ENGLISH DEBATE ON SOCIAL TOPICコミュのJapan and Korea

Hi there, I've just joined so please excuse the late response.

Before I state my opinion, please let me state I have been to an international school in Japan, and attended high school in England. Although there are a lot of things I don't know about foreign countries, my opinions here are based on experiences with people from a variety of countries in Japan and also my experiences on being a foreigner in England.

The topic in question should be more specific, in that "Japanese" can be put into two groups, those familiar with international values and those who aren't. The first group would include people with an international background and/or those with an environment making them familiar with people other than Japanese.

In answer to the topic, the first step towards the solution for the second group of Japanese people (those unfamiliar with people outside Japan) is very easy, to learn and familiarize themselves on Korean culture and education as a whole, as well as learning about anti-Japanese semitism as well. From there I think it is up to the individual to tackle this problem or ignore it all together.

I suppose I do not speak for the all the people in the first group, but as a Japanese with international experiences, have some knowledge of the Korean's anti-Japan views. I simply want to say, aside from differing views of each country's history, that it is very ignorant for either country to put their own culture above another's. As an individual Japanese to any foreigner, I would like to respect any person and their country as equals, no matter what their beliefs are.

Every person is entitled to their own opinions, and that is a democratic view that both Korea and Japan have founded our countries on. But at the same time, we tend to forget that with that right comes a responsibility that we must accept other people's views, even if they are different from our own. The British have a concept from which I think we can all learn from, that if after exchanging opinions and when both sides cannot agree, we must "agree to disagree". Even if the Korean in front of me is anti-Japan, that will not take anything away from my pride in being a Japanese. Nor will I try to take his or her pride away either. I believe the correct way to handle someone like that would be to "agree to disagree".