Chapter 10 Why didn't Nine Japan repent?

The Japanese writer Yukio Mishima wrote a novel called "Peony".The protagonist of the novel is an old man with a withdrawn personality who participated in the war of aggression against China in his youth.Apart from carefully cultivating hundreds of peonies, this old man seems to have no other hobbies. Later, people learned that the old man's love for peonies was related to his early war experience. In the eyes of the old man, every peony flower symbolized a beautiful Chinese girl who was killed by him back then.A large peony bush is a group of Chinese girls he slaughtered.The veteran did not feel any remorse for the killings of the past, but instead aestheticized the atrocities of the past.He felt that it was his pride and his privilege.

It is such a perverted murderer who, under the pen of Yukio Mishima, who believes in militarism, has become a master of art enjoying aesthetic pleasure.Looking at thousands of human races, only Japanese culture has the ability to "turn ugliness into beauty" and "turn decay into magic". When Yukio Mishima's dream of rebuilding a militaristic Japan was shattered, he chose to commit suicide in an attempt to "awaken" the Japanese compatriots with his life.However, his death, together with his works, has become a living testimony to the inferiority of the Japanese nation.

The Japanese look at history with a peculiarly egocentric perspective.Exaggerate the good side infinitely, and minimize the bad side as much as possible.They insist on using a microscope to look at other people's shortcomings, but stubbornly close their eyes in front of their own mistakes. It is a real diary written by the Jewish girl Anne before she was killed by the Nazis.This book has shocked the hearts of the whole world and made people think about what is life, what is peace, and what is justice.In terms of global sales, Japan ranks second only to the United States.That is to say, among the readers of , the number of Japanese is second only to that of Americans.

However, as an expert on Japanese issues pointed out, most Japanese readers do not read this book as a Jewish issue, but as a symbol of an innocent and pure girl who was killed by the war.While reading, the Japanese deftly perform a role reversal—they themselves become victims of war like Anne's. Thus, the Japanese who were the instigators and implementers of the war suddenly disappeared. It seems that they never went to foreign lands to kill and enslave civilians, and they never seemed to bring death and blood and tears to the people of other countries.On the contrary, they are just victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and they cling to the consciousness of being "victims".

As a result, the Japanese as the invaders disappeared, leaving only the Japanese as the victims; the Japanese soldiers as the murderous executioners disappeared, leaving only the flower-growing old man intoxicated in the beautiful peonies; the invention made rape legal The Japanese militarists with the institutionalized and institutionalized "comfort women system" disappeared, leaving only an "economic power" under the wise leadership of the emperor.Like urchins, they wreak havoc without admitting they did something wrong. The atrocities committed by the Japanese army showed a sadistic and destructive character, which is rare in the history of wars in ancient and modern China and abroad.On December 20, 1943, the American journalist Epstein witnessed the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Changde, Hunan. He described it in a report for Time magazine: "People will ask, Japanese farmers in China At that time, they regarded food as a treasure and cherished the fruits of their labor very much. But why did they not only plunder the rice of Chinese farmers when they arrived in China, but also urinate and defecate on the food that could not be transported? People will ask, what is the reason that made Japanese soldiers After entering the orphanage, stealing the bedding of the orphans, taking big stones from the courtyard downstairs, smashing the textile machinery of a vocational school to pieces? They broke into the school and slammed ink on the wall bottle, what fun do you get out of it?"

In fact, probably no one can answer these sharp questions except the Japanese themselves.Some of the "essence" of Japanese culture permeates the incredible "fun" of Japanese soldiers. Japan's history is a history of constant killings and gunpowder.After hundreds of years of bloody civil wars, 800 years of military rule, and foreign expansion in modern times, military life forms have been integrated into the daily culture of Japan.For many Japanese, life is war and war is life.Strategic thinking and fighting methods have been essential tools of Japanese daily life for hundreds of years.The attention and research of the Japanese on the ancient Chinese classics "Sun Tzu's Art of War" and so on far exceeds that of the Chinese themselves.Today in the 21st century, regardless of politics, economy, commerce, industry, etc., Japan is still within the scope of the application of war thinking and tactics.

