조선총독부 고적조사사업에 대한 평가와 인식 -패전 후 일본 학계의 동향을 중심으로-

Abstract

There has been little study on the activities and organizations in which Japanese scholars active in colonial Joseon participated after returning to Japan. This is because the scholars do not directly mention the events that occurred in colonial Joseon and also because Japanese academia does not thoroughly investigate this topic. However, this issue will not only help us to understand the historical view of colonial Joseon but also provide a clue to reestablishing the foundation of current scholarship in Japan. In light of this issue, this study first introduces the perspective of Japanese scholars who investigated Asian regions such as Joseon and China. Then it also aims to considered the activities and perception of Japanese scholars who participated in historical spot investigations in colonial Joseon, after defeat in the war. The author had already investigated research by some Japanese scholars who cooperated with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the Korea–Japan Conference. Adding to the prior research, this study considered not only the relationship with the Korea–Japan Conference but also conduct an evaluation of the academic activities, not only in Joseon but also other parts of the world, by Japanese researchers who returned to Japan after defeat in the war. After defeat in the war, researchers who returned to Japan continually argued that the policies of the Japanese Government General of Korea, criticized as “puppets of militarism,” were not related to their research activities. These people were summoned when the Japanese government conducted investigations on Japanese people who were active overseas, as part of an effort to dilute demands for war reparations led by the United States. Researchers who were active in colonial Joseon aided in spreading the Japanese “colony benefit theory.” The author also aims to pay more attention in the future to the varied academic activities that occurred in Joseon during the colonial period. I will investigate in more detail what impact “preservation of Joseon culture” or academic activities that “shed a light on Joseon history” had on colonial Joseon.