Japan-Korean relations and their cultural and historical determinants

This bachelor thesis deals with the analysis of selected cultural and historical factors in order to determine which of them and in what manner could affect the current state of relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. From a historical point of view, the circumstances of the occupation of the Korean Peninsula by Imperial Japan, the related phenomenon of so-called comfort women and the territorial dispute over the Takeshima Islands are examined. At the cultural level, the significant socio-cultural characteristics of both countries are assessed using the methodology of Geert Hofstede. The theoretical basis of the work is the theory of the clash of civilizations by Samuel Huntington. The relevant procedure found that the historical conflict of these countries stems in large part from significant social and cultural differences that arose during the period of Japanese isolationism. The separate development caused a departure of Japanese Confucianism from its classical version. Japanese nationalism, cultivated since the unification of the country along with the ideas of Pan-Asianism, clashed at the end of the 19th century with a culture closer to the original Chinese values. Hofstede's cultural dimensions point, on the one hand, to a strong inclination towards traditional values in both countries, and, on the other hand, to differences in other features, such as high masculinity and individualism. These differences significantly complicate efforts to resolve historical disputes.