Old wounds reopened<\/p>\n
"I am not glorifying or justifying the past," insists Japanese
\nPrime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of his impending visit to the
\nYasukuni shrine to his country's war dead, and seven war
\ncriminals. As the first premier to pay homage there in 16 years,
\nhe is of course resurrecting it, and by that act he will cause
\ndeep offense to Japan's Asian neighbors, pouring salt in an
\nunhealed wound that will continue to fester as long as Tokyo
\nrefuses to acknowledge or express remorse for the full horror of
\nits war crimes.<\/p>\n
If Mr. Koizumi wishes only to show respect for those who
\nsacrificed their lives for the country on the anniversary of
\nJapan's surrender, he can easily do that at the nearby memorial
\nto the unknown soldier. But the Prime Minister has a nationalist
\ntinge, and the Shinto shrine is a symbol of Japan's military
\nhistory, its triumphalism and its apparent inability to recognize
\nthe depth of feeling in nations who were victim to its
\nexpansionist ambitions before and during World War II.<\/p>\n
It is an attitude that mystifies and in many cases, disgusts
\nnot just its Asian neighbors, but the rest of the world. As long
\nas it persists, Japan will never lay the ghost of its past. It
\ncan rewrite history in the school textbooks, and feed half-truths
\nto its schoolchildren, but that only sharpens the memories and
\nincreases the bitterness of the victims and their survivors.<\/p>\n
Underlying these concerns is a deeper unease about Mr.
\nKoizumi's ultimate intentions. He has called for an end to the
\nfiction surrounding the self-defense forces. This is a modern,
\nwell-equipped army which he believes should take part in
\ninternational peacekeeping operations. He wants to revise Japan's
\npacifist constitution, though he insists that it will remain non-
\nnuclear and the principles of Japan as a peaceful country are
\nunchanged.<\/p>\n
Those ambitions might create less distrust in the region if
\nthey were made by the leader of a country which admits the war
\ncrimes of the past and makes a serious effort to ensure the
\nyounger generation can learn from the lessons of history. But
\nagainst a background of increasing militarism among factions of
\nthe population, such policies can only worry and anger Japan's
\nneighbors. Beijing has warned Tokyo of an impending rift in Sino-
\nJapanese relations, South Korea has frozen military exchanges and
\ncanceled plans to open its market to some Japanese goods.<\/p>\n
Germany long since set out to atone for its war-time sins with
\na frankness and contrition which has won the respect of the
\nworld. Japan's own role as an economic world power continues to
\nbe blighted by its refusal to confront the horrors of its dark
\npast.<\/p>\n
-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/old-wounds-reopened-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }