TOKYO, Nov. 20 — Kazu Teru Saionji, visiting professor of Higashi Nippon International University in Japan, described Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan as “extremely dangerous” and echoing militaristic rhetoric, warning Japan against the danger of repeating the mistakes of history.
Takaichi said on Nov. 7 during a Diet hearing that the Chinese mainland’s “use of force on Taiwan” could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait. “First and foremost, it must be clear that the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair that no other country is allowed to interfere,” Saionji pointed out.
He said the idea that the so-called Taiwan contingency would threaten “Japan’s survival” is logically untenable, adding the unfounded claim that “Japan will intervene militarily in the event of a crisis” is extremely provocative. “In fact, Takaichi’s statement itself is what is crucial to the survival of Japan, and her remarks are extremely dangerous,” Saionji said.
Noting that Taiwan and history are two very important questions of principle in Japan-China relations, Saionji said if the Japanese government and the main leaders of the ruling party fail to adopt a correct attitude on these matters, the bilateral relationship will be substantially damaged. “Not understanding history is a very terrifying thing, because it means being unable to draw lessons from history.
Whether one has understood history and faced it squarely is related to many things, and the Taiwan question is one of them,” Saionji emphasized.
In the history of Japanese militarism, the so-called “survival-threatening situation” has been repeatedly used as an excuse to launch aggressive wars, including deliberately initiating the September 18 Incident under the pretext of “exercising the right of self-defense” which provoked its war of aggression against China, bringing immense suffering and disaster to the people of Asia, including China, and to the world.
“Takaichi’s remarks sounded familiar,” said Saionji, adding that Japanese militarism’s invasion of northeast China and the establishment of the puppet “Manchukuo” regime brought profound suffering to both the Chinese and Japanese people.
“Does Takaichi intend to repeat the same mistakes?” Saionji believes that Takaichi’s remarks will hurt peace in Asia and global stability. “What is particularly noteworthy is that Japan has not fully reflected on and faced up to its history of aggression.
If Japan significantly boosts its military buildup and openly declares its intention to go to war on other countries’ territories, it will once again awaken the ‘nightmare of Japanese militarism’ in many countries, especially those in Asia, triggering concerns and vigilance among these countries,” the scholar said.
Saionji emphasized that if Japan does not deeply reflect on its history, it will inevitably head down a path of no return. “Today’s China is no longer the China of the past, and today’s Asia is also very different from what it was before,” he noted.(Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
