3 The Vocabulary of Power 45
4 Voices of Dissent 74
5 Mission Législatrice 100
Coda: AKnowledgeable Empire
131
Notes
147
Bibliography
185
Index
209

Acknowledgments
I am grateful to too many teachers,friends,and family members for these few
paragraphs to suffice,and many ofthese people fall into each category anyway,
so my attempts are muddled from the start.I simply wish that I could win the
lottery and get everyone together for a “Babette’s feast”to thank you all.
Tetsuo Najita is a wonderful historian,and I will always be lucky to call him
my adviser.Prasenjit Duara and Bruce Cumings challenged and expanded my
questions in ways that I still haven’t begun to address, and Norma Field
demonstrated the importance ofexamining the world with compassion at all
times.Carol Gluck and Jim McClain were my first teachers of Japan,and in
many ways they brought this book into being.Bill Sibley showed that without
friendship there is no use for any ofit,and Igarashi Akio remains too gener-
ous with time,space,and sake to thank in words.
Any mistakes are,ofcourse,mine,but Andre Schmid is responsible for this
book.As I was blithely heading offto graduate school,he told me that I would
never understand modern Japan without studying Korea. He was right, of
course,but I didn’t know why until Han Suk-Jung became my teacher and
friend and explained to me the human dimensions ofJapan’s empire and the
world in its wake.In this regard,I will also always look forward to learning
from Melissa Wender.
Geoff Klingsporn,Mark Schmeller,Alexandra Gillen,and Linda Zucker-
man were the best friends,critics,and sparring partners that anyone could
hope for during the delights ofwriting a dissertation.Chris Hill,Sarah Thal,
Jonathan Field,Billy Hinton,Paul Gilmore,Sarah Rose,Kevin Bogart,Mark
Bradley,Lydia Liu,Namhee Lee,David Ambaras,David Leheny,Angus Lock-
ix