Chapter 5 Four East Asian Dreams

In Kanazawa City, Ishikawa County, northern Honshu Island, Japan, there is a famous "Great East Asian Jihad Monument".Korean scholar Li Yuning believes in the book "Japanese Consciousness of Shrinkage" that Japanese culture is good at "shrinking", and the Japanese are good at using this instinct, and finally achieved the goal of "winning with smallness".However, this stele, which praises the emperor's army and calls for future generations to continue the "jihad", towers above the sky.Such a huge stele is rarely found in Japan.Under the seven characters of "Great East Asia Jihad Monument", the names of the important supporters who built the monument are engraved, such as Itagaki Masaaki, descendant of Class A war criminal Itagaki Seishiro, Kwantung Army staff officer Shingo Kusado and others.

This huge and exquisite "Great East Asia Jihad Monument" was built on August 4, 2000. It cost a total of 100 million yen including preparation, publicity and construction work. There are more than 30,000 individuals and units in total. Donations for this purpose, many of which are famous Japanese politicians and financial groups.The process of building the monument is also a process of promoting the historical view of the "Great East Asian Jihad". Around this towering monument, a small number of councilors, teachers, and citizens with conscience and a sense of history in Kanazawa City formed a "monument demolition meeting" to mobilize citizens to put pressure on relevant parties to dismantle this shameful monument.However, Nakata Kiyoyasu, who initiated the construction of the monument, also organized a "monument protection society" in a tit-for-tat manner, and insulted the members of the "monument demolition society" as "traitors" and "black apples" at the rally.

Nakata Qingkang is an old man in his nineties. He was a member of the Kwantung Army and lived in Northeast China for many years.Regarding that war, he still insisted that it was a just war: "I don't accept some people's views that war is bad. In modern times, Westerners have carved up land in Asia. It is a shame for Japan to interfere with the three countries and return Liao. Russia's power went south, and Japan was Forced to send troops to Manchuria. If Japan did not send troops, how would there be independence of Asian countries after World War II?" He also founded a "Great East Asian School" to educate the younger generation of Japanese with the historical view of "Great East Asia Jihad".

Sixty years after the war, the shadow of the "Great East Asian Jihad" still hangs over the land of the Japanese archipelago. In 1937, Matsui Iwane, one of the planners and implementers of the Nanjing Massacre, told his supporters before going to Shanghai: "When I went to the front, I didn't go to fight the enemy, but to hold my elder brother to appease my younger brother. mood.” Matsui Iwane didn’t think he was lying, but justly regarded Japan as a strict but loving brother of China. In Matsui Iwane's letter to his family, he wrote: "The war between Japan and China has always been a fraternal rivalry between 'Asian families'. These days, I always believe that this kind of struggle is to make the Chinese turn back. Ways of self-examination. We do this not because we hate them, but because we love them too much. As in the family, generally speaking, the older brother has to put up with all the bad behavior of the younger brother. But, in order for the younger brother to behave properly, being the older brother Sometimes you have to punish your younger brother."

Matsui Iwane complacently commanded the tragic Nanjing Massacre on the bloody battlefield, while at the same time lightly described the aggression against Japan and China as a small dispute between brothers.He commanded the imperial army like "beast machines" to massacre the civilians in Nanjing for six weeks, killing more than 300,000 people and committing more than 30,000 rapes. After the Nanjing Massacre, Matsui Iwane still shamelessly visited Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, and wrote a poem in Chinese: "Under the gate of Zhongshan, bow your head and ride your horse. The battle between the two armies is sad, and the heart is broken and hard to look back."

Matsui Iwane's deceitful thinking is not his personal whimsy, but comes from Japan's long-standing bandit logic and war philosophy centered on the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere".This set of gangster logic and war philosophy inspired tens of millions of Japanese soldiers to go to the battlefield and die without hesitation yesterday, and today it continues to support a considerable number of Japanese politicians and Japanese citizens who refuse to reflect on and repent of war crimes. The concept of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" is similar to the "survival sphere" theory of Nazi Germany, but it has its own unique historical origin.

The term "Bahong and Yiyu" comes from the sentence in "Nihonshu", the earliest chronicle in Japan, "Jianliuhe uses the capital to open the capital, and hides Bahong as a character".Legend has it that the imperial edict issued by Emperor Shenmu in ancient times means that the world is one family, and its parents are the emperors of the eternal line.In 1903, the Nichiren sect religionist Tanaka Tomokaku interpreted the "Eight Horns and One Universe" as "the principle of the unification of the world in Japan".And the ideological pillar of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" is the supra-national thought of "Eight Horns and One Universe" centered on the Emperor.

