By David Volodzko
Previous apologies have made little difference in China-Japan relations.
At a press conference this past Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked whether Japan will “keep and carry the heavy burden of history,” voicing concerns over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s upcoming August 15 shusen kinenbi (End of War Memorial Day) speech. China wonders whether Abe will sufficiently apologize for Japanese wartime atrocities. However, it’s questionable whether this is what’s really best for China.
Let’s be clear: the Mukden and Lugouqiao (or Marco Polo Bridge) incidents, the genocide of over 23 million ethnic Chinese, including the Nanjing and Sook Ching massacres, the gruesome medical experiments of Unit 731, the extensive use of chemical weapons at the battles of Wuhan and Changde, the sexual enslavement of hundreds of thousands of women and the sanko sakusen (the “three alls policy,” i.e. kill all, burn all, loot all) defy comprehension and demand contrition.
Moreover, an apology is not simply consoling, but practical. As Jennifer Lind, assistant professor of Government at Dartmouth College, explains, “Historically, states that have sought to mobilize their populaces for war have crafted nationalist narratives of the past” whereas “a willingness to acknowledge past atrocities signals peaceful foreign policy intentions” and “shows a state’s commitment to human rights.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat