The Great Denial
How Japan's policies regarding Its actions during WWII are denying
both its own people and the world of moral betterment,
social progress and political integration
From the Chinese American Forum, January 2008
(Note: The parts I consider most significant I have marked using italics)
By Kevin Ng
University Graduate
Singapore
The numerous Stygian and saturnine concrete slabs
lay row after row, column upon column. Each cubic
slab varied in height to convey the reality and truth that
the victims consisted of a multitude of personalities
and pasts, but whose lives converged on a similar tragic
end. Each glossy block had been paid for by the very
institutions that profited from the injustices that prevailed
during a time of madness. Each block had the
names of the Jewish victims that perished during an
era of lunacy indelibly carved upon it. The Holocaust
memorial in Berlin is a profoundly poignant symbol of
a new Germany's acknowledgment of its past mistakes,
and its deep desire to seek forgiveness from those
whom suffered. The alleys that crisscrossed the massive
memorial are nevertheless redolent with a dignified
air of truthfulness and openness. The central location
of the memorial between the German parliament
and the Brandenburg Gate further demonstrates the
unabashed manner in which Germany has come to
terms with the events of the Holocaust. When I strolled
ponderously the pathways within the Holocaust memorial,
my own thoughts strayed inevitably to another
catastrophe that unfolded during the course of the Second
World War, with a certain propinquity to events of
the Holocaust. Events that followed that other catastrophe
had however taken a very different path. That
event was the Asian Holocaust.
In stark contrast to what can be witnessed in Germany
today, there are no memorials in Japan to remind
the current generation of the lunacy and cruelty man is
capable of doing to his fellow brethren. There are no
efforts to educate today's youth of the region's turbulent
past. And there are definitely no substantial signs
of apologies, nor serious signals of atonement for the
massive sufferings Japan had inflicted through its aggressions
and assailments. There is only an atmosphere
of baneful silence, bald ignorance and blatant denial.
Instead of honest rapprochement between nations, there
is but acerbic and unresolved animosity. A country is
to be judged not entirely based on the mistakes it commits,
but also on its subsequent efforts to exonerate
itself, and alleviate the sufferings and injustices it might
have unduly caused.
I cannot think of any more relevant and yet contrasting
example to Japan's handling of the Nanking
massacre legacy than Germany's grappling with its own
Nazi past. I remember visiting the Wannsee Villa outside
of Berlin, where senior Nazi officials met in 1942
to plan and coordinate the mass extermination of the
Jews. Young school children were given a brutally frank
and honest lecture on their country's past atrocities, and
a very)' objective outline of why and how such events
occurred. I was deeply impressed by the way school
children were being taught this history, and more importantly
the lessons it can and should provide. Germans
today are perhaps amongst the most culturally
sensitive and active participants in human rights issues,
and I believe that stems largely from the manner in
which they have come to terms with their history. If so,
then the events of the Holocaust were in some sense an
impetus for a greater moral progress and awareness,
and the lessons of the past are indeed remembered
through both memory and action. It is plausible that
the reason why I was so thoroughly impressed by the
scene I encountered in the Wannsee Villa is because of
my own experiences. My own grandparents in
Singapore were tortured during the Japanese occupation
of the Second World War. I learnt about Japanese
atrocities and brutality both from academic schooling
and from my grandparents' anecdotal accounts. Their
experiences arc still vivid and upsetting till this very day.
I once met a Japanese student studying the Chinese language
in the USA. Our conversation turned unexpectedly
to the war on one occasion, and I mentioned the Japanese
invasion and occupation of Singapore. I halted in the middle
of my speech when I noticed an exasperated and distraught expression on her face. Apparently she had absolutely
no idea that Japan had even invaded and occupied a
vast tract of Southeast Asian countries. I myself had heard
that Japan's youth tended to be ignorant of the events of
the Second World War. I had however never expected
that this ignorance would extend to even the lack of the
most basic and rudimentary knowledge of the war. Subsequently,
I informed this Japanese young lady of the
events that occurred. I sensed a genuine urge from her to
learn this history; and yet there was a sense of fear and
incredulousness. I would not have been surprised if she
had cried at that instance.
It is perhaps inconceivable to find in Germany anyone
who is ignorant of the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis.