As early as the end of the sixteenth century, after the Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, he began to dream of conquering China, Korea and the Philippines.In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi wrote a letter to the King of Korea, blatantly declaring that he would "drive straight into the Ming Dynasty, the customs of the Yiwu Dynasty will be in more than four hundred states, and the imperial capital will be politicized in hundreds of millions of years." The following year, Toyotomi Hideyoshi brazenly launched a war of aggression against Korea.After occupying the capital of North Korea, Kaesong, and Pyongyang, Toyotomi Hideyoshi announced that he would move the capital to Beijing, and the Emperor of Japan would rule China, dedicating the land around Beijing to the Emperor.Later, the rapid defeat of the Japanese army on the battlefield quickly shattered Toyotomi Hideyoshi's dream.

The geography of the island nation of Japan has led to its rulers and citizens having dual opposing mentalities since ancient times: on the one hand, they are full of inferiority complex, and on the other hand, they are full of passion for external expansion. In the Edo period, the Japanese national scholar Nobubuchi Sato declared that "the imperial country is the foundation of all nations in the world." In order to turn the whole world into counties and counties of the imperial country, China must first be conquered.Yoshida Shoin, the pioneer of Japan's reform thought, publicly advocated: "Nowadays, we are in a hurry to build military equipment. Waiting for the warships to be ready and the cannons to be fully stocked... North Korea is required to pay tribute with coins, just like in the heyday of ancient times. The north will separate the land of Manchuria, and the south will occupy it. Taiwan, Luzon Islands."

In 1868, the Japanese government published "Chenhan" in the name of the emperor, publicly advocating to "inherit the great achievements of our ancestors" and "open up thousands of miles of waves, spreading the country's prestige in all directions."In June of the same year, the Emperor's government reformed the official system, and clearly stipulated the duties of the "foreign officials" in charge of foreign affairs in the central government to be in charge of "international exchanges, supervision of trade, and expansion of territories."

