ABSTRACT
On 15 September 1945, the bulletin of an organization of Japanese civilians resident in Keijō (Seoul, Korea) published an essay called ‘A serendipitous friendship, with those with whom we ate rice out of the same pot’. 2 It first gave an overview of recent events including the ‘important radio broadcast of 15 August’, a euphemism for defeat, and the arrival of the American military. It then went on to stress the common history of Japanese and Koreans in Korea for the past 30 years:
If you think about it, we have mutual understanding. For 30 some years, we have resided in the same house and lived together. Because we grew used to each other, we have taken an especially close look at each other’s flaws. Selfishness and insufficient behavior became our normal way. But that, after all, is because we, for those 30-some years, ate rice out of the same pot and are ‘of the same belly’. And now, those of the same belly are founding a branch family. At this new point of departure, it is desirable that with each other, our highest creed will be this serendipitous friendship. Let bygones be bygones and let us move forward.
