For What Are War Criminals Worshipped?

Both Japan and Germany are countries which launched wars of aggression, both Tojo Hideki and Adolf Hitler were arch war criminals during World War II and the public enemies of the world people and both of them came to an ignominious end they deserved. However, 55 years after the disappearance of the smoke of gunpowder, the treatment they received in their respective countries is poles apart.

In Germany, any words and deeds that justify and whitewash Hitler are regarded as a breach of the Constitution and are faced with legal punishment. In regard to that dark historical phase when Zazis wrought havoc, many far-sighted politicians of modern Germany have not only repeatedly exhorted the public always to maintain a clear understanding and bear the lesson firmly in mind, but they themselves also set an example in doing so. Making full use of various opportunities, such as going abroad on visits, delivering speeches at meetings and visiting exhibitions, they have piously and repeatedly admitted the errors and atoned for Germany the crimes committed during the times of Nazi. The most typical example is that Willy Brandt, former Chancellor of West Germany, knelt down on the snow-covered ground to mourn the ghosts of Jews who were wronged. On January 25, 1970 when Brandt visited Poland, he treaded on the snow-clad ground and braved the cold wind to go to the Warsaw Monument to the dead of Jews to which he presented wreaths. He first lowered his head in a solemn and respectful manner, and then determinedly knelt down to express profound condolences to the Jews killed in cold blood by Nazis. In January this year, in an effort to strengthen education of the young German generation and to indicate that the German people will continue to make unremitting effort to bear historical lessons firmly in mind, Germany laid a foundation in Berlin, the capital city, for the construction of a Nazi Massacre Memorial Hall. After World War II, Germany paid a war indemnity of US$12 billion to the Soviet Union, and a compensation of US$60 billion to the Jews. Not long ago, Germany signed agreements with the United States, Israel, Russia and Poland, deciding to provide an indemnity of DM10 billion (about US$4.8 billion) to the survivors of laborers for Nazis and their descendants, thereby "eventually turning over the last outstanding chapter of Nazi history", current Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has made no complaint about this, instead he has made positive appraisal of this.

Japan, however, is beyond compare with Germany in terms of its understanding of, and approach toward, the history of aggression, such an attitude can only be described with words like "lamentable, regrettable and horrible". Tojo, the No.1 war criminal, for instance, who was sentenced to gallows by the Far Eastern Military Tribunal, had long been nailed to the historical column of shame. However, the memorial tablets of Tojo and his cohorts, big and small, are stately placed in Yasukuni Jinja Shrine in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and are regarded as the "spirit of the martyrs who laid down their lives for the country" for people to worship. Since the beginning of the 1980s, some Diet and cabinet members have invariably gone to said Shrine to burn incense and worship the ghosts of these war criminals every year. On August 15, this year, the 55th anniversary of the Chinese people's VJ Day and Japanese defeat, 10 members of Yoshiro Mori cabinet and 78 Diet members insisted on paying respect to said Shrine in official or private capacity in defiance of the strong opposition and vehement condemnation by the people of various Asian countries.

Yasukuni Jinja Shrine is closely related with Japanese aggression and expansion in those years and militarist ideology, brazenly paying respect to the ghosts of war criminals is an intolerable insult and hurt to the Asian people and seriously affects Japan's relations with concerned countries. .Japan's politicians are not unaware of this. Then, why do some Diet and cabinet members and even individual Prime Ministers insist on paying respect to said Shrine? They have only one aim: calling back the spirit of the dead militarists and reverse the historical verdict on aggression.

A correct approach to history is the political foundation for Japan to develop relations with China and other Asian countries. China and other Asian countries have no other demand on Japan than accomplishing the following two points: first, acknowledging that historical phase of aggression and making conscientious self-examination; second, following the road to peace and development. It seems that on the question of how to correctly understand history, quite a number of principal government officials of Japan still need to "make up the missed lesson". Today as we are going to enter the 21st century, what path will Japan follow still merits people's attention.



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