In the 1880s, when China was still "sleeping for a hundred years", Japan had already jumped into the ranks of the world's military powers.When many conservative Chinese literati laughed at the Japanese for adopting the Gregorian calendar, Europeanizing their lives, and learning to eat beef, they didn't know that Japan had already had the idea of ​​knocking on China's door. After the "Meiji Restoration", Japan's national power expanded rapidly.The two unexpected victories in the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War rapidly expanded Japan's strong sense of foreign aggression, and gradually gave birth to the freakish strategic "Greater Asiaism" with the "Continental Policy" as its core. Correspondingly, Kita Ikki, the originator of Japanese folk fascism, also released a "Principle Outline of the National Reconstruction Project", emphasizing that there is a huge contradiction between Japan's population growth and land, and the Japanese territory is only a few "loose chestnuts" in size. "Even if the land has a good harvest after a few years, Japan will not be able to eat enough", so it must seize China's Manchuria, Soviet Siberia, and British Australia and other regions to establish a "historical land that will amaze later generations" The Roman Empire of the Yellow Man". Japan's foreign aggression was not due to a moment of enthusiasm, but due to the contradictions in the domestic society inevitably produced by the late modernization, as well as the search for a raw material supply market and a product dumping market.American scholar Benedict said in his analysis: "They are eager to win respect in the world. They see that big countries win respect by relying on military strength, so they strive to stand side by side with these countries. Due to lack of resources and backward technology, they have to Adopt more vicious means than the ancient tyrant King Herod." Japanese scholars Inoue Kiyoshi and Suzuki Shoshi wrote in "Modern Japanese History": "For a country like this that has gone from war to war without interruption, in modern world history, apart from Japan, Besides, there is no second country.” The entire period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 to Japan's surrender in 1945 can be called a period of aggression against China and China's surrounding areas without hesitation. At the end of the nineteenth century, Japan fought a foreign war every ten years: in 1874, Japan invaded Taiwan; in 1884, Chinese and Japanese armies clashed in Korea; In 1895, Japan started the Sino-Japanese War. After entering the 20th century, Japan provoked a military operation every five years or so: in 1900, Japan participated in the invasion of China by the Eight-Power Allied Forces; In 1910, Japan completely annexed Korea; from 1914 to 1915, Japan accepted Germany’s privileges in Shandong, China; after that, Japan sent troops to Shandong, China three times to interfere in China’s national revolution; Later, it was the "September 18th" Incident and the "July 7th Incident". Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, and the war spread to the whole of China. For more than half a century, Japan, like a patient with a high fever, frequently activated its war machine to alleviate various domestic crises through war.Japan is also like a crazy gambler, who wanted to make a fortune in this world war, but miscalculated again and again, raised the bet again and again, and finally lost it all. Foreign expansion must have the support of military power. Since modern times, Japan has quickly embarked on the road of military expansion and preparation for war.On December 28, 1872, the Emperor's government promulgated the "National Recruitment Edict", stipulating that all citizens must undertake military service and pay the "blood tax" to "serve the country with their lives", and strive to maximize the expansion of soldiers to achieve "National all-military doctrine". Aritomo Yamagata, known as the "Father of Japanese Militarism", successively served as the Minister of the Navy and then the Prime Minister. He concocted a "Military Preparation Strategy of Neighboring Countries", advocating the expansion of armaments as soon as possible with China as the opponent, and a substantial expansion of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. , workers, supplies and other special arms.Japan's military expenditure accounted for 13 percent of the country's annual expenditure in 1883, rising to 16 percent in 1887.Since 1890, the Japanese government has spent 60 percent of the country's annual fiscal revenue on establishing and developing a modern navy and army. In 1896 after the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese Army expanded its seven divisions to thirteen divisions. In 1907 after the Russo-Japanese War, Japan formulated the "National Defense Policy" and "Military Employment Program", and planned to expand its army again, reaching 25 divisions in peacetime, and more than doubled in wartime. In 1938, after the full-scale war of aggression against China, the Japanese army mobilized 24 divisions with a total of 730,000 troops.In 1940, the army expanded to forty-nine divisions. On the eve of the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, the total strength of the Japanese army had reached 51 divisions and 2.22 million people.By the end of 1944, the Japanese army had expanded to ninety-nine divisions with 4.08 million active soldiers.By the time of defeat and surrender, the total number of troops was 168 divisions and 5.47 million people.The military development reached the pinnacle of military equipment in Japanese history.Its expansion speed is also extremely rare in the history of wars all over the world. In Japan in the 1820s, there was a saying that to conquer China, only one division and three cruisers were needed.This kind of overly arrogant assertion is not just the delusion of ordinary Japanese people, but also the truth firmly believed by Japanese decision makers. After the outbreak of the full-scale war of aggression against China, the Konoe Fumimaro cabinet launched a fascist general mobilization campaign.On August 21, 1937, the Cabinet meeting passed the "Outline for the Implementation of the National Spiritual Mobilization Plan." The Japanese government determined that the guiding ideology for carrying out the National Spiritual Mobilization Movement is "the whole country is