Post by Bozur on Sept 26, 2005 19:48:25 GMT -5
Japan started the war in Asia 75 years ago. It's time to end it.
The unspeakable horrors of Nazi Germany during WWII were mirrored in
Asia by the savage aggression of the Japanese Imperial Army that murdered 35 million innocent, unarmed civilians.
Yet unlike Germany, Japan has never issued a national apology to mend
its barbaric war crimes. While Germany today condemns Hitler and the
Third Reich, Japanese officials, led by Prime Minister Koizumi, routinely worship convicted Japanese war criminals. Japanese school children are taught a factually perverse version of Japan's war
history--whitewashing a record of gratuitous civilian slaughter, mass sexual enslavement, sadistic POW death camps, horrific biological and chemical weapons, and even "medical research" on live human subjects that rivals the worst Nazi torture chambers. And despite immense
post-war wealth, Japan refuses to pay a penny in reparations to Asian
victims of Japanese atrocities.
Japan's neighbors know this scale of denial profoundly corrodes
relations and adds to a deep sense of foreboding. Japan annually spends $50 billion on its military. Nationalist Japanese politicians are eager to strip "pacifist" provisions against war-making from Japan's Constitution. Today Japan ferociously pursues a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, in a desperate attempt to change its global image. Japan's neighbors see only a reemergence of Japanese arrogance backed by a powerful military, untempered and uninformed by the lessons of WW II.
Japan's apologists have been quick to trivialize the rising tide of
anger in Asia, glibly suggesting that China is behind the recent protests to gain leverage and distract its own population. Others deceptively suggest that personal statements of regret made by different political leaders amount to a sufficient apology, neglecting to mention that the Japanese Parliament voted against a formal apology. For Asians, this only deepens their darkest fears about Japan.
If the words "Never Again" mean anything to Americans, particularly
those touched by the Holocaust, the seething rage among millions of Asians is understandable. Imagine the outcry if German school books omitted mention of Auschwitz, or if the German Chancellor led an annual pilgrimage to Hitler's Berlin bunker.
Japan may once again rise to become a respected partner among nations
of the Western Pacific, if Japan would only finally acknowledge,
confront, and remedy its wartime behavior. Japan's leaders can start to rebuild trust with their neighbors, if they were to recognize the urgent need to make peace with the past.
Millions of survivors of Japan's wartime atrocities demand that Japan
be held to the same standard of conscience and humanity imposed on
postwar Germany. After 75 years, it's up to Japan to finally end the war it began.
--------------------------------------
What the Japanese Parliament Must Do To End WWII in Asia:
1. Enact legislation to authorize a national apology by the Prime
Minister and Emperor of Japan.
2. Establish a legal mechanism for compensating victims of Japan's
aggression.
3. Mandate good-faith efforts to document, preserve and publicize
Japan's wartime history, with emphasis on accurate and objective school texts.
4. Outlaw public denial of Japanese war crimes and glorification of war criminals.
5. Enforce severe penalties for those who act in defiance of these
laws.
This message is sponsored by the Global Alliance for Preserving the
History of WWII in Asia and 42 million individuals who have signed the petition demanding justice from Japan (submitted to the United Nations, Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan on June 30, 2005).
The unspeakable horrors of Nazi Germany during WWII were mirrored in
Asia by the savage aggression of the Japanese Imperial Army that murdered 35 million innocent, unarmed civilians.
Yet unlike Germany, Japan has never issued a national apology to mend
its barbaric war crimes. While Germany today condemns Hitler and the
Third Reich, Japanese officials, led by Prime Minister Koizumi, routinely worship convicted Japanese war criminals. Japanese school children are taught a factually perverse version of Japan's war
history--whitewashing a record of gratuitous civilian slaughter, mass sexual enslavement, sadistic POW death camps, horrific biological and chemical weapons, and even "medical research" on live human subjects that rivals the worst Nazi torture chambers. And despite immense
post-war wealth, Japan refuses to pay a penny in reparations to Asian
victims of Japanese atrocities.
Japan's neighbors know this scale of denial profoundly corrodes
relations and adds to a deep sense of foreboding. Japan annually spends $50 billion on its military. Nationalist Japanese politicians are eager to strip "pacifist" provisions against war-making from Japan's Constitution. Today Japan ferociously pursues a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, in a desperate attempt to change its global image. Japan's neighbors see only a reemergence of Japanese arrogance backed by a powerful military, untempered and uninformed by the lessons of WW II.
Japan's apologists have been quick to trivialize the rising tide of
anger in Asia, glibly suggesting that China is behind the recent protests to gain leverage and distract its own population. Others deceptively suggest that personal statements of regret made by different political leaders amount to a sufficient apology, neglecting to mention that the Japanese Parliament voted against a formal apology. For Asians, this only deepens their darkest fears about Japan.
If the words "Never Again" mean anything to Americans, particularly
those touched by the Holocaust, the seething rage among millions of Asians is understandable. Imagine the outcry if German school books omitted mention of Auschwitz, or if the German Chancellor led an annual pilgrimage to Hitler's Berlin bunker.
Japan may once again rise to become a respected partner among nations
of the Western Pacific, if Japan would only finally acknowledge,
confront, and remedy its wartime behavior. Japan's leaders can start to rebuild trust with their neighbors, if they were to recognize the urgent need to make peace with the past.
Millions of survivors of Japan's wartime atrocities demand that Japan
be held to the same standard of conscience and humanity imposed on
postwar Germany. After 75 years, it's up to Japan to finally end the war it began.
--------------------------------------
What the Japanese Parliament Must Do To End WWII in Asia:
1. Enact legislation to authorize a national apology by the Prime
Minister and Emperor of Japan.
2. Establish a legal mechanism for compensating victims of Japan's
aggression.
3. Mandate good-faith efforts to document, preserve and publicize
Japan's wartime history, with emphasis on accurate and objective school texts.
4. Outlaw public denial of Japanese war crimes and glorification of war criminals.
5. Enforce severe penalties for those who act in defiance of these
laws.
This message is sponsored by the Global Alliance for Preserving the
History of WWII in Asia and 42 million individuals who have signed the petition demanding justice from Japan (submitted to the United Nations, Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan on June 30, 2005).