In this context and comparison,the outrageous and
preposterous notion that there are Japanese nationals ignorant
of Imperial Japan's invasion of its Asian neighbors
is a disconcerting reality. This flagrant and relentless refusal
to admit and accept the responsibility for the heinous crimes
committed is the paramount source of the rancorous animosity
that persists between Japan and other Asian countries.
In fact, Japan's arrant celebration and commemoration
of its soldiers buried at the Yasukuni Shrine continue
to aggravate existing animosities, if not serving to remind
the entire world of its conspicuous efforts to obfuscate
history. Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi's annual visits to the shrine can be juxtaposed
with former West German Chancellor's visit to the monument
to the victims of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in Poland,
where he famously knelt to the victims in a moving
gesture of apology. Great strides have been made in European
reconciliation and subsequent cooperation due to
this spirit of sincerity.
Japan's obstinate refusal to budge on the issue of
atonement for its mistakes during the Second World
War would plausibly hinder and obstruct the greater
potential cooperation amongst itself and other Asian
nations. The moral character and spiritual content of
a country would be judged and evaluated based on
how it manages the great moral and spiritual issues it
faces. The systematic denial of information to a new
generation of Japanese youth has deprived them of
an opportunity to strengthen their generation's bonds
with other Asian countries, and also of the chance to
morally rejuvenate their country. The failure of Japan
to recognize and take responsibility for its war
crimes perhaps exposes a much larger flaw in humanity.
Japan's shunning of its responsibility reflects
a certain disregard for morality and humanity itself.
Perhaps Japan's actions can be explained by its disregard
and disdain for human lives and suffering, or as a product of national pride and ego.
Another country that has perpetually refused to admit
to a genocide it has committed is Turkey. Turkey's
genocide of the Armenians during the First World
War is well documented and is widely accepted, but
Turkey still refuses to concede and atone for the genocide.
National pride might be one of the crucial reasons
for Turkey's intractable stance. A Turk who mentions
the mere notion of admitting to the genocide is
immediately deemed unpatriotic and a traitor. This
stance has been further reinforced by the Western
world's gradual and sure acceptance of Turkey as a
civilized counterpart in the economic, cultural and
military spheres. This behavior can be explained
through the diaphanous prism of self interests. For
example, it is plausible to consider that the world's
apparent oblivion to the massacres that occurred during
the course of the First World War is because of
Turkey's role in the war. Europe chose largely to ignore
the issue of justice for the Armenians after the
Second World War, and even admitted Turkey into
NATO since geopolitical necessities made it crucial to
possess Turkish territories for staging NATO missiles
aimed at the Soviet Union. Armenia's crusade for justice
has thus been repeatedly betrayed due to the continuing
and changing interests in the world. The quests
of many Asian nations to seek justice and compensation
from Japan have similarly been repeatedly hijacked
and deluded perhaps by those who prioritize other
items above that of human justice and morality. These
items could range from political gains to business profits.
This is a sad reflection on the human tendency to
focus on short term profits and personal interests, to
ignore the lessons and imperatives learned from history,
along with the greater interests of society and
solidarity with humanity.
Japan's actions are a stain on humanity and a snag
on human progress. The world's similar disregard and
silence regarding Japan's actions and failure to take responsibility
for its crimes signify a tacit approval and
even encouragement. Sadly, it appears that the movement
of time, coupled with the business and political
imperatives of the contemporary world make it easy
to ignore and forget the injustices suffered and the crimes
committed against the older generation. The glossing
over of the unresolved injustices of a previous generation,
of a generation that is still alive and from which
our world today is directly descended from, is then a
betrayal of our own human heritage and the moral obligations
all mankind should have towards humanity. If and when Japan feels the burdens and costs
for its denials, perhaps it might seriously
begin to consider a change of its policies.
If international interactions and correspondences
with Japan begin to include
a moral component, then that would be
a strong incentive for reform. There are
many areas that in fact deserve reforms
and sometimes outright remodeling.
These would include education for the
children, foreign policy toward its
neighbors, compensation for the having
victims, and commemoration of events
to ensure history does not ever repeat itself
again.
It is feasible that the continued and enforced
ignorance in Japan itself will manifest
itself in the situation we face today. I
have faith in the moral character of a modern
society of Japan that should the majority
of its people become fully aware of its wartime
role, there would indeed be substantial pressures
for change. It is lamentable that such a technologically
advanced nation in the information age would still be
fettered with historical censorship and revisionism. It is
perhaps natural to contemplate and compare how censorship
on Japan's history is tantamount to discarding a
portion of its morality. In a progressive society, would
it not be better for the younger generation to have full
access to the facts of history, and decide for themselves?
