Japanese media should value truth in war history reports

Truthfulness and objectivity are basic journalistic ethics that we suppose Japanese editors and journalists are familiar with. However, these codes have been ignored in Japanese reports on the history of the Second World War.

Japan's role as invader during the war is evident, as is the fact that Japanese forces brutally massacred over 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers after capturing China's then-capital of Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937.

Media reports have a much bigger influence on public opinion than individual views expressed at home. Therefore, the media should try their best to avoid biased stories and carry editorials based on accurate details in order not to mislead the public.

Unfortunately, certain Japanese publications have failed to do both.

On Feb. 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the international community to take history as a mirror and draw lessons to chart the course of the future while presiding over an open debate at the United Nations Security Council.

The debate bore the theme "Maintaining International Peace and Security: Reaffirm the Strong Commitment to the Purposes of the Charter of the United Nations."

It was reasonable to remind the audience not to forget history during the debate since the international community's victory over fascism is directly related to the founding of the UN.

However, in an editorial on Feb. 25 titled "China's anti-Japan propaganda distorts postwar history ahead of anniversary," the Yomiuri Shimbun said China intended to demean Japan and accused China of causing regional instability.

Wang's speech was misinterpreted by other Japanese media as well.

No one but the Japanese press has been distorting postwar history, and it has particularly focused on denying the Nanjing Massacre.

The Sankei Shimbun, a rightist Japanese daily, recently released a four-day series of articles denying that the horrendous Nanjing Massacre happened.

According to the headline, Nanjing was "(a)n empty city with no army or residents," and a heading proclaimed, "No people, no massacre." The paper even said the captured city was "so peaceful," quoting Japanese veterans who claimed to be in the Chinese capital after its fall in 1937.

The newspaper also smeared a national memorial service website for the massacre victims launched by the Chinese government and history books for "brainwashing the youth."

Even if lies and deceit are tolerable to certain Japanese politicians, they must be absolutely unacceptable for the media, which should value truth as much as life.

Obviously, certain Japanese media, such as the Sankei Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun, don't care much about the truth. They ignored different voices both within and outside Japan, forgot to double-check the facts and did nothing to avoid a biased report.

The influence of right-wing politicians and activists has spread through the media, amplifying their voices like a loudspeaker.

The subversion of indisputable historical facts has stripped the dignity of the victims massacred in Nanjing and deeply hurt the survivors.

It has also destroyed the reputation of the newspapers, though they may not value it.