日本首先应自我反省

Japan must face up to its past before lecturing China on ‘bullying’ 日本首先应自我反省 From Dr Edward Vickers. FT November 14, 2012 译者/邹策 Sir, While I share Keiichi Hayashi’s hope that China will “calm down” and “stop bullying” (Comment, November 14), I fear his article is unlikely to contribute to this outcome. On the contrary, the state of official denial within Japan that his opinions reflect is crucial to understanding the cancerous condition of Sino-Japanese relations – of which the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute is just one symptom, not the main cause. Ambassador Hayashi claims that Japan has renounced militarism, has squarely faced its past and has made formal apologies to the countries concerned. However, the state of public debate within Japan entitles those countries to question whether the wartime past really has been confronted. It is outrage at continuing Japanese denial of that past that fuels popular anti-Japanese sentiment in China. For example, Shintaro Ishihara, who sparked the current crisis over the islands, routinely denies Japan’s wartime atrocities such as the corralling of thousands of “comfort women” into military brothels. However, the mainstream media treats rightwing populists such as Mr Ishihara and Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka, with respectful deference. Far from being pilloried as apologists for fascism, they are treated as if they express a legitimate point of view. The vision of the national past routinely presented in schoolbooks and the wider media emphasises Japan’s status as a victim of war, not a perpetrator. Last December, on the 70th anniversary of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, NHK (Japan’s equivalent of the BBC) screened a prime time drama celebrating the stoicism of captive Japanese soldiers in an American prisoner of war camp. Equivalent commemoration of those captured by the Japanese army is notable by its absence. I am currently organising an academic symposium on “East Asian images of Japan”, to be held in Fukuoka next September. I had considered holding it in a hotel, but was advised against this due to the “sensitive” nature of the topic. The explanation? Hotels and other businesses in Japan that associate themselves with activities involving criticism of the country’s wartime past fear harassment by rightwing thugs. The tolerance that such shadowy groups enjoy hardly suggests official determination to “squarely face” the past. Before lecturing China on its “bullying”, Japan needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Edward Vickers, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan 尽管我与日本驻英大使林景一一样，希望中国“安静”和“停止恐吓”，但我想他这篇文章恐怕不太可能起到这样的作用。相反，他的观点反映出日本国内官方对历史抱着否认的态度，这种情况对理解逐步恶化的中日关系非常关键——钓鱼岛/尖阁列岛争端只是一种症状，而非主因。 林景一宣称，日本放弃军国主义立场，直面过去的历史，并向相关国家进行了正式道歉。然而，鉴于日本国内公共辩论的状况，相关国家有权质问日本是否真的在直面战时的历史。正是对日本持续否认那段历史感到愤怒，才引发了中国普遍的反日情绪。 例如，引发当前钓鱼岛危机的石原慎太郎始终否认日本在战争中的暴行，比如强迫数千名“慰安妇”当军妓。然而，主流媒体在提到石原慎太郎和大阪市长桥下彻等右翼民粹主义者时却流露出敬意。媒体的态度似乎是认可这些人所说的是合理的观点，而没有指责他们是法西斯主义的辩护者。 日本教科书描述了这种对国家历史的看法，而更广泛的媒体则强调日本是战争的受害者，而非作恶者。去年12月，在纪念1941年珍珠港事件70周年活动中，NHK（相当于英国的BBC）在黄金时段播出了一部片子，颂扬日本战俘在美国战俘营中的坚韧表现。那些被日本军队俘虏的士兵显然没有受到同样的纪念。 目前我正在筹办一场主题为“日本在东亚的形象”的学术研讨会，将于明年9月在福冈举行。我曾考虑在一家酒店举办，但后来有人建议我不要这么做，因为这种话题本身很“敏感”。原因何在？日本酒店和其他企业担心，如果自己牵涉进批评本国战时历史的活动中，就会遭到右翼暴徒的骚扰。日本政府对此类阴暗团体的容忍很难表明官方是决心“直面”历史的。 在指责中国“恐吓”之前，日本首先需要进行长久、艰难的反思。 爱德华•维克斯，九州大学，日本福冈 PAGE 1