Is not the current denial of information to the
youth in Japan a denial for the entirety of humanity to
progress forward? Propaganda is not simply the addition
and distortion of selected information, but also
the omission of vital information. The minority of the
conservatives, bureaucrats and business leaders are then
holding hostage the entire Japanese nation's conscience
by withholding from them the vital information they
need to understand the world they live in, and the history
from which their heritage derives. I cannot help
but wonder sometimes, if ever)' single Japanese who
travels out of Japan is confronted by someone somewhere
about his or her country's past, would that gradual
seeping of information into Japan create an impetus
for reform?
The principal and foremost hindrance towards recognition
and reconciliation is perhaps the education of
the Japanese people on those issues so tender and stirring
for so many of its Asian neighbors.^Given the abundant
contradictions between official Japanese versions
of events and the world's version become evident and lucid, the inherent pressures in such situation would
then spur the beginning of change that just might result
in a new generation of more conscious Japanese eager
to follow the German example. Still it is not enough
just for those directly inflicted in the massacres to cry
for justice, but the duty of the entire world and humanity
to enforce their collective moral might. The situation
of ignorance and denial in Japan continues in part
due to the indifference and inattention of the larger
world. For now, the first step towards a larger reform
is for the average Japanese person to learn that the Second
World War for Japan did not begin and end with
the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, but with the many atrocities committed by
Japanese military on the shores of its Asian neighbors
many years before Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The lack of historical consciousness is one of the
primary causes of reinforcements and aggravations of
conflicts today. People tend to forget or overlook the
injustices their nations have inflicted on other nations,
and thus fail to empathize or react appropriately to
events. Consider when Stalin deported the entire
Chechen populace to Siberia and Kazakhstan during
the Second World War. It was an unprecedented catastrophe
for the Chechen nation and culture. Chechnya
as a national and cultural entity was obliterated, and
thousands upon thousands of Chechens died as a result
of the deportations and forced relocations. They
were allowed to return to their homeland only during
the period of de-Stalinization under Khrushchev. Stalin's
actions as far as Chechens are concerned are synonymous to those of Russia's today. It is therefore arguable
that Chechens have indeed a valid grievance when
they fight for independence from Russia. It is also understandable
why then they want their independence
from a larger entity in which they consider themselves
to be neglected, abused or simply downtrodden. The
majority of Russians however do not recall those tragic
events so pivotal in shaping the current Chechen mentality
and resolve. They do not place the so-called terrorist
attacks of the Chechens in the larger historical
context; and thus, to them, the Chechens are simply
cold blooded murderers. The victims have somehow
become the aggressors in this distorted and narrow
view of history. The subsequent Russian oppression of
Chechnya under President Putin could be compared to
the moral equivalent of a modern day Germany invading
Poland yet again. Of course, the latter is considered
impossible in Europe due to the widespread and
high levels of historical appreciation.
Most violent conflicts have their intensity and ferocity
linked to certain historical events that tend to be
unperceived and unrecognized by opposing factions.
Most Americans do not remember how the US-led
sanctions had caused such sufferings before America
invaded Iraq in 2003. Whenever there is violence caused
by a Palestinian, many people do not consider how
Israeli tactics have caused such alienation and suffering
for the Palestinian people, but view it in a terrorist context.
Instances when Israel inflicts suffering on the Palestinians
are omitted in die American media, but Palestinian
attacks on Israelis would in contrast be focused
upon and generously covered in the media. In this light,
it is not surprising that the majority of Americans would
be pro-Israel. The examples of such instances are ample
throughout history. The lack of information, whether
deliberate or accidental, has resulted in or prolonged
the intensity}' and duration of so many human conflicts.
Perhaps the best way to mitigate future conflicts, and
even to prevent them, is through education. Educate
the Japanese youth about the Rape of Nanking, the
Great East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere, the Marco Polo
Bridget Incident, and the dropping of the atomic
bombs. Educate the youth on all that history has to
offer, from the shameful to the glorious, and from the
disgraceful to the honorable, so that the full spectrum
of wisdom that history can offer will be bestowed
upon them. Educate them so that not just they might
benefit, but that all those around them, and humanity
as a whole will be bettered, bringing an assuasive, if
not an entirely satisfactory and responsible conclusion
to a tragic chapter of history.
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