📅 This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and experts from Japan, Germany, and Russia are sounding a clear call: Japan must confront its wartime history with honesty and prevent past mistakes from repeating.
This past Saturday (December 13), a civil group in Saitama Prefecture organized a study session to educate the public about the truth behind the Nanjing Massacre. Attendees emphasized that remembering and facing Japan's aggressive past is more important than ever.
One participant told China Media Group that 'it is crucial for us to critically examine Japan's past history, and spreading the correct historical narrative has become even more important.'
Former Asahi Shimbun journalist and scholar Yoichi Jomaru dug deep into 1937 newspaper archives and discovered that many Japanese journalists deliberately concealed the full scale of atrocities committed by the Japanese army during the invasion of China.
Jomaru said, 'Even if it is a brutal and shameful part of history, we cannot deny the Nanjing Massacre, nor can we deny history.'
He added that genuine understanding and trust with neighboring countries can only grow if Japan openly acknowledges its wartime responsibilities. For Jomaru, a major failure after the war has been the absence of a broad societal consensus on the nature of Japan's aggressive actions.
Only by turning the page with honesty can Japan build stronger ties with its neighbors 🤝
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Japan urged to confront its history of aggression with honesty
cgtn.com
