In Changchun, the then "capital" of the puppet Manchu State controlled by the Japanese invaders during WWII, the Jilin Provincial Archives have recently unearthed a new batch of documents which shed further light on the atrocities committed by Japanese troops in China.

Some Japanese are unhappy about this, saying that China is once again dredging up the past. But as long as some Japanese continue to deny the facts of history, they are in constant need of being reminded. After WWII, Germany resolutely broke with Nazism and sincerely confessed to its war crimes. Forgiven by its neighbors, Germany and other European countries integrated fast and in due course the EU was established. Old foes have become good friends.

We suggest that Japan should learn from Germany, frankly acknowledge its historical wrongs, and rectify them thoroughly. Then and only then can we put the past behind us and move forward to a better future. But some of Japan's right-wing politicians will not face up to their history; they either deny the facts, or accuse China of exaggeration. Some of them even blame China for their war crimes, a despicable line to take. To deal with such revisionists, we have to review old accounts from time to time, so that everyone can have a clear understanding of right and wrong.

To admit historical crimes is a painful process, but there is no shame in it. As Confucius said:　"The feeling of shame is close to bravery". Unfortunately, some Japanese lack the necessary courage. Their 'courage' is limited to their so-called bushido: from the Lushun Massacre in 1894 and the Jinan Massacre in 1928 to the Nanking Massacre in 1937, and from beheading competitions, stabbing infants with bayonets, and gang-rape of women, to performing bacteriological tests on living people. The crimes the Japanese invaders committed still make one’s hair stand on end. Their sub-human behavior is despised by any right-thinking person.

Looking over these documents is like reopening old wounds. Japan's right-wing forces may see this as exposing their ugly history to the world, while Chinese people feel only further pain in their hearts. Who wants to dwell on painful memories? Some of the Chinese researchers of these documents were traumatised by the experience. When fleeing Changchun in the face of the Soviet advance in 1945, the Japanese invaders buried some of their archives as they had no time to burn them. These documents were later excavated by chance on a construction site. It seems that God’s will goes in cycles.

History has always proved that while forgiveness is a virtue, appeasement is a mistake. The Chinese people cherish peace and know clearly the price of peace. Peace is obtained through struggle and sacrifice.

Japanese militarism once brought great tragedy to China and other Asian countries, as well as to the Japanese people themselves. After WWII, Japan adopted the pacifist constitution and pacifism became the mainstream of its social ideology. But now, as the painful experience fades away, Japan's right-wing forces have begun to deny their history and paper over the horrors they wrought during their invasions. Along with the rise of a new conservatism in Japan, the ugly mask of fascist militarism revives in a new guise and appears ready to make a new move. Forgetting its history will inevitably lead Japan to repeat its tragedy.

These newly-published documents also contain details about Japanese troops abusing prisoners from the allied forces, and forcing Koreans into the role of “comfort women”. Now, blinkered by the Cold War mentality, some countries are drawing together in an unpleasant grouping to restrict China’s peaceful rise. It seems they have forgotten that one of their “good friends” was a brutal foe back in WWII.

We want to remind those countries who are choosing to appease Japan's right-wing forces: Do not raise this rock only to drop it on your own feet.

The article is edited and translated from《日军战败之际缘何狂烧档案》, source: People's Daily Overseas Edition, author: Liu Wenbo.