Japan debates its role in Indonesian independence<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): While Japan played a role in paving the way for
\nIndonesia's proclamation of independence in 1945, this in no way
\natones for the atrocities it committed during it's World War II
\noccupation of Indonesia, a leading Japanese historian said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Aiko Kurasawa-Inomata of Nagoya University said there is still
\ndebate between politicians on the one hand and historians and
\nscholars on the other as to the sincerity of Japan's apology to
\nIndonesia for their war-time occupation.<\/p>\n
\"We are closer to the view that the role of the Japanese
\ngovernment in the war cannot be tolerated,\" she told The Jakarta
\nPost during an international seminar to review Indonesia's
\nhistory since independence in 1945.<\/p>\n
Ken-Ichi Goto of Waseda University earlier explained in his
\npaper that there are two views in Japan of their precise role in
\nWorld War II.<\/p>\n
The first is that the Japanese should apologize, while the
\nother, held by many statesmen and politicians, is that no apology
\nis necessary given that Japan facilitated Indonesia's
\nindependence struggle.<\/p>\n
\"Historians must be more careful (of this later view),\" Goto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Goto and Kurasawa said many Japanese politicians strongly
\nbelieve that the military training given to Indonesian youths and
\ntheir recruitment into para-military units during the Japanese
\noccupation, plus the eventual transfer of arms after the Japanese
\ndefeat from the Allied Forces, helped Indonesian freedom fighters
\nrepel the return of the Dutch colonial forces.<\/p>\n
\"This is why they doubt that Japan should have apologized (to
\nIndonesia),\" Goto said.<\/p>\n
Their attitude differs when it comes to apologizing to Korea,
\nChina and Taiwan because they were not under any Western colonial
\nruler when the Japanese arrived, he said.<\/p>\n
Goto also argued that further research into one particular
\nincident in Semarang, Central Java, in October 1945, when
\nJapanese forces clashed fiercely with Indonesian independence
\nfighters, could shed more light on Japanese policy at the time.<\/p>\n
He said that lack of understanding of historical relations
\nbetween Japan and Indonesia, particularly between the postwar
\nyears of 1945 to 1951, caused \"ambiguity in historical
\nrecognition of the Japanese control of Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
He blamed this same lack of understanding during the \"unstable
\nyears\" for leading the Japanese to rush into an 'economy-first'
\napproach to build its relations with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Goto said the Japanese government's policy to declassify
\nofficial documents after 30 years has resulted in a dearth of
\nstudies on historical relations between Japan and the countries
\nit invaded during the war.<\/p>\n
\"Even with the already released historic documents, highly
\nimportant and sensitive parts of the government policy ... are
\nstill not known,\" he said.<\/p>\n
An Indonesian participant in the conference, noted writer
\nMarianne Katoppo, earlier raised the issue of comfort women, to
\nwhom she said Japan should apologize and compensate.<\/p>\n
She referred to the existence of official documents mentioning
\nthe recruitment of women for the pleasure of Japanese soldiers.<\/p>\n
Goto said tensions still exist in Japan over particular
\nchapters of Indonesian occupation, including the Semarang
\nincident.<\/p>\n
In this particular incident, Indonesian independence fighters
\nfought tooth and nail to take over arms and ammunitions.<\/p>\n
The Japanese forces, under orders from the Allied Forces, had
\nthe responsibility to maintain order and ensure that no weapons
\nfell into the hands of the Indonesians.<\/p>\n
The Indonesians inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese
\nforces, Goto said. \"(This) might have offset the guilty
\nconsciousness .. of having been an assailant during the war.\"<\/p>\n
Japan has already made a formal apology for the atrocities it
\ncommitted in the Asian countries that it occupied during the war.
\nThe Indonesian government has accepted the apology and received
\nhuge war reparation funds.<\/p>\n
Some members of the public, however, feel that the apology has
\nnot gone far enough and that the expression of \"deep remorse\" was
\nmore a statement of atonement than apology. (anr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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