unified, loyal to the country, and persevering." Member of the House of Representatives of Japan and Naval Counselor Hiroshi Kuriyama said in an article "China Continent Full of Infinite Hope" in a metaphorical way: "Japan is holding a child named China who is much bigger than itself. This is the China Incident. In order to hold a child that is many times bigger than itself firmly in his arms, Japan must sweat a lot because of the child's weight. , Japan cannot let go. Once let go, Japan will kill itself. Even a little let go. Therefore, regardless of politics, diplomacy, or economy, Japan must operate, promote and complete based on the relationship with this child." This was exactly what ordinary Japanese politicians and citizens thought about the war of aggression against China at that time. On January 16, 1938, Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro issued a statement of "not taking the National Government as an opponent".Lured by this statement, Wang Jingwei, the No. 2 figure in the Nationalist Government and vice-president of the Kuomintang, flagrantly treasoned the country. On November 3, 1938, Fummaro Konoe issued another statement on "Building a New Order in East Asia," which stated: "What the Empire prays for is the establishment of a new order that will ensure permanent peace in East Asia.  … The construction of the new order should be based on the cooperation of Japan, Manchuria, and China, and establish a series of mutual assistance relations in politics, economy, culture, etc. Based on this, it is expected that the East Asia establishes international justice, realizes joint defense against communism, creates a new culture, and realizes economic cooperation.What the empire hopes for in China is to share the responsibility of building a new order in East Asia. "While millions of Japanese soldiers were burning, killing, raping and kidnapping on Chinese soil, Konoe Fumimaro boasted about the goodwill and friendship between China and Japan, and declared that they would establish "international justice" in East Asia. What is this? What kind of "international justice"? In the 1920s and 1930s, he served as a director and vice president of "Nanman Railway Co., Ltd." Yosuke Matsuoka for a long time, and was one of the main constructors of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" theory.In 1931, Yosuke Matsuoka clearly stated in his book "Manchuria of Turmoil": "Manchuria is Japan's lifeline."He kept advocating that Japan's mission was to "revitalize Asia" and "save mankind," and that Japan would act as "the leader of the new order in East Asia" and "the de facto leader of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."However, behind this series of high-sounding rhetoric is the extremely selfish purpose of using war to expand their "living space", transform the domestic crisis, and obtain cheaper raw material markets and exclusive product markets. In July 1940, Matsuoka Yosuke was appointed as the Foreign Minister of the Konoe Cabinet. From then on, he led Japan's diplomacy and applied his expansion theory to practice.The Japanese government not only concluded an aggressive alliance with two fascist countries, Germany and Italy, but also signed the "Japan-Soviet Neutrality Treaty" with the Soviet Union, which included many provisions for the joint partition of Chinese territory. On July 20, 1940, the Konoe Cabinet issued the "Basic National Policy Outline". Based on this, we should first take the imperial country as the core and consolidate the combination of Japan, Manchuria, and China as the foundation for building a new order in Greater East Asia." On August 1, 1940, Matsuoka Yosuke published "Imperial Diplomacy "Declaration", claiming: "According to the great spirit of our imperial way, we must first establish a 'Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' with Japan, Manchuria, and China as a ring, and then declare a powerful imperial way to contribute to a just world The establishment of peace." This is the first time that the Japanese government has explicitly used the term "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". With the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan's ambitions expanded wildly. The shadow of the "Great East Asia Circle of Glory" not only includes Northeast Asian countries such as North Korea and China, but also covers Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Australia and other countries. The so-called "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" is to use "civilized" Japan as the "leader" to govern "non-civilized China" and other Asian countries, and to establish a new Asian colonial empire with Japan as the colonizer.Asian countries will become Japan's political vassals, economic raw material suppliers, and cultural servants. An oriental "collective authority personality" such as the "Asian leader" was finally solidified and institutionalized after a series of ideological distortions on the basis of "civilization expansion". Since then, Japan has the obligation and more right to "liberate" the "backward people" in Asia, and it does not hesitate to advance through war or other forms of violence. This has become the psychological complex of mainstream elites in Japan's political circles. The "collective aura" that hangs over the heads of the general public.Under the belief of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", ordinary citizens firmly believe that the Japanese will help the Chinese build a better China. Many Japanese soldiers may never have thought of killing people in their daily lives, but under the "noble" name of "nationalism", "racial superiority", "liberation of Asia" and so on, they would never commit any tyrannical crimes Sleepless due to homicide.They think that this is working for the country and great responsibilities. They perfectly unify the hatred of neighboring countries with the pleasure of being cannon fodder, and combine the prospects of the nation with the conquest of "the sick man of East Asia" hits linked. In order to quickly form the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" and get rid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' restraint on the military, Tojo Hideki decided to create the "Greater East Asia Province" to replace the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to rule all the affairs of the countries in the "Great East Asia Region". , is