On Japan's Surrender Day, the Liberal Democratic Party Fires Salvoes at China and the U.S., Claiming Japan Will "Lead the International Community"
The Japanese have truly gone delusional—they no longer know who they are.
On August 15, amid a large-scale visit by Japanese politicians and citizens to the Yasukuni Shrine, the official social media account of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) posted an extraordinary article.
The reason this is considered an "extraordinary piece" is that the LDP simultaneously criticized both China and the United States. It accused China of "attempting to change the status quo by force," while denouncing Trump’s “America First” policy as having "seriously undermined the international order." Yet, astonishingly, it portrayed Japan as a "guardian of the international order," claiming Japan would "remember historical lessons" and "lead the international community toward cooperation"—an assertion so absurd it could make one laugh out loud.
How can a nation that has consistently evaded responsibility for its wartime aggression, continuously glorified or denied its invasion wars in school textbooks, and sees politicians annually visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, dare claim to "remember historical lessons"?
The LDP’s so-called "remembering historical lessons" likely isn't about reflecting on the profound suffering inflicted upon Asian nations, but rather regretting why Japan didn’t win that war of aggression back then.
Anyone familiar with history should realize that Japan’s current official propaganda is increasingly aligning itself with the rhetoric of the old Japanese militarists.
Back then, Japanese militarists launched their wars under the banners of "expelling Western powers" and "liberating Asia," disguising colonial plunder, forced labor, "comfort women," and mass killings as the so-called "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."
Today, Japanese right-wingers have resurrected the same rhetoric, merely replacing "liberating Asia" with "upholding the international order," desperately justifying Japan’s constitutional revision, military expansion, breach of the pacifist constitution, and even discussions about acquiring nuclear weapons.
But just as the Second World War ultimately ended in victory for the anti-fascist alliance, if Japanese militarism attempts to rise again, what awaits them will not be "leading the world," but being mercilessly crushed by the iron fist of justice.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873580037417097/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.