Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made his long-speculated visit last week to the Yasukuni Shrine that memorializes his nation's war dead but stirred surprisingly mixed reactions among the Chinese, South Koreans and North Koreans, the usual critics.
The prime minister, who had made several visits previously to the shrine in Tokyo, put a bit more spin into this journey by going on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender to end World War II in 1945. Why going on the day that marked the most devastating defeat in Japan's history should stir emotions elsewhere was unexplained.
The Chinese, as expected, were the most vigorous in protesting because, as the official Xinhua news agency asserted, China had been "the biggest victim" of Japanese aggression. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) summoned Japanese Ambassador Yuji Miyamoto to express China's "strong indignation" at Koizumi's action.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who has said he would not meet with Koizumi so long as his visits to Yasukuni continued, seemed mute on this particular visit. The official North Korean Central News Agency, continued to revile Japan for what Pyongyang calls a return to militarism but ignored the Yasukuni visit, at least on the day it took place.
The varying degrees of disruption over Yasukuni, where 14 prominent war criminals are enshrined along with the spirits of the 2.5 million soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have died since the Meiji Restoration of 1868 ended Japan's isolation, tended to mask a fundamental competition for power in East Asia.
China and Japan are at once emerging as prime regional powers. Driven by a surging economy, China seeks the political and military power to demand that major decisions in East Asia be approved by Beijing before being implemented.
Japan has begun to shed the passive and pacifist cocoon in which it wrapped itself after the physical and emotional destruction of World War II. As it seeks to become what some Japanese call "a normal nation," Japan has started to assert itself in the international arena.
In this billowing competition, the Chinese have been using the Yasukuni issue as a weapon to strike Japan.
In response, many Japanese have accused China of trying to "bully" Japan. That backlash has only intensified the rivalry between Tokyo and Beijing.
The two Koreas, meantime, have been thrashing around.
The South Korean government has been trying to entice the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-il into a process that would lead to reconciliation. The North Koreans have responded by firing missiles and developing nuclear arms. Consequently, the Koreans appear to have taken themselves out of the game.
After praying for the repose of the spirits of the war dead, Koizumi went to the Budokan, or Hall of Martial Arts, to speak at the annual commemoration of World War II. There, Emperor Akihito, the prime minister and other dignitaries once again apologized for the misery Japan caused from 1931 to 1945.
The emperor, son of the late Emperor Hirohito who reigned over Japan during that period, said: "I renew my deep sorrow, considering the number of bereaved families who lost their invaluable ones during the war."
The Chinese and Koreans have been leaders in asserting that Japanese have not taken responsibility for their actions during the militaristic era.
"Reviewing history," the emperor said, "I sincerely hope that the horror of war will not be repeated. I heartily express condolences to those who lost their lives in the battlefield and I pray for peace of the world and further development of the country."
The prime minister acknowledged: "Our country caused huge damage and suffering to a number of countries, particularly people in Asia."
He continued: "On behalf of the Japanese people, I sincerely express condolences to the victims with our deep remorse."
Moreover, he said before 7,000 people, "We are responsible for looking back at the past humbly and handing down the lessons of the terrible war to the next generations without forgetting."
Later, Koizumi defended his prayers at Yasukuni.
"I made the visit to show respect and appreciation to those who offered their lives for the sake of the country and to their families," he said.
He repeated his contention that his visits were intended to honor all of Japan's war dead, not singling out anyone.
"They already took responsibility by receiving the death penalty," he said. "I do not pay the visits to a certain group of people but to all the war dead."
Richard Halloran is a writer based in Hawaii.
President William Lai (賴清德) recently attended an event in Taipei marking the end of World War II in Europe, emphasizing in his speech: “Using force to invade another country is an unjust act and will ultimately fail.” In just a few words, he captured the core values of the postwar international order and reminded us again: History is not just for reflection, but serves as a warning for the present. From a broad historical perspective, his statement carries weight. For centuries, international relations operated under the law of the jungle — where the strong dominated and the weak were constrained. That
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
RSS