Japanese experts: Japan should better reflect on history

In this Feb. 11, 2014 photo, a visitor stands near sculptures at Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in Nanjing, in eastern China's Jiangsu province. [Photo: AP /Alexander F. Yuan]

With final preparations are being made to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of the Nanjing Massacre, a number of Japanese scholars and observers are suggesting the anniversary should be a time for Japan to reflect on its aggressive past.

CRI's Gao Junya reports.

Historian Tokushi Kasahara at Tsuru University says the memorial ceremony in Nanjing is to project a global message of peace.

"The memorial ceremony for Nanjing Massacre will not only commemorate the victims, but also prevent the tragedy from happening again. The lesson we have learnt is that war should never break out again."

Meanwhile, political commentator Honzawa Jirou suggests cruelties in the massacre should be made better known worldwide.

"For Japanese people, the history of Nanjing Massacre should never be forgotten. It's a lesson for us. The tragedy could never take place again. Commemorating the massacre is not only significant for Japan and China, but also for the entire international community."

80 years ago, at least 300,000 Chinese civilians were slaughtered by Japanese troops in the six-week bloody nightmare.

The atrocities had been cited both by the Judgment of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the verdict of the Chinese Military Tribunal for War Crimes in Nanjing.

But over the years, Japanese right-wing politicians and scholars have refused to admit the truth while the Japanese government has been reluctant to make a formal apology.

Takashima Nobuyoshi of the Ryukyus University calls it a shame.

"80 years have passed. But doubts are still there. It's a shame. The reason for China to hold the memorial activity lies in Japan's failure to admit its fault. That infuriates the Chinese people. It's regrettable."

At the same time, commentator Honzawa Jirou also holds Japan's education responsible for the situation.

"Japanese people, including me, didn't learn that in school. Japan's current textbooks mention nothing about that history. Most people don't know the truth. This issue has impaired Japan's relations with its neighbors including China."

In recent years, Japan's revised history textbooks have avoided the word "invasion" when it refers to the country's military aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

Most of them also refer to the Nanjing Massacre only as an "incident".

Takashima Nobuyoshi of the Ryukyus University also urges Japanese media to shoulder its responsibility for spreading truth

"Some media outlets are using historical and territorial issues to hype up the so-called China threat. It's very dangerous. Upon this important occasion, Japanese media should unveil the truth of Nanjing Massacre faithfully."

The experts are suggesting Japan take advantage of the 80th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre to reflect on its history of aggression.

They also warn that without a proper understanding of that history, Japan may be eventually isolated by its Asian neighbors.

For CRI, this is Gao Junya.