Japan's Hiroshima ceremonies 'scheming': Chinese media

And will China recall any of their invasions or war crimes at their ww2 ceremony? Pot meet kettle.

Necessary or not, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was nasty. Let them have their day to reflect and remember.

A Chinese newspaper with close ties to the ruling Communist Party slammed Japan on Thursday

Stopped reading here

While the reason for China saying this is just tit-for-tat petty politics, he does make some valid points about Japan not touching on its war crimes and atrocities, which in part led to the war and the bombings, and also inadvertently points out the kind of reaction China gets when it commemorates massacres (ie. they never touch on their own problems, only the victimization, with other nations saying it's only for political purposes).

Can China just shut up for a single day? There isn't a day that goes by where they're always griping about this or that. Give it a rest already.

Absolutely right, @cardsfan5, in saying "Pot meet kettle."

Actually, to conflate the broader war remembrances with the specific a-bomb remembrances would dilute the meaning of these specific remembrances. Japan does commemorate the end of the war on August 15th and addresses the broader issues associated with the war at that time, which is the appropriate setting to do.

One could argue that there is more that Japan could say or do in relation to the war, its remembrances and Japan's words/actions in relation to its role in the war. However, regardless the a-bomb remembrance ceremonies is not the time for these words/actions.

Furthermore, I just find it rich that China wants to lecture Japan on how it commemorates these things. It is sort of like Japan lecturing China on how it commemorates the end of WW2. Japan should just borrow the typical Chinese Foreign Ministry response. Which is, "this is an internal affair that is solely determined by the Japanese government and its people and we reject any interference in it by foreign governments."

Oh, and by the way, China, when are you going to hold commemoration ceremonies to remember all those that died in the Cultural Revolution and in the Tiananmen Square incident?? Just saying....

The points are understandable but to rant about this on a day that is to commemorate the victims of the nuclear bombing is disgraceful and in very poor taste. Couldn't they wait until the 15th to have their inevitable whinges?

If the Chinese Communist Party is so keen on internal navel gazing, I wonder if they are so frank and honest when discussing their own crimes against humanity in the form of, say, Tiananman Square, 1989, or the Cultural Revolution 1966 - 1976, or the Great Leap Forward 1958-1961? Some researches have the Chinese Communist Party responsible for the deaths of as many as 65 Million people.

65 Million.

So, I'm thinking that they might want to clear their own skeletons out of the closet before accusing others of being 'scheming and calculating'.

The Global Times reminds me of a tiny, hateful dog that barks at everything and bites noting.

They make a valid point. Any time you ask a Japanese person about the war they say is is a terrible thing and many Japanese were killed. In all my years in Japan I never heard a single mention of the many more victims of Japan's aggression in Asia and there is something very wrong and sad about that.

Global Times is a rag.

Why is it that when everytime Japan do remember and commemorate the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Chinese and the South Koreans are always the first to react and criticize? Common it is expected i understand. I despise and hate Japan's hideous war antrocities all over the Pacific during WWII. The Japanese and its country are without a doubt and unmistakably perpetrators of War Crimes and personally it cannot be forgotten nor forgiven. I am a gaijin who is living in Japan for more than two dacades now, and the country where i was born and a Nationality at- was both been colonized by both the US and Japan. JAPAN during WWII did so many terrible, evil things to the Filipinos ie. Bataan March, the raping of our women, and the likes, same goes for the Americans (although on a somehow milder scale) as compared to what the Japanese did to the Filipinos during their occupation. But our people aren't like the Chinese and South Koreans who hold extreme grudges on Japan and its people to the point of always attacking and criticizing their ways of remembering the war and the Atomic bombings. I also should mention that i beg to disagree on the above article on this: "Ceremonies like this water down the fact that Japan was also a perpetrator of war crimes. This shows how adept Japan is at scheming and calculating."

