Japan should be explicit over war remorse: animator Miyazaki

Preaching to the choir, but unfortunately it seems that Abe is listening to a different station.

Kazetachinu is such a strong anti-war... I wonder what's in the heads of "some Koreans" criticizing it...

He's right. Unfortunately for us, however, is that the word "explicit" has never applied to Japanese politics. Could be said for all PR here, I suppose. Take your pick of the catchphrase of the day.

A couple of days ago I watched an TV program on TBS which showed comfort women in Taiwan and I came to believe the Japanese government must apologize to them including China and Korea and pay compensations soon before they die. They are in their 90s. A Taiwanese woman interviewed was cheated by a Taiwanese man who belonged to the Japanese army that she will be a nurse apprentice. The Japanese government set up a private fund with civilian money in the past and offered compensations but many Taiwanese women refused to receive the money for reasons that there was no official apoogy from the Japanese government and the money was not from the Japanese government. For them, the Taiwanese government has been helping them financially. A lady interviewed said she would be happy if there will be apologies from the new generations of Japan. Different from China and Korea is that Taiwan does not make it a political issue but a civilian organization is trying to solve the problem from the view point of humanity. They are right.

He has repeatedly talked of the need for what he calls a “forward-looking attitude”

A forward looking attitude would be to apologize deeply so that Japan can get this out of the way and start looking forward.

Good man.

Yes, let's add to the relentless list of war apologies:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_apology_statements_issued_by_Japan

Sorry but I saw The Wind Rises" and I don't think it was anywhere near anti-war. It wasn't Pro-War of course, but it was hardly Anti-War. The protagonist loves airplanes and just wants to design the very best planes he can. and how the planes are used isn't his responsibility in any way. That's the message I got from the film. Which makes Miyazaki, with all due respect as a great animator, a bit of a hypocrite.

Give it a rest, Japan has apologized enought time to move on if China, Korea can't get over it. They should take a look at Vietnam. Stick to making anime and movies Miyazaki. Why is it we put so much weight on what actors, author and the rest of entertainers say is so important.

Give it a rest, Japan has apologized enought time to move on if China

Not while previous apologies are being watered down by statements and acts of denial.

Good on him and people like Murakami. For me its the revision of textbooks and blaming others which is the issue.

@shopenhauer

what does that have to do with this article?

Why is it we put so much weight on what actors, author and the rest of entertainers say is so important.

Perhaps because Miyazaki has done more to encapsulate and share the true essence and wonder of Japan than the revisionist, concrete-loving LDP could ever collectively dream of.

Yes, let's add to the relentless list of war apologies

Matched by an equal and opposite relentless list of war denials. That's what we are all talking about. Why is that Abe and his supporters refuse to recognise that?

Miyazaki should create an unashamedly anti-war opus, not just for Japan, but for humanity.

This is the same anime creator which eulogized the Japanese Zero fighter jet shooting down the American planes when Japan started the Pacific war. Obviously so proud of his country's war participation, why didn't he take his own advice?

Miyazaki is very strictly anti-war and you can see it in all of his Films and works from Nausicaa onwards.

His point us a valid one, loved And squirming with a reply.

In the wind rises like in Porco Rosso, etc he uses war-planes.

Er, Papi, are you saying that he shouldn't recommend that Japan makes an explicit apology?

You can say he is this or he is that, but Miyazaki Hayao is hugely admired internationally, he is standing on relatively middle ground politically, and he obviously loves (sees good in) Japan, which is why more people in Japan may be prepared to listen to him.

What's not to like?

Papi.

I doubt Hayao Miyazaki would work with a person like Suzuki-San at Gibhli if he wanted to glorify war. Suzuki-San is a strict follower of Soka Gakkai Buddhism and thus puts efforts towards world peace and the end of strife and war.

Miyazaki was born into a family that manufactured Zero wingtips, hence his love of planes and flying. The A6M5 was a great plane and the movie tells the story of it's creator.

“I know there are many people who want to forget about it, but it never should be forgotten,”

Exactly! A very wise man. And it really has to irk some people that most of Japan's international legends, who the leaders and ultra-nationalists use for bragging rights in many situations, are the same people who demand the right acknowledge historical fact instead of trying to white-wash it or deny it and cover it up. It's not surprise the wanna-be dictator Hyakuta hates this man's guts after his The Wind Rises, calling him a freak and worse language still. My favourite part about guys like Miyazaki, Murakami, and the Emperor saying there is a need to make further amends and apologies is that it stops the nationalists in their tracks when the bleat on and on about how foreigners need to shut up and stop attacking Japan, etc.

