Asia-Wide Campaign against U.S.-Japanese domination and aggression of Asia

AWC-Japan

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[Statement]

1. The statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe released on August 14, 2015, is too deceptive. It distorts historical fact, instead of squarely face it. We can never accept it. AWC-Japan vehemently condemn this Abe's statement.

2. In this statement, Prime Minister Abe did not describe the past war that Japanese imperialism had carried out on the Asia-pacific region as ‘war of aggression’ eventually. During a press conference after release of the statement, PM Abe said, ‘I'd like to leave up to historians to discuss what constitutes aggression’. It is just unforgivable reckless remarks.

3. Due to his such attitude, it is very vague that about what kind of acts and to whom he express ‘remorse’ or ‘apology’ in the statement. PM Abe just introduced the ‘position articulated by the previous cabinets’, and avoided to express the ‘remorse’ or ‘apology’ in his own words. In conclusion, PM Abe has no intention to reflect and apology about war of aggression and colonization that Japanese imperialism had carried out in the past.

4. The Abe statement describe the sufferings of Japanese personal during the World War II with many words. However, it doses almost never refer to tremendous sacrifices of people in the Asia-Pacific region concretely . The statement dose not mention about Japan's colonial rule on Taiwan and Korean peninsula at all. Moreover, it glorify the Japan-Russia War, saying it ‘gave encouragement to many people under colonial rule from Asia to Africa.’ But in reality, it was a inter-imperialist war over control of Korean Peninsula and Northeast China and those areas became main battlefields of the war. The statement extremely distorts the historical fact.

5. Prime Minister Abe only mention about ‘the United States, Australia, and European nations, which Japan had fiercely fought against as enemies.’ However, Those who fight against Japanese imperialism during the period of the World War II were not just people of those countries. The unyielding people's resistance in different areas of the Asia Pacific region was main factor that caused Japanese imperialism to be defeated in war. PM Abe can not face up to the historical fact.

6. In addition, Prime Minister Abe says, ‘there were women behind the battlefields whose honour and dignity were severely injured’ or ‘the dignity and honour of many women were severely injured during wars’. Who injured their honour and dignity? The direct involvement of Japanese army with the so-callled ‘comfort women’ system is a clear fact, even though PM Abe is eager to deny it. What should the Abe administration do is to express official apology as Japanese government with clear words and implement state compensation to victims of Japanese military sexual slavery system and all other victims of war of aggression and colonization that Japanese imperialism had carried out, instead of obscuring of state responsibility by general words.

7. The Abe Statement also say that Japan ‘hoist the flag of “Proactive Contribution to Peace,” and contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world more than ever before. As is well known, the Abe administration is pushing through the new security bills with the excuse of the “Proactive Contribution to Peace” just now. The bills are enable Japanese Self Defense Forces (Japanese army ) to carry out war of aggression and military intervention on the Asia Pacific region and the rest of the world under the pretext of exercising of the Collective Defense Right. Through putting in the words on nearly last sentence of the statement, Prime Minister Abe expresses his no intention of reflection over Japan's history of aggression, and reveals his ambition for building-up of Japan as a ‘War State’.

8. Again, we AWC-Japan condemn the Prime Minister Abe's statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. We also vehemently denounce cabinet members and lawmakers’ visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and Abe's ritual offering to it on August 15, 2015. Through their own behavior, they reveal their real intention and ambition again. We never accept their maneuvers toward building-up of Japan as a ‘War State’. We will fight with all our might for scraping the new security bills or ‘war bills’, and bringing down the Abe administration that try to distorts history and pave the way for war of aggression.