email from Senaka Weeraratne
August 15 is commemorated as the War's end day in Japan, because it was on this day in 1945 that Japan agreed to surrender to the Allies after two Atomic Bombs were dropped by USA on Hiroshima ( August 06) and Nagasaki ( August 09) causing unimaginable suffering to innocent civilians and thereby committing by any definition crimes against humanity.
It is now 70
years to this day since Japan agreed to surrender on August 15, 1945 and the
world particularly the people in Asia have heard and read much mostly biased,
one sided and euro - centric propaganda accounts of the Japanese entry into the
war, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour on December 07, 1941, and Japanese conduct
(alleged mis-conduct) during the entirety of the war. In fact people in Asia
are now sick and tired of re- reading the same versions over and over again.
Is there an alternate point of view? Any lawyer or any
Policeman will tell you that there are always two different points of view to
any dispute. What is Japan's story? The truly authentic version and
explanation of Japan.
Are these accusations against
Japan valid? is there another version coming from the side of the defeated? Is
Japan the only guilty party at a time when rapacious colonialism was widespread
and entrenched throughout the globe keeping almost the entire non - european
members of the human race in bondage under abject colonial rule?
It is important to explore the
answers particularly by the people of Asia who were under western colonial rule
for centuries and in whose name and on whose behalf Japan fought against heavy
odds under the banner of ' Asia for Asians' for the liberation of Asia from
European colonial domination.
Japan's voice must be heard
even at this late stage. If Japan has to apologise so must almost every leading
Western nation for conquest and subjugation of non - european people in Asia,
Africa, Americas, Islamic countries among others. If Japan has to correct text
books to reveal the ' true' picture of Japanese conduct during the war so must
every other Western nation do likewise so that children of Europe in this
modern era are not kept in the dark about the conduct of their forbears during
the colonial period in third world countries.
Payment of Reparation cannot be
a ' one way street ' game. Germany and Japan have paid Reparations. Are the
other countries with far more torrid histories prepared to put their money
where their mouths are? Waxing eloquent on Human Rights, Rule of Law,
Democracy, Pluralism and the like is meaningless and unconvincing if the former
western colonial countries do not own up and discharge their obligations under
international law to apologise, atone and pay compensation to poor countries
which have not yet recovered economically and socio - politically from their
bout under colonial rule.
The Indian
Prime Minster Narendra Modi joined fellow Indian Shashi Tharoor in calling for
reparations. That call will fizzle out if there is no follow up action. They
will lose their credibility. Narendra Modi must not hesitate to boldly convene
an International Conference with the blessings of China ( the other great power
in Asia) of all de-colonized countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America to
discuss the issues of apology, atonement and reparations from the West. Such a
courageous step will place him in the ranks of another great Indian leader
namely Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose whose heroic efforts captured the imagination
and admiration of subject people of not only in India but around the world.
Will Narendra Modi accept such challenge and stamp his leadership in Asia?
The purpose of this
presentation is to listen to the voice of Japan - the spiritual message of
Prime Minister Hideki Tojo under whose watch as the Prime Minister of Japan (
1941 - 1945 ) the Imperial Japanese Army ended 150 years of European domination
of Asia in just three months.
See
The 100 Days That Ended the ‘White Man’s Burden’ in Asia
The 100 Days That Ended the ‘White Man’s Burden’ in Asia
By Franz-Stefan
Gady
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/the-100-days-that-ended-the-white-mans-burden-in-asia/
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/the-100-days-that-ended-the-white-mans-burden-in-asia/
Please visit
this web link
We,
particularly the people who are heirs to this unique and wonderful Asian
civilization, owe to our own conscience and sense of natural justice to listen
to both sides to this conflict even though it has now ended.
Japan suffered and paid a heavy
price for its Pan Asiatic dream. Other people in Asia suffered along with those
who had vested interests in Asia to defend.
Japan's
lasting legacy from its entry to this war is that people in Asia are now free
of colonial domination.