On the other hand, there is a long-standing "groupism" in Japanese culture, which can not only amplify the power of the individual, but also reduce the responsibility of the individual.When the Japanese killed and raped during the war, not only would they not feel guilty, but they would also be full of pride because they performed better than others.At the same time, because it is a group behavior, there are both "superior orders" and "everyone is the same", which forms a "non-responsible group". When doing bad things, there is no sense of guilt, and there is no sense of responsibility after doing bad things.

Japanese scholar Kato analyzed in the book "Basic Characteristics of Japanese Society and Culture" on Monday: "In the 15-year war, as an individual, Japan did not have a single person responsible for the war, that is, everyone was at fault. The responsibility for the war is borne by all Japanese citizens. , not by the leaders. The so-called "100 million total confession" means that both the proprietress of the cigarette shop and Prime Minister Tojo are responsible for one part in one hundred million. The responsibility for one part in one hundred million is actually equal to zero , that is, becoming irresponsible. Everyone has a responsibility, which is almost equivalent to no responsibility.”

Japanese nationals are certainly victims of militarism, but it is undeniable that Japanese nationals are also supporters of militarism.They are not "innocents" and "idle bystanders".Where does the soil of militarism come from?If the entire nation is not excited by the idea of ​​expanding the living space, and is not anesthetized by the illusion of the inherent superiority of the Yamato nation, how can militarism start the war machine so quickly? This is not convincing simply by saying "we have been deceived". In Japan, from Class A war criminals to ordinary soldiers, most people think that they have no crimes from beginning to end.He is also a heinous war criminal. Before his execution in Nuremberg, Hans Frank of Germany said: "A thousand years are easy to pass, and Germany's sins will never be erased." But Hideki Tojo of Japan screamed before his execution: "Your Majesty Hooray!” Why this fundamental difference?

American scholar Benedict talked about the difference between guilt culture and shame culture in .Guilt culture relies on the inner reflection of guilt to do good deeds, while shame culture relies on external coercion to do good deeds.In the culture represented by Japan where shame is the main coercive force, people feel only annoyed about crimes.And, as long as the bad behavior is not exposed to society, there is no need to be upset.They think confession and repentance are just asking for trouble.In shame cultures there is no custom of confessing, not even to God.They have prayers for happiness, but not for redemption.

