Japan's repatriation museum silent on Ukishima Maru disaster, professor says

A memorial museum in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture — once the gateway through which Japanese nationals returned home from colonial postings during Japan's occupation of Korea — stirs controversy for its detailed account of Japanese repatriation while making no mention of the Ukishima Maru incident, in which thousands of Koreans are believed to have died when the vessel sank in waters off the city.

Sungshin Women's University professor Seo Gyeong-deok said Friday on social media that he had visited the museum. "Maizuru served as the gateway through which Japanese nationals posted to various colonies during the occupation returned home, and this museum introduces their repatriation process in great detail," he said.

Seo said "some of the records here have been recognized for their historical value and designated as UNESCO Memory of the World heritage," adding that chartered tour buses brought large numbers of visitors from across the country and that the museum was particularly well used as a history education site for children.

The museum, Seo said, made no mention of an incident just after Korea's liberation in 1945, in which thousands of Koreans died while attempting to return home through those same waters.

"The exhibition displays only records related to the repatriation of Japanese nationals, and there was not a single line about the Ukishima Maru incident, in which the ship sank in the waters off Maizuru," Seo said. "It was yet another confirmation of Japan's double standard when it comes to viewing history."

The Ukishima Maru was a Japanese naval transport ship carrying ethnic Koreans who wished to return home after liberation, bound for Busan.

The vessel departed Ominato Port in Aomori Prefecture on Aug. 22, 1945, and sank two days later on Aug. 24 after an explosion in its hull as it attempted to call at Maizuru Port in Kyoto.

Japanese authorities said the ship struck an underwater mine and sank, putting the death toll at 524 out of roughly 3,700 people on board. Bereaved families, however, said Japan deliberately blew up the vessel and that more than 3,000 of the 7,500 to 8,000 people on board perished.

Seo, working with KB Financial Group, produced a multilingual video titled "Ukishima Maru: A Story We Must Remember" that shed new light on the sinking, releasing it last month.

"In August, I plan to produce and release another video centered on this visit to the Maizuru site," he said, adding that he would do his utmost through a sustained video campaign to ensure the Ukishima Maru incident is not forgotten and that the remains of the victims are repatriated.