By Rev Daniel Rea
The ambassadors of China and Korea to Japan filed complaints with the Foreign Ministry of Japan today. The complaints related to the celebration of April 29 as Showa Day.
The Chinese ambassador commented, "This holiday is no more than Japanese nationalism to celebrate the horrors that Hirohito brought upon Asia. Japan can lie all it wishes about April 29 being a day of reflection, but for those of us who were brutalized by Japan under the guidance of their Emperor Showa, we see today as a day that Japan needs to reflect deeply and be honest about their human rights abuses."
The Korean ambassador commented, "We in Korea feel deeply saddened that Japan continues to deny the truth and refuses to make proper amends for the past. To celebrate what Hirohito did to rape, murder, and brutalize Asia during World War II is just cruel. We hope Japan will stop celebrating its past and come to the rest of Asia with a spirit of reconciliation."
Officials at the Foreign Ministry received the complaints and commented, "We think there is misunderstanding about what today is. It is unfortunate that our neighbors are driven by grudges and will not come the table of negotiation without seeking to further remind Japan of a past that has been apologized for numerous times. It is time for all parties to move on for the sake of Asian diplomacy."
Before 2009, April 29 was celebrated as Green Day, but nationalists in the Japanese Diet proposed legislation in 2005 that would mark April 29 as Showa Day, the birthday of late Emperor Hirohito whose reign was known in Japan as the Showa Era. On April 29, 2009 the first Showa Day was celebrated and since every April 29, Chinese and Korean diplomats have filed complaints with the Foreign Ministry of Japan.
The Korean ambassador commented before leaving the Foreign Ministry, "The past year Shintaro Ishihara has called naturalized citizens of Japan fake Japanese. Osaka Mayor Hashimoto has called on Osaka to stop catering to foreigners and put Japanese first. Japanese Diet member Nobuyuki Suzuki vandalized monuments in Korea dedicated to sex slaves. These actions are the result of glorifying one of the worst war criminals in history, Hirohito."
Today, four members of the LDP paid public visits to Yasukuni Shrine and left messages conveying their hope of a "return to tradition that honors the Showa reign and past warriors alike".
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