For Germany, the most important thing is to confess and repent before God and the people of the world, and thus regain a new life; for Japan, the most important thing is not to gain tolerance through confession, but to cover up the sin so as not to lose face in front of the world .In the eyes of the German public, the most prominent event in World War II was the massacre of Jews by the Nazis, not the Allied bombing of Berlin; in the eyes of the Japanese, the most important event was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, not the Nanjing University. The massacre and the Chongqing bombing. Also committed a serious war crime, the Germans not only reflect on themselves, but also reflect on their common humanity.Under the background of Christian culture, European and American people not only deeply repent, but also have doubts and responsibilities for human nature.But the Japanese have no repentance and no ethical responsibility.Japan's technology is one of the best in the world, but it is still empty and thin on the spiritual level. It is almost impossible for the Japanese to admit mistakes, they are best at blaming others for their mistakes.Why do the Japanese like to use the "soul-moving method" so much?On the one hand, they attach great importance to face, as Benedict argues in: "The Japanese are very concerned about what others think of their behavior, but when others don't know about their bad deeds, they will be conquered by sin." Therefore, they would rather cover one mistake with a hundred mistakes than sincerely admit and correct this mistake. On the other hand, the Japanese worship power and do whatever it takes to get it.Fukuzawa Yukichi, a thinker in the Meiji period, pointed out: "Since history, Japanese warriors have followed the rules and norms between people in their own country, lived in an environment that favored power, and were never ashamed of submitting to others. There is a marked difference between people cherishing their status, respecting their identity and asserting their rights." This unique "culture of shame" combined with the spirit of Bushido pushed "non-confessionalism" to the extreme.Inazo Nitodo, a Japanese scholar, stated in his book "Bushido": "Bushido, like its symbolic cherry blossoms, is an inherent flower in the land of Japan.... As the son of the feudal system, the brilliance of Bushido is reflected in the birth of its mother. The system is dead, but it is still alive, and it is still shining on our moral path." Bushido spirit is one of the internal motivations for the Japanese warlords to brazenly launch the "Great East Asia War".For hundreds of years, Japan's military rule has been sublimated to a high political and moral status through the samurai class, and has been thoroughly integrated into the mainstream values ​​of the country. The spirit of Bushido in Japan and the formation of the Japanese samurai class are both external and internal.Japanese samurai regard killing as friendship, and samurai can cut off the head of a person who committed seppuku; Japanese samurai regard killing as power, if they are humiliated, they can kill each other without punishment; Only by killing can the scabbard be retracted.In Japan, honor can only be preserved by fighting to the end or committing suicide.If captured, his reputation will be discredited, and even if he is alive, he is a "dead man", which is even worse than being dead. A veteran of the invasion of China once said: "Japanese Bushido is extremely noble, extremely great, and unfathomable. In the authentic cold light of the famous sword of Bushido, there is hidden unfathomable power that even the great powers fear. Deterrence and mystery.” When the U.S. army captured Saipan, more than 40,000 Japanese troops were wiped out, and there were more than 10,000 civilians on the island. The Japanese army forced them to commit suicide, mothers killed their babies and then committed suicide, and old people killed each other or committed suicide. In the Asahi Shimbun's call for essays on "World War II in My Memory", a reader named Masao Kumai wrote an article "Why We Failed to Oppose the War".The article pointed out: "Some people questioned: Why did you not oppose the war? I think it is because the people do not doubt the country's policies. The people have been educated so that they do not have doubts about the decisions made by 'above'." First, the government is not allowed to provide correct information to the citizens.In accordance with the law on maintaining peace and order, news that is unfavorable to the military and the government is kept secret, and then it is revised and propagated as news that is beneficial to the military and the government. Second, citizens cannot object to the emperor's orders.The emperor is a god, an existence beyond the country.The emperor said that the order of the chief is my order.For ordinary people, the orders of the army are the orders of the emperor, so they cannot oppose the war until the emperor orders a truce. Third, the national sense of superiority is incited.War leaders must incite the people before going to war.Hitler's Germany incited the German people to be citizens of excellent blood, while Japan incited itself to be the world's number one kingdom of God under the emperor's unification. Fourth, leaders carelessly emphasize the country's crisis.The rumors of a national crisis continue to spread, and the incited citizens believe it, fall into narrow nationalism, and become a force to promote war, and they are still self-righteous. Japan's unique historical and cultural traditions are the fertile soil for this bandit logic and war philosophy to grow. Japanese scholar Yuki Tanaka believes in the book "Hidden Horror Atrocities: Japanese Crimes During World War II" that atrocities such as the Nanjing Massacre