Reflection on history is Japan's only path to a future

The year 2025, which marked the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, was a year of profound historical significance. As people around the world reflected on history and prayed for peace, Japan, the perpetrator of the devastating war over eight decades ago, showed no remorse but escalated its provocations.

The signs are truly troubling. Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae hinted at potential military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, and senior Japanese officials openly agitated for Japan to possess nuclear weapons. The Japanese government intensified its push to loosen restrictions on arms exports and is seeking to revise its peace constitution and the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. These reckless actions stem from Japan's distorted view of its World War II history and lay bare its ambition to challenge the post-war international order.

Though defeated in World War II, Japanese militarist forces, due to various factors, have never been fully held accountable for their war crimes. Instead, they have gone from a state of dormancy to resurgence and are now increasingly emboldened. This has prevented Japanese society from earnestly reflecting on its history of aggression, and allowed right-wing forces and historical revisionism to build influence. As things stand now, the distortion of World War II history by Japanese right-wing elements is no longer sporadic but turns into a systematic project. They have actively promoted historical revisionism through efforts such as the establishment of the "Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform" in 1977, which advocated for replacing the term "aggression" with "advancement" in textbooks and casting doubt on well-documented atrocities like the Nanjing Massacre and the forced recruitment of comfort women. These forces also frequently visit the Yasukuni war shrine in an attempt to whitewash history. Prime Minister Takaichi has openly referred to Yasukuni as a "shrine for peace" and has visited it almost annually for nearly two decades. From denying the brutality of the Nanjing Massacre to refusing to acknowledge the crimes against humanity in the forced recruitment of comfort women, from glorifying Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni to promoting the false narrative of "colonial contributions" in textbooks, Japanese right-wing forces have spent decades of efforts to whitewash and distort the history of aggression.

At the heart of this distorted narrative lies the resurgence of militarism. Japanese militarism, which once brought catastrophe to the world, is now being revived in new forms under right-wing influence.

Legally and politically, Japan has been progressively revising constitutional interpretations to lift restrictions on collective self-defense. In 2014, the Shinzo Abe government overturned past constitutional interpretations that deemed collective self-defense unconstitutional. In 2022, the Japanese government updated three security documents, significantly increasing defense spending and developing so-called "counterstrike capabilities." Reports indicate that the Takaichi government may further revise these security documents and the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment as early as this spring to pave the way for large-scale arms exports, including lethal weapons.

Militarily, Japan achieved its goal of raising defense spending to 2 percent of GDP in 2025, two years ahead of schedule, breaking the long-standing limit of below 1 percent. Defense budget for fiscal year 2026 has reached a record high, marking the 14th consecutive annual increase. Japanese officials have hinted at acquiring nuclear submarines and revising the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. The government has also strengthened military deployments in its southwestern regions, establishing new bases and missile units in the Ryukyu Islands and Kyushu. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels have even conducted provocative operations in the Taiwan Strait.

History serves as both a guidebook and a sobering reminder. Germany has earned global respect through its profound reflection on wartime atrocities, with successive German leaders acknowledging the facts of Nazi aggression and expressing remorse, apology, and a plea for forgiveness. In stark contrast, Japan has taken a radical and unrepentant path on historical issues. The history of World War II reminds us that peace is never a constant in history but a right that must be defended, and it is not a text open to revision but a bottom line that must be upheld.

Those who challenge history will inevitably face consequences. During World War II, Japanese militarist aggression brought profound suffering not only to China and other Asian nations but also to Japan itself and its people. Today, if Japanese leaders insist on challenging the post-war international order and reviving militarism, they will not only undermine regional peace, stability and prosperity, and pose renewed risks of war to neighboring Asian countries, but ultimately harm Japan itself, leading the country down the beaten path of self-destruction once again.

The tide of history is irreversible: those who follow it thrive, and those who resist it perish. Only by facing history squarely can a nation secure its future, and only by taking responsibility can it earn forgiveness. Japan must cease distorting history and provoking its neighbors, and must return to a path that respects historical facts and honors the commitment to peace. This is not just a duty to history but also to Japan's own future.

Zhou Yaxin is an international affairs commentator