Japan should respect victims of wartime aggression: China

@OssanAmerica: You have a point, but you should also understand that fighting in-family is different than fighting between families. Of course, the Chinese are going to be more vehemently protesting Japanese violence towards Chinese than their own violence towards themselves.

Japan itself suffered at the end of WWII and in the years after it.

Would both China and Kore have been appeased if they had taken part in the demise of the Japanese empire?

However, both countries have been using their anti-Japan stance as leverage in their internal politics and their relations with Japan for a long time. As these "games" have turned profitable at many levels for both countries' governments, there is no need for them to give up nagging at their neighbour, no matter how many times Japan appologizes or pays for the past.

sfjp330Aug. 17, 2012 - 07:05AM JST

China never invaded Japan 70 years ago. It doesn't excuse Japan for it's behavior today for killing 6 million innocent >civilians from neighboring countries.

You're right it doesn't excuse Japan. And they have both suffered and paid for it already. Japan's pre 1945 actions do not excuse China's bewhavior today towards it;s Asian neighbors.

OssanAmerica Aug. 17, 2012 - 06:37AM JST. I'm not saying China is just as bad. I'm saying China is worse because they are victimizing people right now. What happened 70 years ago is history. It doesn't excuse China for it's behavior today.

China never invaded Japan 70 years ago. It doesn't excuse Japan for it's behavior today for killing 6 million innocent civilians from neighboring countries.

Sir_EdgarAug. 16, 2012 - 10:07PM JST Basically some of you are saying, "You're just as bad, China! So shut up!" In other words until China changes its >government, it has no rights as a victim?

I'm not saying China is just as bad. I'm saying China is worse because they are victimizing people right now. What happened 70 years ago is history. It doesn't excuse China for it's behavior today.

Why can't Japan respect their victims of wartime aggression. It's so easy. China and South Korea just wanted public apology and a little compensation for the comfort women Japan used during those years. Respect and publicly apologize and peace will prevail among them.

Sir_Edgar - not at all. I think given China's position that Japan's past wrongs disqualify it from having victim rights about WWII clearly continued 67 years after the end of that government, China will continue having no rights as a victim if it changes its government either.

Fair's fair.

@Thunderbird: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana

Basically some of you are saying, "You're just as bad, China! So shut up!" In other words until China changes its government, it has no rights as a victim?

The Chinese foreign ministry guy has some gall to say this considering the genocide and religious persecution that his country started in 1950 and is continuing to present day in Tibet.

Japan did some atrocious things prior to and during WWII.

But, as several people have pointed out, that was 70 years ago.

China is doing it RIGHT NOW IN TIBET.

And why are they so interested in this small, isolated country?

There are HUGE gold deposits there.

Again, it all comes down to greed.

China should look into the history of the past and learn from it. Or do they want China's history be repeated again? this time for worse though.

Who the hell gave China to talk like that? Besides, all this time, it's the China not being respectful TO ALL ITS NEIGHBORS. Any news site I go, there is always "Chinese breaking into some country's sovereign waters. I hope Japan build its military soon and conquer China again, for sure, Japan wont go alone this time.

This is the result of three years of diplomacy Minshuto. Good job!

Bored.

Japan is jealous China, Japan cant substained her woes , Japan couldnt believes she lost her status of being the world No.2 economy has lost to China! This is why japan is heading to nationalisms and rightist dominations! Japan never paid a little respects to neighbouring countries suffering, she just pretending herself innocences and victimhood! Wherever there is a ceremony to memorize that deceased World War two generation, where ever is a struggle has to go!

@thunderbird2: Do you know Tokyo mayor Ishaihara Shintaro is still alive and he was the one that kicks off the Diayoutai islands disputes and of course thanks to America's Heritage foundation gave him the support! The one who is waging a political war is him! he must has been cheering 'Mansei' when he was eight years old, the year was 1937 after Japan's attacked China after their fabrication of Marco Polo bridge incident! Sure everyone wants to 'get over it' but NO way! Where ever there is such a provocation, where ever there is the 'frontline'!

It was 67 years ago... will these countries just let it go for God's sake. What do they want? Most Japanese alive today never fought in the war, or were even born in wartime. Do they want them to apologise for their parents and grandparents?

It's over, done... history. Just drop it, China and South Korea.