were caused by a phenomenon called "transfer of oppression".When the Japanese army was first formed, it contained a high degree of brutality and danger. There are three main reasons for the brutalization of the Japanese army: First, the stratified nature of Japanese society has made Japanese military officers take pleasure in humiliating soldiers for a long time.Soldiers were required to wash the officer's underwear, or to stand obediently while the officer slapped the officer until the blood flowed profusely. Within the Japanese army, senior generals had no respect or mercy for the lives of ordinary soldiers.Back then, Toyotomi Hideyoshi let soldiers wear straw sandals to fight in spite of the severe winter in North Korea. As a result, tens of thousands of young soldiers lost their toes from the cold.Similarly, in the second During the World War, the Japanese army attempted to save the fate of failure by forming the "Kamikaze Death Squad".Human life is treated like a machine.Knowing that the Allied forces had deciphered the code, the senior commander continued to use it for the sake of so-called self-esteem and self-confidence, causing a large number of casualties among grassroots soldiers. The least powerful are usually the most sadistic when they wield the power of life and death over those of lower ranks.When Japanese soldiers occupied Nanjing, the madness gradually formed by this class of seniority and inferiority finally had an outlet to vent.The anger, hatred and fear of authority they had suppressed for so many years easily exploded into uncontrollable violence in Nanjing. The second reason for the brutalization of the Japanese army is that the Japanese are full of hatred and contempt for the Chinese. This feeling has been cultivated from decades of propaganda, education and social indoctrination.In the ideological trend of "leaving Asia and entering Europe" since the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese began to regard themselves as "quasi-whites" and discriminated against other Asians of the yellow race.In South Africa, which used to be known for its apartheid, the Japanese were classified as "honorary whites". Although the Japanese were of the yellow race, they sat on the side of the whites and enjoyed the same special treatment as the whites.For this reason, the Japanese feel complacent and forget the unchangeable fact that they are yellow. Many Japanese soldiers believed that the Chinese were not yet human, and that killing them was like squashing a beetle, or killing a pig.During the Nanjing Massacre, a Japanese officer tied ten Chinese captives together into many piles.Then they pushed the Chinese into the pits one by one and burned them alive.Later, he justified his behavior by saying: "Pigs are more valuable than Chinese lives, because pigs can still be eaten." A third factor in the brutalization of the Japanese army was the sacred significance of the violence that pervaded among Japanese soldiers.Violence became a strong cultural obligation in the Japanese military.The combat manual issued to soldiers by the Japanese military declared: "Every bullet must be fired in a royal manner, and every knife of the bayonet must burn the national sentiment." Since the general Japanese believe that the emperor is more noble than God, the Japanese army can easily accept the belief that even if the war is full of violence, the ultimate result is that the violence is not only beneficial to itself, but also beneficial to the victims.In order to achieve such a "Japanese-style" victory, brutality is a necessary tool and means. Japanese scholar Noda Masaki combined the reflection on history with the criticism of reality in his book "War Crimes", and made a profound reflection on Japanese culture and national character.He believes that this is a personal problem, as well as a group problem, because the culture surrounding Japan unconsciously guides people how to deal with things and how to feel. In Japan, many middle-aged and elderly people are emotionally rigid and lack the ability to communicate frankly with others.The management of big business, the bureaucrats, the academics, the journalists, the so-called elite, are not emotional people.A considerable number of them are too poor in their ability to feel other people's emotions and imagination.There are also ordinary people who wholeheartedly adapt to this society.As their children, the young generation is even more indifferent, and considers the communication between people only as the exchange of information. The hard truth is that the Japanese today do not live in a different spiritual world than that war.The war was indeed sixty years ago, and the peace movement to abolish nuclear weapons took place during this period.However, the culture that does not respect the individual, blindly adapts to the needs of the group, has a fierce competitive mentality, and only sees the relationship between people is still the same as in the past.Advocating academic qualifications and prestigious schools, paying attention to the pros and cons of the organization to which they belong, persistently pursuing their status in the company, and exerting invisible pressure on those who doubt such values.In addition, the bullying of the weak in schools and workplaces, socialism that impoverishes private life, overtime work, and entertainment also corrode the personality of the Japanese.Suppressing personal value and ignoring humanistic qualities have led to the Japanese becoming economic animals when entering the economic field, being strict when entering the political field, and indulging in morbid beauty when entering the cultural field. In this regard, many people of insight in Japan questioned: Comparing the mental state of the Japanese today and the Japanese army's connivance of veterans and