[Editorial] Japan, Distorting History, is Unqualified to be Permanent Member of the U.N. Security Council

A group of Japanese right-wing nationalists once again is trying to distort history. The text was compiled by the nationalist Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, which made Japanese authorities adopt the controversial history textbook at the Tokyo prefecture government-run six-year secondary schools that will be newly formed in the next year. Japan, which has kept its anachronism for a long time, is now trying to irritate its neighbors again.

The Tokyo prefecture is the hub of Japan. It is not only a political and financial hub but also an intellectual and ethical one. I cannot help but wonder how it could be possible for a country like Japan to adopt textbooks that rationalize its war crimes during its invasion of Asian nations and claim its colonial rule in Korea played an important role in the modernization of Korea. It is not just a drastic measure taken by a rightist group and the local government, but also an outcome of a distorted historical viewpoint of the Japanese leadership.

The Japanese prime minister and his administration helped me to draw that conclusion. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, since he took office in 2001, has kept offering prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine each year, where the spirits of Japanese war dead including war criminals of World War Ⅱ are enshrined and commemorated. Tokyo, which seems to lean toward the right, will raise its voice on claiming the East Sea as the Sea of Japan and proprietary rights over Dokdo, a solitary island located between Korea and Japan. It appears that a nation that pays a tribute to A-class war criminals, the government, one who ignores its neighbors, and a group that distort history in textbooks are in collusion with each other.

Now, Japan is hopeful of becoming a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. The nation that attempts to distort the history that is still vivid in the memory of many people and ignores the righteous indignation of its neighboring countries cannot be a member of the U.N. Security Council. Does it want to have more power to pursue its attempt to distort history on the global level?

If Japan has true intention to devote to the world in the U.N. Council, it has to admit its past wrongdoings first. Japan should understand the intention why China threatened it, saying, “Do not ever dream of becoming a permanent member nation.” Unless it reverses its effort to distort history, Japan will remain an “ordinary” nation at best.

Bang Hyeong-nam, editorial writer, hnbhang@donga.com