The Resurgent Problem of Japanese Nationalism

A few weeks back, I wrote an article talking about Japan’s attempts to secure more power within the region of Asia so that they can challenge the impending hegemony of their neighbor China.  Today, I will discuss one of the major problems that the country is having in achieving that goal.  A long-standing problem with the Japanese government has been their unwillingness to take public responsibility for the atrocities that they committed in World War II, particular with regards to China and South Korea.  Though progress has been made over the years, it only takes a small group of people to undo everything that has been done.  And Japan has done more damage to their regional relations in the last few months than they have in the last ten years.

The main issues at hand are the committing of war crimes during the last World War, specifically the use of “comfort women”.  Though crimes always occur during times of war, sometimes what takes place crosses the boundaries of what is considered internationally acceptable.  This Japanese policy of forcibly inducting women into prostitution is considered one of those horrific acts.

Mainly occurring in China and South Korea, an estimated 200,000 women were taken to ‘comfort houses” where they were forced to sexually service Japanese soldiers.  This has created a backlash from these two countries that has deeply affected diplomatic relations for the last seventy-five years.  And now, even other countries that previously did not protest as loudly, such as the Philippines, are beginning to make their voices heard.

There was an official apology issued several years ago, in 1993, which helped to alleviate the tension to some degree.  But now, other politicians are saying things that are bringing that long-awaited conclusion into question.  The main issue is the current Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.  He has been working against the former apology, saying that he wishes to make changes to it in order to reflect what he feels is a more valid statement.  This, of course, involves making it less committed and reducing the perception of Japanese fault.  His argument is that there are no “official” documents referencing such acts and therefore the Japanese government should not acknowledge them in quite the same way.

This revision to the apologies is further complicated by the fact that Abe is looking to make alterations to Japan’s constitution.  He wishes to steer away from the pacifist leanings that it now has in order to allow the country to build up a military once more.  The idea of Japanese nationalism making a resurgence has, understandably, caused a bit of worry within South Korea and China.

Additionally, other short-sighted politicians have been causing even more complications with the apology issue.  One particular idiot member of government made a statement expressing his opinion that sex slaves were necessary to help Japanese soldiers cope with the war.  This statement, made less than two months ago, caused a resurgence in the uproar regarding Japanese sincerity in their apology over the “comfort women” war crimes.  And despite international outcry over the man’s statements, so far nothing has been done to remove him from office or punish him.

This lack of being able to see the big picture and comply with the wishes of an international community will have serious consequences if Japan doesn’t look to change their game.  If they isolate either South Korea, they will harm their chances of being able to gain enough power in East Asia to compete with China.  If they isolate China, they can potentially damage their trade ties.  Overall, actions taken to try to remove Japanese guilt for their crimes will make them look bad in international eyes and hurt their standing with other Asian neighbors.  If people see Japan as returning to a more nationalistic state, they will be less inclined to support them in military endeavors, a crucial element in challenging China.

Some may question the validity of making an apology for a crime committed by people who are all likely dead during a year that is nearly a century passed.  It may at first seem like an act of vanity to appease people, but in truth the apology is less about taking responsibility for the actions of Japan and more about acknowledging those actions are part of their history.  If they rise to the challenge, Japan can sacrifice some of their nationalistic pride and make themselves that much greater in the eyes of the international community.  If they cannot rise to the challenge, the likelihood of the country being able to lead Asia into the future will be greatly harmed and all of Shinzo Abe’s plans for Japanese hegemony will be lost.

Shinzo Abe courtesy of TTTNIS via Wikicommons

Comfort Women courtesy of Jjok via Wikicommons