bullying of new recruits during the invasion period, they trained soldiers into war ghosts by assassinating Chinese, and encouraged them to get ahead in the army. Compared with the so-called "Japanese spirit" in which the victim feels no pain, can you say how big the difference is between the two?Comparing this system with the one during the war of aggression in which people began to compete brutally from childhood, raised people's aggressiveness at the threshold of envy and humiliation, and then organized military forces, aren't the two exactly the same? After learning about the Nanjing Massacre, Japanese writer Kenzaburo Oe’s teacher and French literature expert Kazuo Watanabe once wrote: “The Nanjing Incident is not only a crime committed against the Chinese, but also an insult to the Japanese people themselves. Knowing the dignity of ethics and morality, but giving up all responsibilities, the citizens who cherish ethics and morality as a talisman have fallen into the abyss of self-destruction.” The exposure of the Nanjing Massacre triggered reflection and repentance among a small number of intellectuals in Japan who had the ability to distinguish right from wrong.However, based on the same reason, today the politicians and scholars of the "Historical Research Committee" within the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party are doing their best to deny the existence of the Nanjing Massacre.Shiro Takahashi, a professor of humanities at Star University, believes: "The issue of the 'Nanjing Massacre' mentioned for the first time in "History of the Pacific War" had a huge impact on dampening the self-esteem of the Japanese." The view of history was forcibly instilled in the Japanese by the Americans and must be resisted and denied.In Japan's public opinion and political circles, discourses that deny the Nanjing Massacre can win a lot of applause. Under the influence of the culture of shame, ordinary Japanese people quickly forgot about war crimes, and Japanese conservative politicians falsified history even more. Makoto Okuno, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Representatives, claimed: "In the past, Japan did not launch an aggressive war, nor did it adopt a colonial policy." It was a product of serious consideration for the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The purpose of the war was basically allowable and legitimate at the time. of. "Sakurai Shin, the head of the Environmental Agency, said: "It is not so much a war of aggression, but almost all Asian countries are thanks to it.Independence from European colonial domination resulted in widespread education, with literacy rates higher than those in Africa, long under European domination.In just half a century, the whole of Asia has experienced economic prosperity. " The Liberal Democratic Party announced in the "Letter of Intent for the Establishment" of the "Fifty Anniversary of the End of the War": "Japan's peace and prosperity today are based on the foundation of more than two million war martyrs. These martyrs are looking forward to Japan's freedom. Dedicated his precious life for self-defense and peace in Asia." In response to these remarks, a German intellectual pointedly pointed out: "We Germans are a member of European Christian civilization and pay attention to seeking truth from facts. Therefore, we honestly admit our history of foreign aggression. But the Japanese are different. They use the so-called I don’t want to admit my mistakes because of the ‘Oriental Civilization’, isn’t this a manifestation of militaristic thinking?” After the end of World War II, Germany and Japan took very different attitudes towards their respective war crimes.The Dutch writer Bruma compared the different attitudes of Germany and Japan towards the war in his book "Whether there is a previous crime in a trance".German Chancellor Brandt knelt in front of the Jewish monument, but no Japanese leader has ever done so.In Germany, it was a handful of extremist skinheads hunted by the police who denied war crimes; in Japan, it was the prime minister, members of parliament, cabinet ministers and historians. German President Weizzer once pointed out in a speech that Germany paid 100 billion marks in personal reparations after the war, while Japan did almost nothing.He criticized the 40 years after the war in Japan as "forty years in the wilderness". None of the post-war Japanese prime ministers had made an explicit and sincere apology to the peoples of the countries who wanted to be invaded. Delete the history that is not good for the country from the textbooks. However, Japanese conservative forces not only did not accept Weizize's advice, but instead attacked and insulted Germany.Nishio Kanji, a professor at Japan's Dentsu University, declared that Germany's guilty plea and compensation just illustrate the "self-deception" of the Germans.He believes that most of the Nazis after the war were exposed and tried by the Germans themselves; while the Japanese did not expose themselves except for the Tokyo Trial conducted by the Allied Forces and the trials of Class B and Class C war criminals in various countries. This is the pride, self-confidence and precious "patriotism" of Japan. In a dialogue with Japanese writer Hisae Sawaji, Buruma lamented that Japanese intellectuals have no sense of historical responsibility.Hisae Sawaji explained: "From 1934 to now, there is still the danger of blocking and suppressing speech." Buruma asked in surprise: "Are the right-wing forces so powerful?" Sawaji Hisae replied in a disgusted tone: "I can't say that Japan is a civilized society." Bruma, educated in European democracy, asked aloud: "So, is there any danger in directly condemning the right?" Sawaji Hisae replied: "I want to risk my life." Sawaji Hisae's statement is not