Has Japan ever genuinely reflected on its historical crimes and drawn lessons from history?
TOKYO, March 28 (Xinhua) — On Tuesday, Kodai Murata, a 23-year-old second lieutenant in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force, forcibly broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo and threatened to kill diplomatic personnel, an act that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian described as a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and a grave threat to the safety and security of Chinese diplomatic personnel and facilities.
The incident once again highlights the danger of the rampant spread of far-right impact and neo-militarism in Japan, the spokesperson said, adding that it reveals the toxicity of the Japanese government’s erroneous policies on vital issues concerning China-Japan relations such as history and Taiwan, and Japan’s failure in maintaining discipline in the SDF and in fulfilling its responsibility to protect the Chinese diplomatic and consular premises and personnel.
Given the egregious nature of this incident, the Japanese government owes the public answers to a number of pressing questions.
First, as an active-duty Self-Defense Forces (SDF) officer stationed at Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, how was Murata able to go absent without leave and travel over a thousand kilometers from his base to carry out the hostile provocation at the Chinese embassy? Was this a “lone wolf” act or something more organized?
Second, according to Japanese media reports, Murata recently graduated from a school that trains officer candidates for the SDF.
Media reports have previously revealed that in recent years, the “Yasukuni historical perspective,” which glorifies and distorts Japan’s history of aggression, has seriously infiltrated the SDF. Far-right, anti-China figures frequently show up in SDF units and related training institutions, indoctrinating the so-called “Greater East Asia War” narrative and the “China threat” theory. At the National Defense Academy of Japan, a key source of SDF officers, cadets reportedly maintain the “tradition” of collectively marching over 100 kilometers each year to visit the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine.
Did Murata’s actions stem from the distorted education and far-right ideology fostered within the SDF?
Third, this isn’t the first instance of Japanese military personnel “going rogue.” From the Huanggutun Incident in 1928 to the Sept. 18 Incident in 1931, and then to the Lugou Bridge Incident in July 1937, each one was actively plotted and deliberately escalated by the Japanese invaders in China.
Has Japan ever genuinely reflected on its historical crimes and drawn lessons from history? Has the Japanese government failed in its oversight and discipline of SDF personnel, and has civilian control over the SDF broken down altogether?
Fourth, following the incident, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the SDF, and other relevant authorities have offered no apology or commitment to accountability, merely expressing the action as “regrettable.” Is this the conduct of a responsible government?
Fifth, at a time when “neo-militarism” is gaining dangerous momentum in Japan, the Japanese authorities are deliberately pressing ahead with a military buildup, attempting to break through the principle of “exclusively defense-oriented policy,” and even scheming to revise the constitution to formally legitimize the SDF.
At the same time, they continue to stoke hostility toward neighboring countries, drumming up the narrative that “a Taiwan contingency would constitute a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan,” and turn a blind eye to the spread of xenophobia and populism in public discourse.
This series of actions once again raises a warning for the world: Where exactly is the Japanese government taking its country, and what is the true purpose behind its relentless military buildup?
Sixth, in the face of this incident, the Japanese government has turned a deaf ear and played dumb, while Japanese media outlets have tried hard to downplay it — a stark contrast to their habitual conduct in stirring up anti-China sentiment. Are the Japanese authorities attempting to brush this under the rug?
The Japanese side must conduct a thorough investigation, severely punish those involved, and provide a responsible explanation to China, to the Japanese public, and to the international community.
Japan should also reflect on and correct its erroneous policies toward China to prevent such incidents from recurring at their root. ■
