It's said that the virtue most valued in Japan is loyalty, which is why the famous heroes of Japanese literature and history are people who made sacrifices for their lords rather than their beliefs. And often, as in the case of the 47 ronin celebrated in Chushingura or the tokkotai (kamikaze) pilots of World War II, the sacrifice is more notable for its symbolism than for any effect it may have had on actual events.

This notion of heroism may explain why Tatsuji Fuse, a Japanese lawyer who died in 1953, is a hero in Korea but unheard of in Japan. Last fall, Fuse posthumously received the Order of Merit for National Foundation from the government of South Korea, an honor given to individuals who helped in the cause of Korean independence. The medal has been given to more than 50 non-Koreans, but Fuse was the first Japanese. Apparently, the awarding body had wanted to honor Fuse for years, but lingering anti-Japanese sentiments made it difficult to do so.

The award was covered in Japan by the wire services, but most of the major Japanese media ignored it. The only television coverage I saw was in November on the TV Asahi news variety show "SmaStation," as part of its occasional "Japanese in the World" series, which usually presents Japanese people who have made a name for themselves overseas. Fuse did almost all of his work in Japan, but in South Korea he's been called "Japan's Oskar Schindler."