an exaggeration.It is also a constitutional monarchy system. In the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, citizens and the media can criticize or even insult her at will; but in Japan, the emperor still has a sacred status, and criticizing the emperor is still regarded as a treasonous act, which is rejected by most people. opposition and attack. It is difficult for a nation that does not repent and reflect on its sins to gain the trust and closeness of the world.In a sense, it is Japan's behavior of concealing and distorting history time and time again that makes people in Asian countries still regard Japan as an "enemy" psychologically. After the war, Germany was able to quickly integrate into Europe and work together with its former opponents on the battlefield to establish the European Union, thanks to Germany's complete elimination of its own fascist poison.After the war, Japan was unable to complete the transformation from a "defeated country" to an "ordinary country". The fundamental reason was that Japan itself refused to say goodbye to yesterday's evil and was unwilling to sincerely apologize.No wonder George Power, a U.S. deputy secretary of state in the 1960s, exclaimed: "No one knows when the Japanese will go crazy!" Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung once pointed out in a speech: "The attitude adopted by Japan after the war is in stark contrast to that of Germany, which was in the same situation. Germany paid huge war reparations. From elementary school, Germany told about the heinous crimes committed by Hitler. Everyone in Germany knows the crimes committed by their own country. These practices are in stark contrast to the attitude adopted by the Japanese government after the war. I I am very sorry that we have not been able to become true friends with Japan. I earnestly hope that, on the basis of a thorough settlement of the past, we will welcome the arrival of a new era as soon as possible.” Kim Dae-jung’s remarks represent the admiration of the people of Asian countries to the Japanese government and people Earnest warning, I hope it can be listened to and comprehended by more and more Japanese. For Japan, if it wants to get along well with Asian countries including China, the most important issue is to face history squarely and reflect deeply.Being rich doesn't automatically mean you have the right to forget history and scorn others. If Japan wants to become a political power and gain a greater voice on the world stage, it should first make itself a country with a sense of responsibility and dignity.In order for Japan to play an important role in Asia in the future, it is necessary for both the government and the general public to face up to the crime, awaken the memory, and set off a moral discussion within Japan.Do a moral reckoning with yourself before appealing to the world to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki.The Japanese need such a movement. At the turn of the century, Japan itself was also facing a major transformation of its values.The famous Japanese entrepreneur Kazuo Inamori said: "The world requires Japan to change from self-interested values ​​to beneficial values. This is the world trend. After the collapse of the bubble economy, many loopholes appeared in the financial circles, securities circles, and large construction companies. Japan's unscrupulous nature in order to make money also exposes the interpersonal relationships behind Japanese society, as well as the long-standing disadvantages of selfishness and self-interest in the past. It is necessary to change from selfishness to coordination with the world. We must do it properly on this issue. The world situation forces Japan needs to drastically change its values. In the 21st century, if Japan does not plan to drastically change its values, it will become an orphan of the world.” Japan's isolation is not Japan's glory.Japan is both one of the richest and poorest countries in the world.Mother Teresa, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, said that there are two hungry regions on the earth, one is Africa and the other is Japan.The former is material hunger, and the latter is spiritual hunger.How many Japanese are aware of this spiritual hunger? Without sincere repentance and actual compensation, there will be no firm peace and deep trust. This is a basic common sense and prerequisite for Japan's exchanges with Asian countries.Japanese scholar Taiichiro Omura sharply pointed out in his article "Farewell to Ambiguous Fifty Years": "What is left in Japan is just a group of national thieves who have taken off their old military uniforms and take the responsibility of tampering with history, and cloaked in the cloak of social democracy. Walking corpses without bones. The main body responsible for the country is gone, and the Diet responsible for forming this main body has degenerated to the point where it only discusses tax issues. Japan should understand that peace is bought by the death of countless people. If you forget this If there is no history and this truth, then the tree of peace will wither.” Does Japan have the courage to clean up its own historical garbage?We will wait and see. At the dawn of the new century, the deep and sincere repentance of the Japanese nation is an unavoidable threshold for Japan itself, for Asia, and for the world.This repentance will be the starting point for Japan to establish a new international image, and this repentance will be a guarantee for Japan to live in harmony with neighboring countries. I hope that the saying "Japan is our friend" will eventually become the true feelings and deep cognition of the people of all Asian countries. I hope that the questioning of "Japan, why don't you repent" will no longer continue day after day, year after year.