ABSTRACT
Northeast Asia is now facing a grave crisis. In order to get out of this crisis we should stare at our historical legacies which have separated us so severely, create common perceptions of the legacies, and find ways of overcoming them in name of true reconciliation. For those of us living in Northeast Asia or East Asia, historical legacies are multilayered. In this region, three wars have raged. The first was the Japanese Fifty Years’ War (1894-1945). The second was the New Asian Thirty Years’ War (1946-1975). The third was the Cold War (1946-1987). Each war left its historical legacies. But not every war was ended with a peace treaty. The San Francisco Peace Treaty (SFPT) was a treaty which closed the Japanese Fifty Years’ War. And it was concluded between Japan and a part of the Allied victors which were now participants of the New Asian War. Therefore it was a treaty which could close the past war only partly and at the same time it was a treaty which made it possible to continue the new wars. The New Asian Wars and the Cold War were not ended with peace treaties. The San Francisco System which was born from the treaty transformed itself through the New Asian Wars and the Cold War. Some parts vanished, but other parts still persist. They form special historical legacies which prevent reconciliation and regional cooperation.
