Japan should sincerely reflect on its war of aggression on its
Asian neighbors and make genuine efforts for reconciliation,
historians told an international symposium in Tokyo Thursday.
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wang Yi said China put up a
courageous fight against Japanese aggressors from 1931 to 1945,
making the Chinese battlefield a vital part of the global
anti-fascism war.
He noted that a proper attitude toward history is the foundation
for the post-war international order, for the peaceful development
of Japan, and for the healthy and stable development of China-Japan
relations.
However, there have long been denials and efforts to whitewash
war crimes in Japan. The history issue, particularly Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where WWII
Class-A war criminals are worshipped, once again has emerged as the
biggest stumbling block for Japan to develop and improve relations
with its neighbors, Wang said.
In a written speech to the meeting, former Japanese Prime
Minister Tomiichi Murayama said Japan should make more efforts to
translate its pledges to concrete action in order to be recognized
by its Asian neighbors.
Chinese historians said Japan had never stopped efforts to plot
and implement its war of aggression since Emperor Meiji started
sweeping domestic reform in the late 19th century till 1945 when
Japan surrendered.
The carefully premeditated wars launched by the Japanese
militarists are anything but self-defense, they said. German
scholars said, thanks to the government's soul-searching
introspection and ruthlessly punishment of war criminals, Germany
has achieved satisfactory results in solving its history problem.
However, they said, Japan has never been able to attain a real
reconciliation with its neighbors due to a lack of sincere
reflection over its wartime atrocities.
Japanese historians said Japan's aggressive and colonial history
started in 1874 when it waged a war on China's Taiwan. They believe
the 60th anniversary of the end of Word War II has provided Japan
with a good chance to show sincerity in reflecting on its wartime
crimes.
If Japan fails to do so, it would be hard for the country to be
accepted by the international community and realize a peaceful
coexistence with other Asian countries, said Japanese scholars.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2005)