Not necessary. The animator can go on his remorse tours as much has he wants but don't expect most Japanese to agree with him.

Yes that's why it made record money in Japan.

Japan and Japanese love Miyazaki and will listen to his views and opinions.

Japan's reluctance to apologize is what's holding it back. Freely and openly stating that its wartime past was a mistake and something that should never be forgotten is the only way to move past it. Passing a law denoucing this act as something that cannot be denied would also go a long way to heal and get the righties in line. By painting a picture that that was the past and todays Japan has nothing to do with it is the only way. Otherwise Japan remains stuck in the past by never letting go.

Japan not distancing itself from its own version of a Nazi past seems to be a continuation of it, which is scary. Don't do that. Break all ties to the war. Only then can Japan be free, and when done, deservedly so

nigelboy: "Not necessary. The animator can go on his remorse tours as much has he wants but don't expect most Japanese to agree with him."

Most Japanese DO agree with him. Just a select group of right-wingers who deny history do not. They want a return to the 'glory days', and Abe is proving that with his 'Beautiful Japan' and 'be like my grandpappy' (the war criminal) speeches, and not to mention his 'forward thinking apologies' that will set the nation WAY back in terms of relations with the entire world.

But you're an adamant denier, so of course I would not expect you to side with a man who is one of Japan's most well-known nationals for his accomplishments. As opposed to, say, Hyakuta who is not known at all but revered by wingers here.

As long as the Uyoku dantai roam the streets, that there are no hate laws on the books, and not other laws denouncing its past, no one can take Japan seriously. Japan has to stop making excuses and walk the walk.

Most Japanese DO agree with him

Doubt it. It's no secret that Japanese views towards Koreans and Chinese (aka perennial apology seekers) have swung considerably towards negative. Right wing has nothing to do with it. Even the most patient person has limits.

strict follower of Soka Gakkai Buddhism and thus puts efforts towards world peace and the end of strife and war

So that's why Komeito are being so vocal in reining in Abe's more bellicose instincts.

Sense.

Komeito is working hard, Soka Gakkai is currently the 3rd largest religion in Japan and growing fast(Internationally too).

Wonder why all this war-mongers and foreigners join them.

@silence

So? Then why is it a problem? It shouldn't be a problem then. How about anti hate laws? How about a Germany like anti denial law? Japan needs a backbone otherwise it will never find peace.

Exactly

This statement means a lot, coming from ... an animator.

Komeito is working hard

...at putting its relationship with the LDP ahead of its principles. Just look at the recent chronology:

New Komeito chief vows to counter Abe if he tries to change Article 9

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/29/national/politics-diplomacy/new-komeito-chief-vows-to-counter-abe-if-he-tries-to-change-article-9/#.VaSFKkKDndl

New Komeito mulls concession in collective defense debate

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/12/national/politics-diplomacy/new-komeito-mulls-concession-in-collective-defense-debate/#.VaSFY0KDndk

Japan on verge of legalizing war as Komeito bends

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/30/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-on-verge-of-legalizing-war-as-komeito-bends/#.VaSFtkKDndl

And of course other parties to what exactly about LDP and article 9.

Komeito is still a fairly small party but winning in more and more seats in constituents from other parties(LDP included).

Poor guy. If only he had some way of expressing his ideas and opinions in a creative way to appeal to the masses...

still a fairly small party but winning in more and more seats

...and would be more successful if it showed some cojones. Time for leadership!

I swear Chinese troops could be occupying Tokyo and people would still be demanding that Japan issue another apology for WW2.

and people would still be demanding that Japan issue another apology for WW2.

Until Japan enacts laws against denials and revisionism - people will just keep on demanding

Until Japan enacts laws against denials and revisionism - people will just keep on demanding

'Until Japan enacts laws free speech - people will just keep on demanding'

Sorry, but this isn't fascist China pal. Let them demand all they want, Japan will keep their fundamental human rights while the Chinese will be blocked from looking up the Tienanmen Square massacre on their search engines.

Japan's reluctance to apologize is what's holding it back. Freely and openly stating that its wartime past was a mistake and something that should never be forgotten is the only way to move past it.

