융·복합적 日本學으로서의 ‘歷史地震學’ ‘災難學’에 대한 제언

Abstract

The popularity of Japan has recently been declining drastically in Korea, to an extent that Japan has essentially become a target of avoidance. In this context, researchers who focus on Japan as a field of study frequently express their concern, referring to “the crisis in which Japanology finds itself”. The current negative awareness of Japan among Koreans may be ascribed to resistance to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s rightist historical consciousness and tendency towards militarism. Considering the superficial view of these phenomena by the general public, Korean-Japanese relations seem to be the worst since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1965. However, it appears that the so-called crisis associated with Japanology, as it is referred to by some within Japanology circles, may be readily attributed to external factors, especially those pertaining to a particular Japanologist’s own field of study. In other words, it is conjectured that the views of mainstream Korean researchers of Japanology are based on the experience they gained while studying in Japan. The author of this study, as a Japanese history major, recently paid attention to the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 2011. This study suggested the need for convergence and compound study across various disciplines. Furthermore, the critical mind expands to pose the question, “How could the key phrase, Safety and Disaster, be reconciled with Korean society?” As a result, it is presumed that the sense of blockage currently being experienced by Japanology researchers in Korea may be overcome by advocating a Study of Disasters, even though this may be considered an unfamiliar research field.