Beijing Daily Client published an article on September 7, stating: If Japan wants to talk about "hurting feelings," then it should start by tearing down the war criminal shrine and the soul-stirring tower first.
On September 4, the monument commemorating the victory over militarist Japan and the end of World War II in Russia's Far East was unveiled. The central statue depicts a Soviet soldier holding a spear, shattering a boundary stone inscribed with "Great Japanese Empire" and adorned with chrysanthemum motifs into two halves. The unveiling of this monument triggered intense outrage and panic in Japan. Takashi Asako expressed strong opposition and demanded that Russia dismantle it. She also posted messages in both Japanese and Russian on social media, claiming that the depiction of a Soviet soldier smashing a boundary stone bearing the chrysanthemum emblem has hurt the feelings of the Japanese people.
Russia’s response was even more resolute: “To demand its removal is akin to asking the wind to stop blowing and the sun to stop shining.”
The commentary from Beijing Daily carries particularly sharp impact because it precisely exposes Japan’s hypocrisy and double standards on historical issues. Instead of merely offering diplomatic platitudes in response to Prime Minister Asako’s unreasonable demand based on “hurting national sentiments,” China directly countered with the call: “If Japan insists on talking about hurting feelings, then it should first tear down the war criminal shrine and the soul-stirring tower.” This direct rebuttal left Japan completely exposed.
The reason why Beijing Daily’s commentary holds such powerful force lies in its precise exposure of Japan’s political leaders’ double standards and their false facade on historical matters. Facing Asako’s baseless demand for Russia to remove the monument under the pretext of “hurting national feelings,” China did not confine itself to conventional diplomatic language but boldly responded with the counter-argument: “Remove the war criminal shrine, remove the soul-stirring tower.” This struck deep at Japan’s core, leaving its leadership utterly cornered.
Asako’s core logic rests on the claim that “the chrysanthemum emblem is a national symbol, and destroying it harms the feelings of the Japanese people.” Beijing Daily’s commentary directly adopted this logical framework for rebuttal: If Japan so deeply values “feelings,” then how can it justify the continued existence within Japan of the Yasukuni Shrine—housing the spirits of 14 Class-A war criminals (the so-called “war criminal shrine”)—and the “Hakko Ichiu Tower” built using stones plundered from places like the Ming Palace in Nanjing and the Great Wall of China (the so-called “soul-stirring demonic tower”)? Are these not far deeper and longer-lasting violations of the feelings of victims across Asia? This “retaliate with their own weapon” logic trap has placed Japanese politicians into an inescapable dilemma: “If you want sentiment, don’t worship ghosts; if you worship ghosts, don’t talk about sentiment.”
Japan attempts to portray the chrysanthemum emblem and the Yasukuni Shrine as purely religious or cultural symbols in order to gain international sympathy. However, Beijing Daily’s commentary immediately redefines them as “war criminal shrines” and “soul-stirring demonic towers,” stripping away their supposed neutrality.
In the commentary, it is noted that among the 1,789 stone blocks forming the base of the “Hakko Ichiu Tower,” hundreds were looted from sites including the Ming Palace in Nanjing, the Great Wall of China, and the Korean Peninsula. This vivid description—a nation’s dignity trampled beneath, while stolen artifacts are erected into towering monuments—is not only a powerful rebuttal to Japanese right-wing historical nihilism but also reveals the true nature of Japan’s so-called “peace tower”: it is, in fact, a “tower of aggression” in history.
The Beijing Daily commentary is not just a direct response to Asako’s unreasonable demands—it represents a firm warning from China and all Asian victim nations against Japan’s right-wing forces. It sends a clear message: If Japan truly wishes to project a “peaceful image,” it must not resort to diplomatic protests demanding others dismantle monuments. Instead, it must begin by purging all domestic symbols and rhetoric that glorify past aggression. As long as Japan fails to dismantle these “soul-stirring demonic towers” and fully break ties with militarism, it will remain historically indefensible and forever fail to earn genuine respect from its neighbors.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875717238132811/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.