I can see japan keep digging its tomb. Russia Defence Ministry said today that its war ships will be deployed to hokkaido from aug 25th to sep 17th. i wonder how japanese government react to this.

It's hard to believe Chinese government has the nerve to talk about Japan when they are the one who have been committing the war crimes over the last several decades. I don't think Japan has killed anyone for a long time.

China is bang on in this article, and while it itself has a lot of soul searching and 'mirror looking' to do, it is correct about what Japan needs to do.

The problem with your statement is that Japanese military (SDF) has not killed a single foreign civilian in 67 years and counting. As for China..... you get the picture.

Ouch, this and the matters in Korea really have the apologists up in arms. China is bang on in this article, and while it itself has a lot of soul searching and 'mirror looking' to do, it is correct about what Japan needs to do.

Actually, anti-Japanese rhetoric from China seems to be softening recently. This was pretty tame, not blatantly accusatory, and it dealt with vague notions of self reflection, holding hands, and promise keeping.

My theory about this is as China keeps prospering, it's expanding cosmopolitan intelligentsia is embarrassed by the fact that the world accurately views never-ending Japan bashing as an expression of an inferiority complex toward Japanese refinement and success.

China does not want to continue being viewed as the jealous homely sister whose only means of consoling her inferiority complex is to criticize her beautiful sister, Japan. I am not saying China is the homely sister, but never-ending Japan bashing makes China appear to be one. China is figuring this out, and is gradually softening her rhetoric.

SunnysideUpAug. 16, 2012 - 10:41AM JST Well, China isn't exactly a model world citizen. Far from it. It is the head Axis of Evil nation. It however has a legitimate >beef with Japan regarding this issue.

Why do you think it;s legitimate when China settled all WWII issues with the 1972 treaty and even reaffirmed it in 1978?

Well, China isn't exactly a model world citizen. Far from it. It is the head Axis of Evil nation. It however has a legitimate beef with Japan regarding this issue.

On the topic of China, I don't think they should be throwing stones at Japan from their glass house. Human rights violations continue to be a problem. China has to get their own house in order before telling others what to do.

Ahem...

China does not even respect it's own people, yet it has the gall to try and tell others how they should treat people... Something wrong here....

While I'm sick and tired of all of this bs and wish the countries could just move on, China is the last one to be stepping up and making requests when it is still violating human rights on a daily basis.

China needs to look at itself first before opening its mouth and pointing the finger. Of course S. Korea too but in this case China needs to replace ALL it's governing heads and start all over. If we look at how they treat their neighbors, their people, their enemies and anyone who wants to think out of their box, THEY are the ones making things impossible to move forward in these difficult times. Their bubble is almost at its end.... their good fortune is forecasted and cursed to end within the next 10 years.

Hey gogogo, INDEED!

Can we please move on from this, everyone is sorry for war, no one wants it.... lets all move forward instead of kicking up old stuff that doesn't help anyone.

China has very little MORAL stance, not only are they screwing their minorities, like Muslims, Tibetans, Christians etc..but they are are also ENSLAVING their majority of Han Chinese by making them work, well like SLAVES, while only a few become filthy rich, kind of like the USA but with out any unions etc...

This is typical propaganda from the two faced, murderous, corrupt, immoral, lying Chinese Government. While they're asking Japan to respect war victims, they continue to murder & torture 100,000's of Tibetans, rape the countries resources and try to wipe out the culture. Shame on you China!! You disgust me!

China on Wednesday said Japan should respect victims of its imperial aggression

Hahaha! Coming from China, that's funny! What about Tibet? The Uyghur people?

China needs to respect the sovereign rights of it;s Asian neighborts. Today, right now in 2012.

Commies complaining about the smote in someone elses eye.

Mirror. China. Those words don't quite mix do they?

The tricky expression here is "in the right way." That "right way" will change depending on the needs of the Chinese leadership, so practically speaking Japan has no chance to satisfy China. The CCP needs an external "enemy" so that everything they do will be shown as the "defense of the motherland." With the moving target Japan will never have a chance to do it "the right way", so they'll be always an "enemy of the Chinese people." How convenient.

How will Japan respond, I wonder.

Internal matter. Freedom of religion which is guaranteed by all. I doubt china understands this basic democratic principles.

“whether Japan can really look in the mirror of history, heeding its lessons, holding hands with Asian people to face the future,” this sentence says it all. How will Japan respond, I wonder.