From an "Island of Massacres" to an "Island of Peace":
Invitation to a Discussion of "Peace" on Jeju Island

UTSUMI Aiko

The Peace Studies Association of Japan (PSAJ) will hold its 2007 Autumn Research Conference in November on Jeju* Island, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the first time that we will have a conference overseas. We are living in an era when money, information, and people are all crossing borders. PSAJ is a member of IPRA (International Peace Research Association), and its members are also active in international exchanges. Nevertheless, it had been difficult to hold a meeting outside of Japan. Ritsumeikan Center for Korean Study, however, has been closely interacting with Cheju National University and Jeju 4.3 Research Institute. It is these practices that have made possible the research conference, co-hosted by three groups in South Korea and Japan (Jeju 4.3 Research Institute; the Institute of Peace Studies, Cheju National University; and the Peace Studies Association of Japan), with support from various organizations in South Korea (Cheju National University, Jeju National University of Education, Korean Association of Genocide Studies, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province).

Humanitarian Problems Involving North Korea:
Repatriation, Japanese Wives, and Abduction

LEE Young-chae

Humanitarian issues involving North Korea have been emerging recently. Such issues include repatriation of Korean residents in Japan, Kikoku Undou, or Repatriation Movement (approximately 100,000 people "permanently returned" to the "Socialist Fatherland" of North Korea during a period of about 25 years), Japanese-born wives (1,871 Japanese wives who returned voluntarily to North Korea during Kikoku Undo), and abductions of Japanese by North Korea which were generated under the abnormal conditions of the Japan-North Korea relationship, and are typical humanitarian problems whose settlement is still difficult.

The fall 2007 meeting of the Peace Studies Association of Japan is now scheduled to take place outside of Japan for the first time in its history, on the island of Jeju, under the theme “In Search of ‘People’s Peace’ in East Asia: On the Crossroads of Historical Experiences between Japan and Korea.” It is quite rare for general meetings of Japanese academic societies to be held overseas.