CGTN Photo
Editor's note: Xu Chuanbo is a PhD candidate at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinion and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Eighty-one years ago, on December 13, the Japanese invaders occupied Nanjing and carried out the Nanjing Massacre, which went on for six weeks. However, 81 years later, Japan is still reluctant to own up to the mass murder it committed in Nanjing.
Many Japanese, on both civilian and government levels, still deny the Nanjing Massacre. In particular, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has always been pursuing "conservatism," has turned a deaf ear to the historical event.
The Japanese government's attitude towards the Nanjing Massacre has hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and hindered the normal development of China-Japan relations.
Today is a special day when we must understand that commemorating and remembering the historical tragedy of the Nanjing Massacre is of great significance to both China and Japan, and even to the world.
Japan needs to face up to history
Some Japanese think that the Nanjing Massacre was committed by people before them, and later generations do not have to bear the blame. They think that denying or erasing the history of the Nanjing Massacre helps maintain Japan's dignity, while acknowledging and apologizing for it is an action of "self-abuse."
However, it works the other way. It is Japan's deliberate denial of the historical crimes that has affected people's perceptions of the country in East Asia and the world. Only by admitting the crimes committed can they be accepted by East Asia and the world, thus truly safeguarding Japan's image.
Germany is a case in point. On December 7, 1970, the West German Chancellor Brandt knelt down in front of the Jewish Ghetto Memorial in Warsaw, apologizing for Germany's massacre of Poles during World War II.
At the same time, Germany also offered apologies and various forms of compensation to the countries and people who suffered German aggression and slaughter during World War II.
Today, when Japan peddles the idea of expanding its "international influence" and becoming a "political power" in the world, it should think about how to be accepted by East Asia before being accepted by the world.
Taking lessons from history
In fact, denying the Nanjing Massacre is one important part of the Japanese understanding of history. The important factor that led to this problem is the appeasement by the United States. After World War II, in order to curb the development of the socialist camp, the U.S. did not settle the score with Japanese militarism, resulting in many war criminals being exempted from prosecution and punishment and the militarist forces not being completely eradicated in Japan.
In the 21st century, the U.S. has also ignored Japan's right-wing forces and continued with supportive policies towards Japan in order to curb China's development.
In fact, the policy of "supporting Japan and suppressing China" adopted by the U.S. based on short-term interests is extremely short-sighted. In this respect, the experience and lessons from World War II can provide us with important references.
In the 1930s, in order to curb France's strength and maintain the balance of power in Europe, Britain turned a deaf ear to Nazi Germany's "rearmament" campaign and let it go ahead without taking effective containment measures.
In contrast, Britain asked France to downsize its army and limit its arms development. The policies adopted by Britain facilitated the recovery and improvement of Germany's strength, accelerated Germany's expansion, and finally led to the outbreak of World War II.
In this war, Britain suffered heavy casualties and lost its status as a world leading power. The fact is that Britain's foolish behavior finally backfired and it had to bear the consequences.
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it." The lesson of Britain is very telling. Therefore, the United States should draw lessons from history and not pursue short-term interests at the expense of long-term strategic planning.
'Europe-centric' thinking must go
Although 81 years have passed, the Nanjing Massacre is still not widely known in the world. When it comes to war massacres in World War II, most countries only know about Nazi Germany's massacre of Jews. However, countries outside East Asia do not know much about the Nanjing Massacre.
This phenomenon mirrors the prevalence of a "Europe-centric" thinking paradigm. When it comes to the beginning of World War II, the world generally took Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 as the official starting point.
And their understanding of World War II war is basically based on the war in Europe. They know very little about the war in Asia, especially in China. It can be said that to this day, the world still hasn't been able to get rid of the shackles of "Europe-centrism" when it comes to understanding the history of World War II.
In fact, China is the earliest country to join the war and fought for the longest time. And China is also one of the most important battlefields in World War II. China's sacrifice and contribution in World War II cannot be ignored. Therefore, only by breaking the "Europe-centric" thinking paradigm and learning the history of the Chinese battlefield in World War II can the world have a more holistic understanding of the World War II history.
The Nanjing Massacre is an important part of the history that happened in China during World War II. It is a microcosm of a great disaster and suffering endured by mankind at the time, which should be forever remembered.
