Chinese ambassador to Fiji criticizes Abe's Shrine visit

Chinese ambassador to Fiji Huang Yong on Friday published a commentary in the Fiji Times and several other local media, criticizing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe' s visit to the World War II criminal-honoring Yasukuni Shrine and refuting the Japanese ambassador's argument to defend and justify Abe's visit.

Eiichi Oshima, Japan's ambassador to Fiji, wrote an article entitled "Need for dialogue between leaders" in the Fiji Times on Jan. 31 -- the first day of Lunar New Year when Chinese across the globe were celebrating the Spring Festival -- to justify Abe's Yasukuni Shrine visit, questioning China's defense expenditure growth in recent years.

In response, Chinese ambassador Huang Yong published his commentary. The article said the history of Japan in the past century was "a brutal history of aggression and colonialism".

"Japan annexed the Korean peninsula in 1910, occupied China's Northeast in 1931, and launched the total war of aggression against China in 1937, it then started the Pacific War in 1941. These wars caused huge casualties and property losses to the victimized countries. Japan's war of aggression against China caused more than 35 million military and civilian casualties, with economic losses amounted to more than 600 billion U.S. dollars," Huang said in the article.

"Moreover, Japan forcibly recruited a huge number of 'comfort women' and committed ruthless atrocities such as 'Nanjing Massacre ' and 'Manila Massacre' during the wars."

Given all these historical facts, the article said, the Japanese government's recognition of and attitude towards the past wars directly affect the feelings of the people of the victimized countries.

"Only when Japan faces up to history, can it open up the future. It is the expectation of the victimized countries that Japan should admit its guilt and repent sincerely," the article said.

"However, the attitude of Abe's government towards history not only contrasts sharply to that of Germany, but also runs counter to the will of the Asian people...Distorting and beautifying Japan 's history of aggression, Abe's tribute to the war criminals, whose hands were stained with the blood of the victimized people, posed not only disrespect and blasphemy to the war victims, but has also inflicted new great harm on the people of the victimised countries."

"It is obvious to see from the series of related actions that the essence behind Abe's homage is his attempt to shake off Japan' s historical burden, and to create conditions for revising the Peace Constitution and expanding its armaments," the article said.

"Abe persisted in overturning Japan's history of aggression on the one hand, while emptily talked about 'pledge for everlasting peace' on the other hand. How can he convince the international community with his so-called 'commitment to peace'," inquires the article.

Responding to the Japanese ambassador's "dialogue" appeal, Huang said "It is Abe himself who has shut the door to China-Japan high-level dialogue."

"Before Abe's homage to the Yasukuni Shrine, there was no obstacle in the contacts between the Chinese and the Japanese leaders," the article said.

"In fact, it was Abe's blatant homage that openly went against the principles and spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, seriously undermined the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations and poisoned the atmosphere of Sino- Japanese relations," it said.

On the defense expenditure issue, the article pointed out that "Japan's per capita military spending is five times of that of China."

"The Chinese people love peace, and China is committed to peaceful rise...China is a huge country with 1.3 billion people, 22,000 km land border lines and 32,000 km coastline, therefore China's defense task is a heavy one," said the article.

"Abe's double face cannot deceive the world," it said.

On Jan. 16, Huang published another commentary article on the Fijisun newspaper and several other local media, criticizing Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and his plan to visit the former battlefields in several South Pacific island countries to pay respect to the "souls" of the Japanese soldiers who died in the Pacific War.