Japan should wake up to history
China Daily  Updated: 2005-06-24 05:41

Editor's note: At a seminar sponsored by China Daily last week, leading researchers on Japan studies analysed current Sino-Japanese relations and offered their opinions on how to improve and develop bilateral ties. The following are some of their thoughts:

Zhang Tuosheng: director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, China Foundation for International Strategic Studies:

History issues have long existed in Sino-Japanese relations and affected public sentiment in the two nations. They have become a major impediment to bilateral relations and in part account for the gravity of the current situation.

To resolve the issues, there must be an objective and accurate assessment of their origin and current state. No doubt, the culprit of current bilateral friction is Japan, especially the Japanese right wing. Their distortion of history and denial or gilding of aggression have hurt Chinese' feelings time and again and hindered the growth of bilateral relations. In recent years, as Japan has become more conservative, the influence of the right wing, in both public and private sectors, has been rising. This cannot help but provoke strong protests from the Chinese Government and Chinese people.

However, since the 1990s, an argument has evolved in Japan to the effect that China, in order to play the history card, seizes on history issues and makes Japan apologize endlessly, thus causing bilateral friction. This is groundless. Before diplomatic ties were normalized, Chinese leaders stated clearly and frequently to Japanese friends: The war should be blamed on a few Japanese militarists, not the Japanese people, who were also victims. The 1972 establishing of diplomatic relations and the 1978 signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship took place in this light.

In the 1990s, with mounting tension, China again stated that "history should be a lesson and we should look forward to the future," which was the Chinese Government's sincere wish for pragmatism and a forward-looking attitude.

As a matter of fact, it was Japan who forsook two opportunities to shake off the burden of history: One was in 1995 when, during the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Japanese parliament was expected by Asian nations to pass a resolution of sincere reflection and apology, thus turning over a new leaf. But the resolution that was passed was vaguely worded, disappointing everyone and criticized by opinion-makers everywhere, including progressive elements in Japan.

The second time was in 1998, when China expected Japan to formally apologize in a joint declaration on history issues, so that bilateral ties could move forward without impediment. But regrettably China's wish was not fulfilled.

Of course we should also note that, since establishing diplomatic ties, the Japanese Government has progressed in its attitude towards these issues. It has apologized to China several times for war atrocities.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, when making a speech at the Marco Polo (Lugou) Bridge in 2001 and again recently at the 50th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Summit at Bandung, Indonesia, made reflections on Japan's past aggression.

While we should applaud the progress the Japanese Government has made in facing up to history issues, we should also point out that it has been slow, and worse, their deeds have failed to match their words as illustrated by recent efforts to deny historical facts.

Japan's dithering on history issues has a complicated genesis and can be traced back to its unique religious and cultural background and tribulations after the atomic bombs. But the most important factor is that post-war democratic reform was never completed.

The United States is responsible for some of this. It retained Japan's emperor and imperial system, and when the Cold War started, especially with the advent of the Korean War, it quickly readjusted its Japan policy to reflect its own strategic interests. The result was that Japan never fully settled its wartime account, meaning Japanese people have a vague and befuddled understanding of their country's militarist past, and many Japanese politicians have since taken stances that are ambiguous and meant to conceal rather than reveal the truth. In this historical context, Sino-Japanese relations have a long way to go before history issues are fully resolved.

This conclusion is not meant to say that history issues will haunt bilateral relations far into the future. What happened was 60 years ago and Japan's society has undergone fundamental changes, with the militarist system abolished, a Pacifist constitution created and a Western-style democracy established. Despite the incomplete nature of the reform, which has been keeping the remnants of militarism alive, militarists' activities are spurned by most Japanese people and their dreams of a revival cannot come true. The vague or even incorrect ideas held by the Japanese public regarding history issues are the reason for the widening gulf between Chinese and Japanese people. But that is different in nature from the right wing that maintains an imperialist interpretation of history and would do anything to glorify Japan's war record.

Japan is contemplating the mending of its constitution. This warrants a high degree of concern because the mending will determine Japan's future policy-making.

Xu Dunxin, former Chinese ambassador to Japan:

The Sino-Japanese relationship is not only marked by 2,000 years of friendship, but also by 50 years of Japanese aggression in modern history. During World War II, the Japanese military brought severe suffering to the Chinese people. The Japanese people also suffered a great deal. Both sides of the coin show that our two nations can benefit from peace, or both will be harmed by war.

The Chinese attitude towards this unfortunate phase in history has been consistent: First, we distinguish between the handful of Japanese militarists who were to blame for the crimes and the ordinary Japanese people, who were innocent; second, we look to the future in the spirit of forgiveness and friendship, but on the condition that history is respected.

With the above principles, Chinese have been forgiving and "returning good for evil" in many areas. Humanitarianism and a neighbourly spirit were reflected in many post-war policies, such as the repatriation of Japanese immigrants, the leniency shown towards Japanese on trial in China for war crimes, the return of Japanese orphans, and especially the voluntary forfeiting of war compensation.

Sixty years have passed. Regrettably, some Japanese leaders do not have the correct attitude towards history. Their deeds do not match their words, and their promises lack integrity. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's insistence on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are honoured, has hurt the feelings of Chinese people and those in neighbouring countries.

But we are slandered for "interfering with others' internal affairs." The Japanese Ministry of Education, to appease imperialist sentiment, does not shy away from distorting historical facts and putting a happy face on aggression when it evaluates history textbooks. It has been greenlighting right-wing-compiled textbooks that shirk responsibility and mislead younger generations.

The two countries' divergence on how they view history is related to the political foundation that bilateral ties are based on. On these issues of principle, we stand firm and never equivocate, let alone bend as the wind blows. At the same time, we are aware that these issues are deeply rooted in Japan's intricate historical background. The post-war international dynamic and America's shift in its Far East policies have caused Japan to miss opportunities to rectify past misconceptions, resulting in half-baked conclusions on its past. The complete solution lies in the awakening of the Japanese public.

China, as a victim, holds dear its principles for the sake of protecting Chinese people's feelings and dignity. This also helps Japan alleviate the burden of history and march onwards to the future.

(China Daily 06/24/2005 page4)

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