Japanization of Korea During the Period of 1932 to 1945: Lost Names

Lost Names, by Richard E. Kim, is a novel about a young boy growing up during the Japanese occupation of Korea during the period of 1932 to 1945. Japan gained complete political control of Korea in 1906 after the assassination of Ito Hirobumi by a Korean nationalist. By this time of narrative the occupation had become deeply entrenched in the Korean culture, affecting aspects of everyday life such as education and access to goods. A nation’s identity is composed of distinctive elements of culture, such as language, education system, and daily way of life. In their imperialistic quest the Japanese employed tactics that served to undermine these elements in order to maintain their authority. These policies demoralized and dehumanized the Korean people in order to subjugate them to the Japanese authority. Although not through active or aggressive resistance, the Korean people rejected the exterior Japanese culture maintaining their sense of national solidarity and identity.
In th...