It is 75 years since the day, August 15, 1945, when the most vicious act came to an end. Unfortunately, the Japanese government still maintains to call it ‘the anniversary of the end of war’, instead of ‘the day of defeat’. The state power of the country has never expressed remorse to consequences of the war. The same stance is reflected today in the series of political steps taken to tackle the pandemic – that is, human lives are a secondary matter.

LET’S PUT AN END TO POLITICS THAT IGNORES HUMAN LIVES!

The government even hates Statue of Peace

The authorities of the Imperial Japan used a term ‘battles at other fields’ instead of ‘retreats’. They ordered people to fight against bombings by B29s by using buckets of water to put fires out in a relay. Only the Imperial Japan led by the Emperor could imagine that a mental power would overcome the overwhelming disparity in material terms found between the United States and Japan.

Even Germany led by Adolf Hitler draw back troops ‘reasonably’ in the warfronts, though they were inflicted with heavy losses in the reckless adventure to defeat the Soviet Union. Germans were merciless in killing Jews, but they did not expose their people to the enemies like the Imperial Japan, which sacrificed as many as 150 thousand residents of Okinawa, using them as de facto shields.

Hitler committed a suicide, while Emperor Hirohito (Showa) was made to be a symbol of Japanese people. Germany was divided and suffered tragedies against their will, but she has made the earnest efforts to seek for war criminals, searching them to the last corner of the world. Meanwhile Japan, not only evaded a split of the country, but also made huge money from the division of Koreas and the Korean War. The island country obtained funds for its economic growth. Even today, Japan keeps a hostile stance towards both Koreas of the peninsula and never tries to make an apology.

In Germany to show the swastika is illegal, while in Japan the banner of Imperial Japan, the Hinomaru, is lawful. When school teachers protest over hoisting, they are punished. Premiers of Germany knelt down in Auschwitz, while Japanese premiers even hate a Statue of Peace (literally a Statue of Girl). Has Japan reviewed the war crimes for the past 75 years? Has it made a progress? Today Prime Minister Abe Shinzo wants to amend the Constitution to return to the imperial rank.

Aspirations to change society

Nobody can put a lid on democracy. It tries to open a way out to survive by any means. Without these attempts the Japanese society will collapse. The epidemic has disclosed illicitness of the Abe government.

Here in Japan people are attacked and imposed on self-responsibility, when they protect human lives. Meanwhile, tax money is being spent to help big businesses and prepare for the Olympics as well as to boost military build-up. The government weighs people’s lives and economy in the balance. People get angry, simmering uncertainties. People are aspired to make radical changes to beat the neo-liberal policies.

People, however, are not ready to stage political resistance. Rightist populism takes advantage of this immaturity. The Abe government, though it shows signs of its terminal, stirs up chauvinism against both Koreas, provokes China and shows off ‘capabilities to attack enemy bases’.

Realities of globalization, however, have been exposed by the pandemic, which will tell Japanese political leaders that their delusion will not work in the rest of the world. People in Europe commit in social movements to criticize policies to cope with the plague on the basis of repulsion to bailout of banks and financial institutions during the Lehman Shock. In the United States people get out to the street to turn down the Trump administration.

Let’s wage our struggles in Japan courageously.

August 4, 2020