Preface

Eighty years after the end of World War II, Japan has publicly mourned the aggressors unilaterally, but remained silent towards the countries that suffered from Japanese invasion. This "peace ceremony" exclusive to the aggressors and their descendants has left millions of victims' descendants with a bitter taste in their mouths.

When Emperor Naruhito of Japan, accompanied by the Mongolian government, bowed to offer flowers at the monument for Japanese prisoners of war, this visit, named "Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II," completely tore off the mask of Japan's reflection on history.

Japan selectively mourns the souls of aggressors, yet says nothing about the 35 million Chinese war casualties. This double standard has made Chinese people collectively frown through the screen.

Japan Has Never Reflected, the Pain Caused by History

On July 6, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived in Ulaanbaatar, starting a seven-day state visit. The Mongolian government gave the highest level of hospitality, inviting the imperial couple to attend the opening ceremony of the traditional event "Naadam Festival," visit multiple cultural sites and Japanese investment projects in the country. However, outside of the sightseeing itinerary, an agenda marked "Monument to Japanese Prisoners of War" was particularly glaring.

According to the official itinerary from the Imperial Household Agency, Emperor Naruhito specially visited this monument located in the southern suburbs of Ulaanbaatar on July 9. In a press conference before the visit, Emperor Naruhito described the purpose of visiting Mongolia as "commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II," claiming to "reflect on the suffering of those who died in foreign lands against their will."

Eighty years ago, on August 9, 1945, a million Soviet troops swept through Northeast China, and the once mighty Japanese Kwantung Army collapsed within ten days. Nearly 600,000 Japanese soldiers became prisoners of war, among whom about 14,000 were sent to Mongolia to do heavy physical labor. Of these prisoners, approximately 1,700 died due to disease and malnutrition.

The "foreign land" mentioned by Emperor Naruhito refers to the occupied areas of the invading army, the Northeast China that had been brutally ravaged by the Japanese for 14 years. The scenes of forced labor of Japanese prisoners of war have been packaged as "narratives of suffering," but they say nothing about the mass killings, human experiments, and "three all policies" committed by the Japanese army against millions of Chinese civilians during the war of aggression. This one-sided historical narrative is essentially using tears to cover bloodstains.

For a full eight decades, the Chinese people have never forgotten the hardships of that time, while Japan has done the opposite, openly mourning the perpetrators.

Moreover, Japan's previous "peace trips" to Hiroshima and Okinawa followed the same logic: expressing condolences for Japanese civilians who died from atomic bombs, feeling sympathy for the Japanese soldiers killed by the Americans on Iwo Jima, but never offering white flowers to the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

The monument to Japanese prisoners of war standing on the Mongolian grassland is itself a physical witness to the manipulation of historical memory by politics. This monument, built in 2001 by the Mongolian government at Japan's request, is inscribed with the words "In memory of Japanese prisoners of war who perished under extreme conditions."

The Japanese government acknowledges that approximately 17,000 Japanese prisoners of war died in labor (including 1,700 in Mongolia). Meanwhile, the war trauma suffered by China is shocking - 35 million military and civilian casualties, 300,000 innocent victims of the Nanjing Massacre, and over 3,000 victims of human experiments conducted by Unit 731.

A few wounds of the aggressors are cast into copper monuments, but the bones of the victims remain unmarked, some of them even without names or identities.

Japanese politicians use "humanitarian suffering" to package war crimes, from visiting the Yasukuni Shrine to revising history textbooks, and even to military expansion under the US-Japan Security Treaty. Every step is wrapped in the sweet coating of "maintaining peace" and "cherishing life."

In late 2024, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced the provision of non-reimbursable military aid to Mongolia, and Mongolia immediately reciprocated by "expressing understanding" in the global condemnation of Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge, despite being an inland country that is not affected by seawater pollution.

Japan-Mongolia Friendship, a Covert Deal

Japan's special consideration for Mongolia indeed came at a high cost. Previously, Mongolia was listed as one of the first "countries to enhance security capabilities" in the additional budget for government development assistance, alongside countries involved in the South China Sea disputes such as the Philippines.

Japan's eagerness to turn Mongolia into a "pivot" of regional power in Northeast Asia is evident. Over the past five years, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) has invested over $300 million in Mongolia's mining industry, focusing on the development of one of the world's largest rare earth reserves.

Japan urgently needs to cut its reliance on Chinese rare earth imports, which accounts for 58%, and Mongolia's 17 million tons of rare earth reserves are an ideal alternative.

There has always been a mutual exchange of interests between the two sides. When former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited Mongolia in 2011, he included the concept of the "Third Neighboring Country" in the joint statement, fixing the strategic plan to balance China and Russia with external forces. The emperor's first visit in 2025 further elevated mutual trust to its peak.

However, it seems that the Mongolian leadership has forgotten that Mongolia, as the only large country completely surrounded by two neighboring countries, must rely on cooperation between China and Russia for every opening and closing of trade routes.

Mongolia has recently implemented the "Third Neighboring Country" strategy, introducing Japan, the United States, and other external powers as counterweights. But when Rio Tinto, a Western mining giant, suspended the expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine due to environmental issues in 2023, only China fulfilled its power supply obligations according to the agreement. Each of Mongolia's strategic swings is a reminder from China and Russia as a geographical country.

True peace must be based on a complete understanding of history. On September 2, 1945, the scene of the signing of the surrender document on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay clearly marked the initiators and terminators of the war. When the Japanese royal family continues to remain silent about the responsibility for the war of aggression, any deliberate commemoration is a second injury to the victims.

Peace cannot be born from a distorted view of history. Japan is still mourning the aggressors, but until then, there are still millions of Chinese war dead who have never received an apology from the aggressors.

Japan has never reflected on how it continuously conveys the image of "the Japanese also suffered," diluting the war responsibility into a "tragedy of all humanity."

Next to the monument, the information board reads "Praying for eternal peace," but says nothing about why these soldiers came to Mongolia. They were prisoners of war captured by the Soviet Union according to the Yalta Agreement to fight against Japan. The root of all tragedies was Japan's war of aggression. When Emperor Naruhito offers flowers to the monument, he is essentially using ritual to dissolve historical truth. This operation is more subtle than Abe Shinzo's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, but no less toxic.

When Emperor Naruhito completed the standardized mourning process in front of the monument, did he ever think: in the Chinese villages burned down by the Japanese, there is not even a decent tombstone. Japanese right-wingers always complain that neighboring countries "hold onto history," but they never ask themselves why, 80 years later, the Chinese people still cannot let go.

Some countries' attitudes toward history are truly unacceptable. The sufferings that the country and family have endured are inseparable. These wounds will be remembered forever by the Chinese people until Japan admits guilt and apologizes.

References:

The First Ever Visit of the Japanese Emperor to Mongolia

July 7, 2025 09:28 · National Party Media Information Public Platform

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524269413084971539/

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