Annexation of Korea and “the Creation of family name”

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Korean's 'Free will' to chose Japanese names
Price of Korea did not change their Korean names
Korean were treated equally in the Empire of Japan

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In previous articles (“The Japanese Imperial Family and the Korean Royal Family”, “The Diet of the Japan Empire in the pre-WWII era” and ”Congress of local government in the pre-WWII era”), I explained that the Government of the Empire of Japan treated Korean as fairly and equally as Japanese. That policy was applied to not only within the territory of the Empire of Japan but also foreign people.

The Government of the Empire of Japan maintained Korean Royal Family as quasi Imperial family, King of Korea or Prince of Korea. Some Koreans were appointed to members of the House of Lords. The male over 25 years old living in the Home Territory had the right to vote and stand as a candidate for the House of Representatives.

Creation of family name could be an example of authoritarian regime governing the Outer Territories including Korea. It is mistakenly believed in South Korea and the other countries that Koreans were forced to Japanize their original names. Many Koreans criticize it.

Until today Korean husband and wife have deferent family name whereas Japanese have the same. After annexation, Korean wife had to use her husband’s family name under the Japanese Civil Law. People had the choice to keep Korean family name or change (or create) the “Japanized” one. Usually husband’s family name remained to be used for new family name. That means only wife changed her family name but husband and children stayed with the name as it was.

It is widely believed that Koreans who kept the Korean family names were discriminated by Japanese. But as explained in the other articles, high rank person such as King or Price of Korea, lieutenant general, member of congress did not change their Korean names.

The family name of King and Price of Korea was “Yi”. Park was the only Korean member of House of Representatives’ family name, and the highest rank Japanese Imperial army general had Korean name “Hong”. This is the evidence that changing family name was “free will.” Korean origin name was not an impeder for promotion. Additionally, Shigenori Togo, who was a foreign minister on the Pearl Harbor Attack and 15 Aug. 1945, was Korean Japanese, however his ancestor came to Japan around 1600 AD. His original family name was “Park”.

In United Kingdom, during WW1, sometimes German origin names had been changed. For example, the dynasty’s name of Hannover was changed to “Windsor” and Lord Battenberg was Anglicized with “Mountbatten.”

The Empire of Japan never treated Koreans as enemy nor discriminated people. The Empire of Japan meant “the United Empire” of Japan, Korea and Taiwan.