Japan will never be allowed to move on, regardless of what they do.

Passing a law denoucing this act as something that cannot be denied would also go a long way to heal and get the righties in line.

Until Japan enacts laws against denials and revisionism - people will just keep on demanding

I have a problem with laws enforcing history. Lawmakers should not be deciding what happened. And I cringe whenever one claims to know "the truth".

It is true that the majority of uyoku is Koreans.

detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp

To all the usual crowd claiming Japan has apologized enough -- sorry, no. Japan has not given one single apology worth the name, if by "Japan" we mean the government of Japan in its official capacity, rather than the occasional lone voice lost among the dissenters; and by "apology" an unequivocal admission of guilt and a quest for forgiveness that is not later rendered soulless by backtracking, whitewashing and denial.

By now I know all to well that bringing up Germany's superior moral example is akin to flogging a deceased horse, but really, even the most cursory look at how the German government has gone out of its way to make sure its apologies for the Holocaust will STICK for all time, should tell you why no one can take Japan's previous "apologies" seriously. I suspect many, or most, of you actually know this to be true in your hearts.

SenseNotSoCommon: "(New Komeito is...) ...at putting its relationship with the LDP ahead of its principles. Just look at the recent chronology:"

Agreed. It's disgusting, and I can't find a better and more disappointing example of selling out one's beliefs. The Komeito used to stand up for what it believed in; now it believes in towing the party line so that it may be able to object later and keep balance. They do this because without the coalition they cannot get the votes because they are not represented in so many areas, so their voters go LDP.

Anyway, I hope Miyazaki comes out of retirement and makes another full-length animated film about Japan's atrocities, most notably the Nanjing massacre, and about how changing the current constitution is a mistake, and that we should have learned from the past. It would be a HUGE international success, and people would see Japan as finally admitting to past horrors and having learned from it somewhat... which is why it is unlikely to ever actually happen. Imagine the furor, though! The people who love him would suddenly have to both hate and love him at the same time. Heads would implode!

Sorry, but this isn't fascist China pal. Let them demand all they want, Japan will keep their fundamental human rights while the Chinese will be blocked from looking up the Tienanmen Square massacre on their search engines.

Are you saying Germany is fascist, for having anti-denial laws in place? (and I'm not your pal) Yet that is the very reason why people don't hassle Germany anymore- because they've squarely confronted their past and moved on

I, too, have come to believe that Japan should apologize to the ianfu, just to be on the right side of history for once.

that Japan should apologize to the ianfu

What does ianfu mean? I know what "sex slaves" means. Perhaps you were referring to them

Peeping_Tom said in a previous different but related article that the "little people" (Japan) will never submit to the "big people" (China), when the topic was merely about China's meteoric rise (economic mostly). Yet in the frustration and contradiction of those words, he conveniently neglects to mention that, as he put it, these "little people" (Japan) have brought enormous damage to the Chinese people (in Japan's war of aggression and in its crimes-against-humanity in China/Korea etc.), as the well-respected Hayao Miyazaki puts it succintly above. Instead of pointing empty fingers at China/Korea, Japan should really self-reflect in an honest way and examine their own nature for a long time, as Miyazaki seems to be wisely warning or saying to his own/the Japanese people.

Are you saying Germany is fascist, for having anti-denial laws in place?

Buddy, clamping down on free speech is totalitarian. When people aren't allowed to question history, they don't have free speech. No matter how nicely politicians try to spin it. Just because something is considered distasteful doesn't stop it from being free speech. Surely you can see how laws like that can be used to stifle opposing ideas on sides you agree with? How would you like it if questioning the official history of, say, the Trail of Tears, had been outlawed in the 1800's? Revisionists put in jail for doubting the official account?

Buddy, clamping down on free speech is totalitarian. When people aren't allowed to question history,

Nope, now you are espousing "hate speech" and revisionism. Find me a link that proves Germany is currently a totalitarian country for silencing holocaust deniers and revisionists. As one of the perpetrators of WW2, the onus is on Japan to correctly teach history

@Christopher Glen

You didn't provide an argument or address a single one of the issues I brought up. Silencing free speech like Germany does is an aspect of totalitarianism. That doesn't necessarily make it totalitarian, in the same way that the US having welfare doesn't make it socialist, Cuba allowing small degrees of private industry doesn't makes it capitalist, etc. It's a spectrum, or a degree of freedom versus control.