the highest administrative body of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". When discussing the "Proposal for the Establishment of the Greater East Asia Province", Fukai Eigo, the elder of the Privy Council Review Committee, and others believed that the establishment of the Greater East Asia Province would dualize Japan's diplomacy and threaten to turn Asian countries into colonies.Hideki Tojo replied: "In order to fulfill the needs of the war, we must strive for the assistance of the countries and ethnic groups in Greater East Asia. The relationship with China and other countries is like the relationship between a parent and a family. The so-called contribution means doing our best. , nothing inappropriate." Privy Councilor Yoshikichi Kobata is a veteran of negotiations with China, and believes that the establishment of the "Great East Asia Province" will lead to diplomatic difficulties.Hideki Tojo was very angry, and he raised his fist and said: "There is no diplomacy in the Greater East Asian Circle!" On September 1, 1942, the Japanese cabinet meeting passed the "Proposal for the Establishment of the Greater East Asia Province", whose purpose is to "focus on the overall strength of the Greater East Asia region to enhance combat effectiveness."On November 1, the "Official System of the Greater East Asia Province" was formally passed, and the Minister of Greater East Asia was established. In November 1943, the "Great East Asia Conference" was held in Tokyo, Japan.The purpose of this meeting is to establish a political integration and war cooperation system in the occupied regions of East Asia. The heads of state present at this meeting, in addition to Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, also included Wang Jingwei, Executive Premier of the Nanjing Puppet Government, Zhang Jinghui, State Premier of the Puppet Manchukuo, President Raoulel of the Republic of the Philippines, Prime Minister Bhamo of Burma, and the so-called "Free India". Chairman of the Provisional Government” Boss et al. The Great East Asia Conference passed the "Great East Asia Joint Declaration", from which Japan arranged and reorganized the Great East Asia colonial system.After the meeting, Wang Jingwei declared: "The Great East Asia Conference is purely for the strong to help the weak. It is a meeting for the survival and independence of all ethnic groups in East Asia. I deeply hope that the Chongqing side will reflect on it and will come back resolutely to be comrades in East Asia. .” Is the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" constructed by Japan really to help the liberation of Asian countries?Is it really to help the people of all ethnic groups in Asia fight for freedom and equality? In Asian countries, the Japanese occupying forces not only carried out brutal massacres, but also frantically plundered various materials and resources.After the Japanese army occupied Singapore, Yamashita, commander of the 25th Army, issued an order to remove the "enemy overseas Chinese" who supported the Chinese mainland's war of resistance. About 200,000 overseas Chinese were arrested, tens of thousands of overseas Chinese were killed, and blood stained Malacca. strait.In March 1942, Japan established the Southern Development Bank, which issued military tickets to forcibly purchase finance in the occupied areas.Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar are the four major rice-producing areas, but almost all of the rice produced was confiscated by the Japanese army as military rations, making local farmers hungry.From the end of 1944 to the beginning of 1945 alone, it is estimated that about two million Vietnamese farmers died of starvation due to lack of food. Under the slogan of "Mutual Assistance and Common Prosperity in Greater East Asia", in order to strengthen Japan's domestic military production, the Japanese army forced slave labor from China, North Korea and other countries to work locally or in Japan like cattle and horses.In order to improve the morale of the Japanese army, the so-called "military comfort women" were forcibly recruited from China, North Korea, the Philippines and other countries for the pleasure of officers and men.In order to supplement military expenditures, the Japanese army issued a large number of waste paper-like military tickets and "Southern Development Treasury Notes" to blackmail the wealth and resources of Southeast Asian countries.These issues have not been resolved in a fair and reasonable way until today, and the people of Asian countries who have suffered from them still bear in mind. For reintegrating into Asia, Japan has not shown sincerity that the Asian people can see and feel. On November 3, 1946, the Japanese government promulgated the "Peace Constitution".The emperor changed from an absolute monarch to a constitutional emperor who "symbolized the unity of the country and the people", and the parliament became the highest organ of state power.For the first time in history, Japanese citizens are guaranteed and protected by the Declaration of Fundamental Human Rights.Among them, Article 9 of the Constitution solemnly promises: Based on justice and order, maintain international peace in good faith, and permanently renounce war.For this reason, Japan does not form land, sea, air force and other war forces, only the Self-Defense Forces dedicated to guarding.Based on this constitution, Japan can be said to have become a typical peaceful country. However, since its inception, this principle of peace has been frequently attacked by some political forces in Japan who are trying to restore Japan's status as a military power.Certain Japanese politicians even tried to abolish Article 9 of the Constitution and get rid of its restrictions and shackles by all means possible. In 1980, Japan threatened in its national defense white paper that in order to protect its economic fruits, Japan must seek to enhance its international political status; in order to continue to maintain its leading position in technology and economy, Japan must reiterate its support for the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Strait. Defense lifeline. The erroneous view of history of the "Great East Asian War" stems not only from Japan's militaristic historical tradition, but also from the incompleteness of the "Meiji Restoration".Fukuzawa Yukichi, an Enlightenment thinker in the Meiji