Japanese civil groups stand up to Tokyo

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT We should admire the reflection upon history by some Japanese civil groups. In late November, a documentary film festival on Nanjing Massacre was held in Osaka Prefectural Labor Center by Meishin Kai, a Japanese non-governmental organization (NGO). The festival was aimed at spreading the truth of Nanjing Massacre in December 1937 when the Japanese troops swept into the city. The three documentaries screened during the festival were Torn Memories of Nanjing and Taiping Gate, 1300 Lost Lives, both directed by Tamaki Matsuoka, chairman of Meishin Kai and a researcher on Nanjing Massacre, as well as Nanking, an adaptation of Iris Chang's book The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. A 96-year-old Japanese veteran, Shou Mitani, was also invited to the event to recount the history. The campaign is not the first commemorative activity organized by Meishin Kai. As early as in April, 2012, the NGO organized a trip to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, China. Since 1988, Matsuoka has travelled to Nanjing over 80 times at her own expenses and visited more than 300 survivals of the massacres. Meanwhile, Matsuoka has interviewed nearly 250 Japanese veterans who took part in the war of aggression against China. She has devoted more than 20 years of efforts into the Torn Memories of Nanjing and Taiping Gate, 1300 Lost Lives. These two detailed and informative documentaries not only reveal the truth of history, but also strike a heavy blow to the absurd comments by the right-wing Japanese politicians on the Nanjing Massacre. Matsuoka's efforts in spreading the truth of history deserve respect. This is also why she is a thorn in right-wingers' eyes and even criticized as an "anti-Japan activist." It is worth noting that the Japanese media didn't cover the festival much. Although it has been almost two months since Tokyo attacked the addition of Nanjing Massacre historical documents to the Memory of the World Register, judging from the scarce media coverage on commemorative activities held by civil groups, the whole Japanese society is still quite cautious in talking about history. In this situation, the courage and perseverance of these far-sighted Japanese civil groups deserve admiration. Besides the documentary film festival on Nanjing Massacre, a rally was also held in Tokyo in November by another non-governmental group, the Asia and Japan Solidarity Committee. It called for the government to face up history. Besides Japanese scholars, relatives of Chinese and South Korean war victims were also invited to the rally. Yet, the Japanese government refused to issue visas to 12 relatives of Chinese war victims. Furthermore, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to give any reason for the visa refusal. This has astonished the public. It is reported by the Asahi Shimbun that these Chinese visitors had Japanese sureties and invitations. They have strictly followed the application procedure as well. There is no flaw in their application. In addition, it is not the first time they have joined such a rally. Thus, Tokyo's refusing to grant visas during the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII makes people worried about the future of the nation's hard-won democracy and freedom in the postwar era. The visa refusal against the 12 relatives of the Chinese victims also makes people suspicious of Japan's sincerity in mending fences with China and South Korea. The Japanese government's view on history is the key to the improvement of Beijing-Tokyo and Seoul-Tokyo relationship. The rally in Tokyo appealed to the public to face up history and jointly build enduring peace. Yet, it is regrettable that the 12 relatives were refused by Japan for no reason. This will not only impede the nation's efforts in rebuilding friendly relations with Beijing and Seoul, but also shows ignorance of the long-term efforts by domestic civil groups in enhancing Tokyo's ties with neighboring countries.