[Editorial] Japan Should Recognize World Criticism

The anachronistic historical view of Japan has faced continuous criticisms from Korea, China, and Japan. Chinese President warned that ``the arson on the history will induce a serious explosion.`` And James Kelly, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia & Pacific Affairs said that, if many middle schools adopted the distorted textbooks, it would create a big problem. And he added, ``an appropriate resolution is desirable for the future relationship.``

The Korean government, having increased the levels of the criticism, will send a delegation to the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in South Africa, August, and will declare the urgent necessity of the right historical education. In addition, the government decided to indefinitely suspend the additional Japanese cultural products market. Korea also cancelled the pre-scheduled visit of the Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and rejected the entry of the Japanese battle ships into the Incheon Harbor. The government will also request UNESCO for the arbitration of this issue.

Japan has brought a misfortune on itself by distorting the war crimes, which are inscribed in the fresh memory of the world, during the Pacific War. However, Japan does not recognize the significance of the situation. Japan`s Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro talked in favor of the A class war criminals who were executed after the Second World War, such as former Prime Minister Dojo Hideki. He questioned why they have to be treated differently from other war criminals.

The leading circle of the history distortion, the Society for History Textbook Reform, is eager for the sales of the distorted historical textbooks, which jumbled the historical facts and myths together. Furthermore, a Japanese source reported that the skeleton described in the textbooks as a 300 thousand year old remain is in fact only 500 years old. The intentional deception evidences the Japanese struggle to satisfy their `historical complex.`

Japan should return to the common ground of the historical perspective that the international society can agree. Japan must accept its wrongdoings such as the invading wars and its colonialism in the past and show it will never to repeat the mistakes and tragedies by teaching them to the growing students. If Japan continue to praise it`s criminal history ignoring the historical facts, it will suffer a diplomatic loss in a short term and eventually will bring about a tragedy.