Breaking National Efforts Down

This is the sixty-ninth anniversary of ending the World War II, or the War of Pacific Ocean in Japanese terms. Although the diplomatic end of the war was on September 2^nd, when the Japanese officials signed a document of surrender onboard U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo bay, the Japanese recognize the day of defeat as August 15^th, when the Emperor declared it. It may realize that the nation has still not lost their loyalty to the Emperor. In the speech of memorial ceremony today, the Emperor emphasized preciousness of reconstruction efforts, which looks like being torn down by the Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

In the ceremony, Emperor Akihito highlighted post-war efforts of Japanese people. “Since the end of the war sixty-nine years ago, peace and prosperity of the county today was built by tireless efforts of the nation. But, remembering the time full of hardships, my deep emotion cannot be ceased,” told him. While the expression sounded moderate, one could realize that he was frustrated with Abe’s security policy based on historical revisionism that might erode those efforts of the people. Needless to say, the Emperor of Japan is not supposed to make any political comment.

In the same ceremony, Abe made a speech without mentioning “considerable damage and pain” Japan inflicted on other Asian nations, the term which every Japanese P.M. had been touching since 1994, except Abe last year. Before attending the ceremony, Abe sent ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine to pray for victims of the war. Three Ministers of Abe cabinet actually visited Yasukuni, regardless criticisms from neighbor countries. Those activities showed their priority on their own ideology rather than diplomacy or national interest.

China and South Korea responded critically. “Repeated visits of Yasukuni by the ministers will receive anger of its neighbor tormented by fourteen A-Class war criminals enshrined in the shrine.” South Koreans call August 15^th “Restoration of Light Day.” President Park Geun-hye on Friday required Japan of solution for problems including comfort woman issue, saying “To make forward-looking friendship and cooperation, it is necessary to make efforts to cure past wounds left in between the two nations.”

Abe missed another opportunity to improve the relationship with Japan’s neighbors. With the cabinet decision of exercising collective self-defense right, which was marked as a major turning point of post-war pacifist policy, Japan slowly began to change its shape to war-earning country. That may lose its reputation as pacifism nation, and will fundamentally wreck sincere efforts of the people in Japan.