It's time Japanese spoke truth about history

Although Haruki Murakami mentions the Nanjing Massacre only a few times in his latest, thousand-page novel Killing Commendatore, the book and the author have drawn the ire of right-wing forces in Japan. In fact, Japan's mainstream news portals are full of criticisms against the novel.

This is not the first time that a Murakami novel has been criticized by Japanese right-wingers. Apart from his reflection on Japan's war crimes in some of his previous works, Murakami has on different occasions - including on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II - stressed the importance of history and suggested Japan continue apologizing for its war crimes until China and the Republic of Korea feel contented. Japanese filmmaker and animator par excellence Hayao Miyazaki, too, has conveyed his anti-war philosophy in his works, for which he has been criticized by Japanese right-wing forces. And Japanese Nobel Literature Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe has been labeled a "traitor" by Japanese right-wing elements for his anti-war stance and opposition against the amendment to Japan's Constitution.

Japanese society has never lacked progressive and righteous voices. But at times the cacophony created by right-wing forces has been deafening. What is especially worrying this time is that more Japanese people are falling prey to the right-wing propaganda aimed at distorting historical facts.