China Envoy Warns Japan Not to Backtrack on Expressions of WW2 Remorse

[Peaceful Civilian]

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe needs to clearly express remorse for his nation's World War Two actions or risk "rubbing salt in the wounds" of those who suffered, China's ambassador to Japan said on Thursday.

Ties between the Asian neighbors have long been fraught due to China's memories of Japan's wartime aggression, but relations improved following meetings between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping over the last year. Japanese government sources say another summit could well take place this year.

But some also say China first wants to see a planned statement by Abe marking the 70th anniversary of the war's end, amid concerns he may dilute past government apologies.

Cheng Yonghua, China's ambassador to Japan, warned Japan not to backtrack on previous government statements and said China was keenly waiting, particularly to see if he expressed remorse toward those who suffered from Japan's actions.

"If the statement is deliberately made vague, or if it lightens responsibility, it will once again rip open the wounds of China and the other victims, and rub salt in them," Cheng told a news conference in Tokyo.

In landmark 1995 comments known as the Murayama Statement, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama made a "heartfelt apology" for the wartime damage and suffering caused by Japan.

Abe has repeatedly said that he will express remorse in the statement, expected out shortly before the Aug. 15 anniversary of the war's end, but that he will not issue a fresh apology - despite a recent poll by Kyodo news agency that found 67 percent of respondents thought he should.


http://mobile.nytimes.com/reuters/2...na-statement.html?ref=politics&_r=0&referrer=

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

Apologise. Retract. Apologise. Retract.

Words for the suffering over Japanese brutality should not be used lightly. The meaning should be deep down into the national psyche, not a few reluctant syllables for the sake of saying that an apology was issued.

Japans superficial understanding of the war and a total reluctance to own up to accountability is what causes all the bad blood in East Asia.

On another note, September 3 isnt too far off. Cant wait to see the parade.

 

[ebony&ivory]

A defeated nation violating its treaty of defeat means the victorious nation may exterminate it completely.

 

[dy1022]

The foundation of the UN = always keep defeated nation in check!


China has the right to bomb the defeated nation back to stone age if needed without the permit of UN!

 

[Jlaw]

Apologise. Retract. Apologise. Retract.

Words for the suffering over Japanese brutality should not be used lightly. The meaning should be deep down into the national psyche, not a few reluctant syllables for the sake of saying that an apology was issued.

Japans superficial understanding of the war and a total reluctance to own up to accountability is what causes all the bad blood in East Asia.

On another note, September 3 isnt too far off. Cant wait to see the parade.

Chinese politician should know this. Why is this a surprise? The whole world work on power and I mean military power. Economic power is good, but ultimately true power comes from a barrel of gun.

The Chinese politician should not even bother with asking for apologies or asking them to revise textbook. Just change your own textbook.

 

[Aepsilons]

Japan has apologized in the past, and will apologize again in spirit of the 70th anniversary of the end of that destructive conflict.

 

[Spectre]

Japan has apologized in the past, and will apologize again in spirit of the 70th anniversary of the end of that destructive conflict.

Wonder when Britain and USA would apologize?

 

[Aepsilons]

Wonder when Britain and USA would apologize?

Has the west ever apologized for the implementation of global slavery ? Has England apologized ? Has France? Has Holland? Has Belgium? Hmm? Seems to me that the Europeans' crimes against humanity throughout the centuries, which led to the deaths of hundreds of millions --- are seemingly white washed? Glossed over?

And Japan being the token "Evil Yellow Peril".

Of course.

Wonder when Britain and USA would apologize?

Did Europe apologize for starting the Crusades? Hmm?

Of course not.

 

[Place Of Space]

Japanese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Aepsilons]

Wonder when Britain and USA would apologize?

What about the British Opium Wars? That led to deaths of millions of Chinese and tens of millions becoming influenced by addiction ? The great shame? Did England apologize? Did England apologize for the slave-like conditions they kept the proud Indian people working to make opium destined for China?

Of course not.

They are glorified by modern culture and media. No one even talks about these things.

