When it comes to global peace, the past isn't just the past—it's the foundation of the future. 🕊️ Recently, China has sent a strong message to Japan, urging the country to take "real actions" to move away from its militaristic history.
During a regular news briefing this Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun highlighted a critical gap in how history is handled. While some nations have spent decades eradicating fascism and punishing those who deny historical crimes to earn global respect, China argues that Japan is taking a different path. 🚩
Guo pointed out that the Japanese government has been downplaying key apologies, like the Murayama Statement and the Kono Statement, which originally expressed remorse for colonial aggression. Instead, there's a worrying trend of right-wing forces glorifying war crimes and challenging the outcomes of the Tokyo Trials.
One of the biggest pain points? The Yasukuni Shrine. Guo described it as a de facto "war criminal shrine," noting that for over 80 years, Japan has continued to enshrine war criminals there, with many political leaders continuing to visit or send offerings. ⛩️
It's not just about shrines, though—it's about what's in the books. 📚 China expressed concern that Japanese textbooks don't objectively reflect the history of aggression, instead promoting a "victim" persona that distorts the reality of World War II.
The bottom line? Distorting history doesn't build bridges; it burns them. China emphasized that covering up crimes cannot win the tolerance or trust of the international community. In a digitally connected world, transparency and accountability are the only ways forward. 🌍💬✨
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China urges Japan to take real actions to break with militarism
cgtn.com