As for your 'hate speech' accusation, I didn't know that suggesting people have a right to question history was equivalent to hate speech. Is this really what modern liberalism has gotten to? Never mind that the statement itself is illogical. Advocating for the right to question something does not make you a revisionist. Petty ad hominem like that demonstrates the intellectual bankruptcy of so many authoritarians on the modern left. Classical liberals would be disgusted.

The Nanking massacre occurred. Thousands of sex slaves were forcibly abducted and raped. Medical experiments were performed on POWs. The same were treated inhumanely. Germany's policy is common sense and has led to reconciliation with its neighbours. Those who question historical fact, like Mr Abe and yourself - are revisionists and have issues

Kudos to this man. If Abe had his attitude, Japan's relationship with the 2 closest neighbours China and Korea would be so much better than it is. There's nothing to lose by coming clean, but much respect to win.

Big problem is media in this country. Media make a big deal of Japanese government suppress speech but Media just report ONLY things they want to report and try to manipulate public opinions. Media never report inconvenient facts and restriction of speech against Media.

Yes, he's right! We should also urge the American's to disarm and move their military back to USA.

Christopher GlenJul. 14, 2015 - 02:09PM JST "and people would still be demanding that Japan issue another apology for WW2. Until Japan enacts laws against denials and revisionism - people will just keep on demanding

How about China setting an example?

Doesn't one just feel exasperated by these constant calls for Japan to do what's obvious? See, an apology should not be bludgeoned out of people, that won't be sincere. Didn't these people have parents who taught them basic concepts of human ethos? You see ( again!), the power of reason, is what separates man from beasts.

Cogito Ergo SumJUL. 15, 2015 - 04:38PM JST Doesn't one just feel exasperated by these constant calls for Japan to do what's obvious? See, an apology should not be bludgeoned out of people, that won't be sincere. Didn't these people have parents who taught them basic concepts of human ethos? You see ( again!), the power of reason, is what separates man from beasts.

Whenever a Japanese official apologizes, another one denies it. No wonder the Chinese and Koreans keep on demanding sincere apology from Japan. Japanese of conscience keep apologizing, and Japanese right wingers keep denying. This give impression that the apologies were not sincere and the victims keep demanding for sincere apology. This cycle has no end in sight. It is typical vague comments by Japanese politicians which are meant to satisfy both parties in an issue. So, if you expect an apology over the matter you are clearly going to be disappointed. When the Japanese politician apologizes, take it with a grain of salt. They were only trying to make “people think they apologized" but it is not their real intention.

Those who question historical fact, like Mr Abe and yourself - are revisionists and have issues

I never questioned historical fact, I simply argued that in a free society you should be allowed to question anything without fear of persecution. The fact that you have to resort to ad hominem and deflection in response to such a universal sentiment is indicative of your own intellectual bankruptcy. That fact that you'd be happy to throw people in jail for a victim-less crime proves how morally vacuous the modern left has become.

I simply argued that in a free society you should be allowed to question anything without fear of persecution.

Those who question at the Holocaust or Nanking massacre happened in the first place, should never be permitted to open their mouths. I'm happy to throw people in jail? No, but I back Germany's stance on this issue. Japan should do the same. People should be permitted freedom of speech, but not to deny historical events like the two above - which caused great anguish to many people.

Academia is, at least, one aspect the USA is more free in.

Oh!! What about Japanese? They just go through the motions, wasting their parents money & not really learning / applying the knowledge in their future. Basically, the parents pay up all the cash. Students just show up & they could graduate. The hard part is getting "into" the university in the first place. Pathetic.

Btw, there are only, currently, 6 Japanese attending Haravard University.

After the occupation, in post war Japan. the US and MacArthur believed that Emperor Hirohito should stay in his role and should not be prosecuted for war crimes. MacArthur went further as to absolve the Emperor for any guilt. Many Japanese identified so strongly with the Emperor as head of state and embodiment of Japan (not to mention as infallible and holy), that they may have felt somewhat absolved of guilt as well. Subsequent trends during the occupation and beyond influenced Japan to be forward thinking, not mired in the conflicting morass of moral crisis, nuclear devastation and blame.

The best book I have read on the subject is "Embracing Defeat. Japan in the Wake of World War Two" by John Dower. I give the credit of my comments to him.