The memorial services in Hiroshima and Nagasaki should serve as anopportunity for Japan not only to commemorate the victims of atomic bombs but also tohave a thorough reflection upon its history of militarism.
Starting Thursday, Japan has held several high-profile events to mark the 70thanniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only two nuclear attacks inhuman history.
Hiroshima's memorial services on Thursday were attended by the city's mayor and PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe, both of whom had addressed a crowd of about 55,000 people,including survivors of the attack, their descendants, peace activists and representativesfrom about 100 countries and regions.
Abe also attended, accompanied by U.S. ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the memorialservices in Nagasaki Sunday.
It is undeniable that the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 70 years ago arereal tragedies for the whole mankind. It is worth sympathizing as hundreds of thousandsof innocent civilians died in the blasts of the atomic bombs, or from after-effects in themonths and years to follow.
However, considering what has been said and done by the incumbent prime minister sincehe took office, a hidden context behind those commemorating events needs particularattention.
While keeping evading from Japan's responsibilities in its war past, Abe and his cabinethave been attempting to re-brand their country as a victim of World War II and glorify itswar criminals, who are revered in the notorious Yasukuni Shrine.
As full sympathy should be given to the innocent lives perished in Hiroshima andNagasaki in 1945, it should also be kept in mind that those lives were, by no means, theonly victims of the war Japan had initiated.
Millions of innocent people were mercilessly massacred, cities and villages pillaged, asJapanese army evaded China and other Asian countries only to satisfy its militarismambitions.
Aside from paying respect to the Japanese victims of the atomic bombs during thememorial services, the Japanese authorities and people should also condemn theperpetrators of the war crimes and reflecting upon the frenzied ideologies that resulted inall the tragedies.
The craziness of Japanese militarists during WWII is one of the major causes that the twocities vaporized in the mushroom clouds. Even facing a certain failure, Japanesemilitarists rejected the Potsdam Proclamation in 1945, because in their eyes the lives ofcivilians were irrelevant comparing to their ambitions.
The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the heinous crimes the Japanesearmies committed in other countries, are the horrid examples of what frenzied militarismcan cost us.
In fact, Japanese militarism is not only a danger to Japan's neighbors and regionalstability, but also an alarming threat to the Japanese citizens.
As a result, the tendency of militarism resurgence in Abe's government -- pushing newsecurity bills, holding an ambiguous attitude toward the country's war past and the covertattempts to whitewash its war criminals -- is particularly worrying.
It is obvious that many Japanese people do not like where Abe's ultra-rightist governmentis heading, either.
When Abe addressed the crowd Thursday in Hiroshima, shouts of protest rang out fromthe audience and around the park. "Retract the war bills," shouted the protesters, holdingbanners. In Nagasaki, similar protests took place when Abe addressed the crowd.
It is high time for Abe and his cabinet to realize that the best way to commemorate thosewho perished in the atomic bombings is to sincerely reflect upon its war past, becausethose who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it
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