Oh but a las, when it comes to Japan ? Evil, Imperialist, Island Invader, Eternal enemy of China blah blah blah.

@TaiShang

 

[Echo_419]

Has the west ever apologized for the implementation of global slavery ? Has England apologized ? Has France? Has Holland? Has Belgium? Hmm? Seems to me that the Europeans' crimes against humanity throughout the centuries, which led to the deaths of hundreds of millions --- are seemingly white washed? Glossed over?

And Japan being the token "Evil Yellow Peril".

Of course.




Did Europe apologize for starting the Crusades? Hmm?

Of course not.

Europeans don't view rgier colonialism & Imperialism as a crime

What about the British Opium Wars? That led to deaths of millions of Chinese and tens of millions becoming influenced by addiction ? The great shame? Did England apologize? Did England apologize for the slave-like conditions they kept the proud Indian people working to make opium destined for China?

Of course not.

They are glorified by modern culture and media. No one even talks about these things.

Oh but a las, when it comes to Japan ? Evil, Imperialist, Island Invader, Eternal enemy of China blah blah blah.

@TaiShang

Quoted for truth
Victors write the history

 

[Aepsilons]

Europeans don't view rgier colonialism & Imperialism as a crime



Quoted for truth
Victors write the history

That's just so sad, my friend, i guess they view being 'colonized' was a form of their blessing?

 

[XiangLong]

Has Holland?

Dunno about the rest of the world, but 'Holland' is pretty aware of its slaver's history. And of course, its colonial history in Indonesia. Also, I think the Netherlands did indeed apologize to Indonesia for its colonnial history back in... 2013(?).

Just type in ''slavernijmonument'' and you will get list of Dutch cities with monuments that honours the suffering of its (mostly Surinamese and Caribbean) slave victims and their descendants. Or you can always watch and read some great movies and books which paint a quite fair picture of the brutality of Dutch colonialism. Which, as a matter of fact, we had to watch and read at some point in Dutch class in fifth grade of high school.

Books like the 19th century 'Multatuli' / 'Max Havelaar' by Eduard Douwes Dekkers, who also formed an inspiration for Sigmund Freud and Indonesian revolutionaries like Sukarno. Or works like 'Hoe duur was de suiker' by Cynthia McLeod.

 

[Aepsilons]

Dunno about the rest of the world, but 'Holland' is pretty aware of its slaver's history. And of course, its colonial history in Indonesia. Also, I think the Netherlands did indeed apologize to Indonesia for its colonnial history back in... 2013(?).

Just type in ''slavernijmonument'' and you will get list of Dutch cities with monuments that honours the suffering of its (mostly Surinamese and Caribbean) slave victims and their descendants. Or you can always watch some great movies which paint a quite fair picture of of the brutality of Dutch colonialism. Which, as a matter of fact, we had to watch at some point in Dutch class in fifth grade in high school.

Books like the 19th century 'Multatuli' / 'Max Havelaar' by Eduard Douwes Dekkers, who also formed an inspiration for Sigmund Freud and Indonesian revolutionaries like Sukarno. Or works like 'Hoe duur was de suiker' by Cynthia McLeod.

Thanks bro, i really appreciated the long write up and the quality of your post. Yea it seems that the Dutch seems to have done their share of apologizing, but that is only to Indonesia, there are still so many folks in the Americas that are of Javanese descent that are still there. Case in point several summers ago i went to the island of Aruba with my gf, and one of the folks that was hosting us in a hotel looked 'Asian' to me. So me, trying to strike up a conversation, asked her where's she's from, i had thought she was Filipina because her facial features looked Malay. She told me she's actually from Suriname, and she told me that there's actually a lot of Javanese ethnics living there , over 14% of the nation's population to be exact. There were also ethnic Sri Lankans and Bengalis, apparently they were brought there in the early 19th century by the Dutch and English as slaves.

I never, i kid you not, never knew about this. I didn't know that the Europeans were shipping Asian peoples as slaves!! I always thought it was Africans, but i guess i was wrong.

Javanese Surinamese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Providence]

China should backtrack to boundaries of ww2 then !