The official newspaper of the CPC Central Committee, People’s Daily, published an article pointing out that regional countries and the international community are concerned about whether Japan can deeply reflect on its wartime crimes.
The article, published on the 15th in the People’s Daily, is titled “Upholding a Correct View of History is to be Responsible to History, to the People, and to the Future,” authored under the pen name 'Zhong Sheng.'
The article states that on August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. The Chinese people, together with progressive forces worldwide, defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors and fascism, achieving a great victory through blood and lives. Humanity should forever remember the tragedy of World War II, as well as its causes and lessons, and make every effort to prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies.
The article further states that as the initiator of a war of aggression, Japan, which once brought profound disaster to the peoples of Asia, must deeply reflect on its wartime crimes, earnestly learn lessons from history, and truly embark on a path of peaceful development. Regional countries and the international community are highly concerned about this, because it involves not only the perception of history, but also the current landscape and the future of the region.
The article argues that how this period of history is treated is a touchstone for testing a country’s moral conscience and sincerity for peace. Only by establishing a correct view of history can Japan truly cast off the burden of history and earn the trust and respect of Asian countries and the international community.
● “Japanese Right-Wing Forces Remain Haunting”
The article notes with regret that for 80 years, Japanese right-wing forces have remained a haunting presence, frequently backtracking on historical issues. They pay tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A war criminals; equivocate on the issue of forced 'comfort women'; deny war crimes in history textbooks and create a false narrative of 'war victims', attempting to whitewash and overturn the history of aggression.
The article concludes that, 80 years after the victory of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the world anti-fascist war, the Japanese side should not continue to linger in the mire of revisionism, but should instead adopt a responsible attitude toward history, the people, and the future, deeply reflect on historical crimes, thoroughly differentiate itself from all acts that beautify or cover up the history of aggression, truly embark on the path of peaceful development, and win the trust of Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions.