Japan Institute for National Fundamentals
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Speaking out

Tsutomu Nishioka

【#338】Chinese Museum’s Unpardonable Insult to Japan

Tsutomu Nishioka ／ 2015.11.27 (Fri)


November 24, 2015

　　　　　When I visited Beijing in mid-November, I took a tour of the Chinese People’s Anti-Japanese War Museum. There, I felt intolerable discomfort and anger at the Chinese communist government.
　　　　　The museum thoroughly refurbished exhibitions in July this year to mark the 70th anniversary of China’s “victory” in its war against Japan. I felt discomfort and anger when reaching a glass floor near the end of the tour. Below the glass floor were flags of the rising sun put together with guns and Japanese swords taken from Japanese soldiers. Trampling the floor was designed as a part of the tour. Written on the flags were personal names and messages including those for praying for a good fortune in battle. Japanese soldiers received these flags as gifts from their family members and neighbors before going to war.

Trampled rising sun flags
　　　　　The rising sun flags, which might have been taken from Japanese prisoners of war or the war dead, were crumpled and trampled. Unlike arms confiscated in disarmament, personal belongings of POWs must be returned to them under the law of war. Even if their owners are dead, none can be allowed to handle these belongings in a manner to disrespect the dead. Some former U.S. soldiers have made news by returning Japanese soldiers’ rising sun flags to the bereaved family in a manner to respect the soldiers’ brave fighting. But the Chinese Communist Party trampled and kicked the flags. This act represents an insult to Japan and its people, crossing a moral line.
　　　　　The Sankei Shimbun newspaper made a report on July 15 with a photo on the flags, saying, “Visitors were designed to walk on a glass floor below which Japanese national flags were put,” without mentioning what kind of national flags they were (http://www.sankei.com/world/news/150715/wor1507150035-n1.html). The spirits of the war dead are weeping. The Japanese government should make a protest against the exhibition and ask China to return the flags. The Japanese public and private sectors should be united to launch a campaign for restoring the rising sun flags.

An unreasonable corner on comfort women
　　　　　Another key point at the museum was a corner about Chinese comfort women. A photo there was that of a pregnant Korean comfort woman seen widely in South Korea while its caption described the photo as that of a Chinese comfort woman.
　　　　　A Japanese military document reported by The Asahi Shimbun newspaper in January 1992 was exhibited as evidence for Japan’s coercive recruitment of Chinese comfort women. As known well, however, this military document in fact called for enhancing control as Japanese panders were destroying the military’s credibility by recruiting Japanese women in a manner to kidnap them in Japan.
　　　　　The Chinese Communist Party is fueling anti-Japanese sentiment by showing Chinese people such exhibitions on a daily basis, attempting to justify its autocratic rule. We have a neighbor of that kind.

Tsutomu Nishioka is Planning Committee Member, Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, and Professor at Tokyo Christian University.