Reckless Challenge against History

History has always been written by winners. Challenging it will require deliberated effort to constitute a favorable majority. Otherwise, the challenger will simply accumulate miserable defeats. After the end of the World War II, Japan has been swinging between accepting and rejecting the defeat. Although the acceptance was to establish a favorable circumstance in international relations, the rejection kept on making those efforts in vain. Such a reckless attempt as challenging history can only be done with ignorance of international politics.

Germany chose a way to create favorable environment around it by convincing its neighbors in Germans’ sincere regret about what they had done in the war. It legislated Anti-Nazi Act and chased Nazi criminals to every corner of the world. Reflecting the failure of Nazi administration concentrating governmental power to the executive branch, post-war Germany put the legislative branch on the top of power hierarchy. With those efforts, Germany was successful in establishing a framework for co-existence with its neighbors called the European Union.

Japan did not need to do the same, because the United States was powerful enough to maintain post-war order in East Asia. Since no country was challenging the U.S.-made order in the region, Japan did not have to make a complete reform of its political system, leaving resentment against the war result smoldered. So, in the situation that U.S. and China is competing in shaping new Asian order, no-regret policy of Japan is no longer adoptable.

Timid enough to realize such a regional environment, the leaders of Abe administration keep on challenging the post-war order. Following Prime Minister, Shjnzo Abe, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Yoshitaka Shindo, visited Yasukuni Shrine on the new years day. It was not only intimidating to the neighbors of Japan, but also too much narrow-minded as a minister, because his visit was rather a family affair than an act of statesmanship. Shindo is a grand son of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who commanded the Imperial Army in the Battle of Iwojima.

The greatest potential danger for Japan is not just having such a minister, but a sense of expectation of the people for that kind of intimidation against its neighbors. Most people are actually frustrated with a possibility of Japan lagging behind of emerging China. However, supporters of Abe administration are satisfied with exercising mean things against its neighbors. Japan is crucially lacking grand strategy for survival in liquidating Asia.