era, believed: "Although it is human nature to hate oppression, it only means that you hate others oppressing you. To oppress others by yourself can be said to be the greatest joy in life." The Enlightenment in the Meiji Period The movement advocates democracy, but pays more attention to nationalism; promotes rationality, but pays more attention to practicality; absorbs Western ideas, but mainly focuses on utilitarianism, positivism, and social Darwinism. In recent years, some self-proclaimed "patriotic" scholars have refused to use the term "Pacific War" put forward by American historians. They insisted on using the notorious historical term "Great East Asian War" and kept saying that it was to protect the honor of the Japanese people. and dignity.Behind the seemingly inconspicuous difference between the "Great East Asian War" and the "Pacific War", there is a dangerous trend and trend surging.It warns good people: in the minds of some Japanese, the dream of Greater East Asia is not completely shattered. What is even more frightening is that when conservative scholars talked about that period of history, they pretended to be the liberator and benefactor of Asia.Nakamura Can, a professor at Dokkyo University, said in a speech entitled "The Causes of the Great East Asian War": "Although Japan in the Meiji period was called military Japan, the military country Japan fought against the invasion of Western forces. It is Japan's destiny to invade and fight, and it is also Japan's mission to save Asian countries. Japan in the Meiji period fought against this fate and fulfilled its mission brilliantly.... If there was no Great East Asian War, the countries in Southeast Asia might still be For quite a long time, it had to succumb to colonial rule. From this point of view, the Great East Asian War is a war with a very profound historical background, and, for Japan, this is a battle of destiny and a mission. war." In 1987, the Japanese cabinet for the first time broke through the long-standing limit that defense spending should not exceed 1% of the gross national product. In 1991, when the Gulf War broke out, Japan sent minesweepers to the Gulf region, realizing the strategic goal of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces going abroad for the first time after World War II.Later, Japan paid for a quarter of all military expenditures. In 2001, after the "September 11" incident, Japan enacted the "Law on Special Measures against Terrorism", dispatched many warships to the Indian Ocean, and was keen on military programs such as building missile defense systems and launching spy satellites. On August 5, 2003, the Japanese Defense Agency submitted the "2003 White Paper on Defense" to the cabinet, which for the first time made sending troops overseas the main task of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and formulated a "permanent law" for the Japanese government. ", so as to provide a foreshadowing for dispatching self-defense forces overseas at any time. In recent years, Japan's military spending has remained high, ranking second in the world after the United States.In fiscal year 2003, Japan's defense spending is expected to reach US$41 billion.From 1999 to 2002, Japan invested 13.7 billion yen in missile defense research.In 2003, the Japanese government added 1.9 billion yen to the budget for testing a new anti-missile system. American scholar George Friedman said in "The Next U.S.-Japanese War": "The question is not whether Japan will rearm, but to what extent Japan will rearm and for what purpose." In terms of the quality of armaments, no country in East Asia can match Japan.Japan has the largest surface fleet in the Western Pacific. Almost all of its warships were built in the last fifteen years and equipped with highly advanced technology.Japan has the technology to build, support and manage aircraft carriers.Japan's air force has been modernized, and the main fighter is jointly developed with the United States military jet F-2.In the 1990s, Japan had advanced electronic warfare equipment, such as airborne warning and control system aircraft.Japan has also developed all the components of nuclear weapons, and it only takes a few months to install nuclear warheads on long-range missiles.In recent years, some Japanese politicians have even made it known that Japan no longer needs to adhere to the "three non-nuclear principles."The vigilance of neighboring countries, including China, against Japan is obviously not groundless. After Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi came to power, he formed a cabinet known as a hardliner.In Koizumi's new team, the young faction of the "new third echelon" and "policy new human" in the Liberal Democratic Party surfaced ahead of time.Shinzo Abe, Toshimitsu Motegi, Nobuaki Ishihara and others call themselves "neo-conservatives". Their domestic policies emphasize the strengthening of privatization of state-owned enterprises and the reduction of social welfare. Externally, they focus on actively "assuming international responsibilities" and striving for the support of political and military powers. status, support constitutional amendments, send troops overseas, change the name of the Self-Defense Forces, and seek to "normalize" Japan. Yesterday, the Japanese army's brutal acts and bloody massacres shocked and hated the Asian people; today, the Japanese government's various denials and ambitions have made the Asian people worry and angry.It is not impossible for Japan to become an "ordinary country". The more critical issue is: before becoming an ordinary country, Japan must consciously clean up its own historical garbage.In this regard, Germany has set a good example for Japan. It's not that we don't trust Japan, but Japan doesn't give us any reason to trust it.It's not that we deliberately entangled in the historical details of the year, but that Japan in real life still makes us suspicious and uneasy. We must keep in mind the advice of George Friedman - "Japan has never been a convincing pacifist country. As a country, it has never been inconsistent with its words and deeds." The dream of the East Asian co-prosperity sphere, if we don't establish its true position in Asia and the world, we can't take it lightly.This is a responsibility that cannot be shirked in the heart of every true patriot, and it is a gate that must be carried on the shoulders of every true patriot.