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| Crown Prince Naruhito (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Ankit Panda
Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito cautioned that Japan should “humbly and correctly” look back on its past.
In a rare foray into a controversial political issue, Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito, 55, told reporters on the occasion of his birthday that he felt that it was critical for Japan to “look back humbly on the past.” Naruhito, heir apparent to Emperor Akihito, noted that while ”[he himself] did not experience the war … it is important today, when memories of the war are fading, to look back humbly on the past and correctly pass on the tragic experiences and history Japan pursued from the generation which experienced the war to those without direct knowledge.” The statement, which will be scrutinized by political leaders in China and South Korea, was read by Japanese observers and netizens as a rebuke to calls by conservative Japanese politicians to present a sanitized and sympathetic version of Japan’s history to the public and in textbooks, sidelining wartime atrocities committed by Japan.
Debates over Japan’s wartime history have been a major feature of Japanese politics in recent years. The issue has intensified in importance since Shinzo Abe, a right-wing conservative, was elected prime minister in late 2012. Abe, who controversially visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, a site honoring Japan’s war dead (including several Class-A war criminals) in December 2013, has raised anxieties over historical issues in Northeast Asia. Chinese and South Korean leaders perceive a lack of repentance in Abe’s views of Japan’s history. Additionally, given changes in Japan’s defense posture since Abe’s return as prime minister, China fears resurgent Japanese militarism.
Read the full story at The Diplomat