Recently, China has been boiling over with anti-Japanese sentiment. During large-scale demonstrations in April, Chinese citizens proclaimed their anger toward the Japanese nation. One such protest targeted the Japanese embassy in China, damaging it and the residence of the Japanese ambassador.
The source of the anger was not a current event but rather a history lesson.
Chinese citizens, including vocal members of the Chinese government, have harshly criticized the Japanese for what they say is widespread ignorance and attitudes of distortion regarding the Japanese war crimes committed against China during World War II. A recently published Japanese textbook calls the slaying of 300,000 Chinese citizens an “incident.” Chinese officials have expressed frustration because of this glossing-over, but the main complaint concerns Japan’s alleged refusal to apologize.
The causes of the situation are fraught with the complexities of geo-politics, such as the fact that despite past crimes, Tokyo may soon receive a place in the U.N. Security Council. And while the Japanese are no innocents in this situation, the Chinese have clearly manipulated their populous nation through tyrannical control of the media.
Although the Chinese government has said it does not condone demonstrations, few steps have been taken to establish peace. The mob’s rally cry was that Japan had never apologized to China, somewhat of a half-truth. Japan has made some previous, albeit weak, past apologies.
Yet during the riots, Chinese police looked on rather than preventing the mobs from destroying the Japanese embassy.
Japan retaliated both in speech and action. Officials simultaneously apologized for past war crimes, claiming that the Chinese interpretation of WWII crimes is “extreme,” while Japanese citizens engaged in their own anti-Chinese protests.
China and Japan’s past relationship has fueled bitterness, but it is inappropriate for any government to use citizens as a means to wield nationalism like a weapon. Instead of engaging in a productive discussion that could yield real results, each nation is refusing to compromise.
When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gave a public apology for Japan’s actions during WWII, Chinese state media did not immediately address the story. Japan has still offered no consolation for its dismissal of crimes against the Chinese in the newly issued Japanese textbooks.
Instead of establishing a dialogue, officials from China and Japan are stroking their egos and allowing citizens to battle it out on the streets. Ugly history is not an easy force to reconcile, but it’s time for both Chinese and Japanese officials to start acting like grown-ups. The task of stitching up past pains with present action should be tackled in a diplomatic fashion: Both governments must take a stand against nationalistic violence and make a real effort to see another side of the story.
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