Wrong Assesment, China.. Sorry to be blunt and straight. Japan do annually commemorate Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings here in Japan NOT because they want to forget the fact that Japan itself did so many war antrocities. They don't hold ceremonies to convinced their people that they hadn't done anything wrong at all during the Expansion of the Imperial Armies of Manchuria and all the Pacific Countries. Truth is I was infact surprised upon learning that the Japanese young generation now know what their ancestors did during the Pacific war... they know and are aware of the Nanking Massacre, the Manchuria Occupation and so on. My kids in school are being taught of it now in History Class, equally all BOTH the good and the bad about Japan during WWII.. whereas during my Japanese Husband's era in the 1960's you hardly cannot find any information on the Jap. War Antrocities written in their textbooks. Now fortunately it is different, and Japanese Media played a big role in exposing everything through documentaries and even dramas and movies. Internet and modern technologies now also helped.

Japan remembers and hold ceremonies of the bombings annually to mainly show its people what war has did to them.. what it likewise did to other countries they occupied.. to not forget.. to not commit the same mistakes again.. to hold its firm beliefs against any use of Nuclear Weapon on Civilians and unto the Environment.. to campaign and appeal to the World for Nuclear to be NOT ever again be used. Let's face it Japan is the only country in the world that was attacked and destructed by Nuclear weapons and they were the only ones who were able to experienced it and.. They are the only ones who know what its like and how it feels. They have all the right to do commemorations and ceremonies. Let them be please.

I think he went a tad too far by slandering them with "scheming, calculating", and I certainly think they deserve to remember/pay respects to the horror of the bombing, but I kind of think he might have a point about how they "direct people’s attention only to the fact that Japan is a victim of atomic bombing, but turn a blind eye to the reason why"

Our biggest challenge is to acknowledge the events of the past, rather than deny them. But, for various reasons of political, financial and social expediency, those in power prefer to ignore or deny.

The dropping of the atomic bombs was uncalled for and unnecessary because it was an attack on innocent citizens, men women and children going about their daily lives. Neither city was a military target and had not been bombed at any time during the war. The act was barbaric and has only been condoned because it was undertaken by the winner otherwise the perpetrators would have been declared war criminals and dealt with appropriately. Japan has every right to honour the innocent people who died with the dropping of those bombs. 140,000 innocent people killed and many more maimed for life both physically and mentally, with many still suffering today 70 years on. We should applaud the ceremonies of rememberance because while honouring those innocents who died, the Japanese people also remember the war and the terrible events inflicted in their name ensuring that such atrocities (both by and on the Japanese people) will most like never happen again. The ceremonies are not glorifying war but genuinely paying homage to those that sacrificed, willingly or otherwise, their lives for the Nation. We all do the same in our own way with various ceremonies remembering both world wars. even the parts where we were the invading and aggressive Nation. I am Australian and Gallipoli is a big deal each year 100 years on even though we were the invading party and attacked a sovereign Nation without due cause. The second world war is long since over, the world has generally moved on and we should allow each Nation to remember the war and how it impacted on the lives of it's citizens in whatever way they see fit.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. What happens in the Battlefield, stays in the Battlefield.

People should really try to move along from the past. Mistakes are made and we must learn from them instead of living them for the rest of our lives...

If we were to blame every-single-thing into everything that already happened in history, we would spend all our lives mourning and blaming one another. People should learn to forgive, heartily.

I guess the Chinese CCP would want to be victim of Atalomic bombs so they can victimize themselves

China, lead the way. Destroy all your nuclear weapons.

igloobuyer

Any time you ask a Japanese person about the war they say is is a terrible thing and many Japanese were killed. In all my years in Japan I never heard a single mention of the many more victims of Japan's aggression in Asia and there is something very wrong and sad about that.

You are coming up against the Japan history text book problem here. The LDP has hacked and chopped away at the facts concerning Japan's part in WWII and the period leading up to it and this is the result.

The US history textbooks similarly teach that the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was an act of kindness.

And I'm sure the Chinese history text books present their own slant too.

It would be a good thing if political slant and propaganda were kept out of the field of education.

But sadly, that is a long way into the future.

The timing is extremely harsh and cruel. The people of Japan paid the price and there are family members in UK that feel rightly so.

Viewing the devastation to ordinary citizens, women and children must be recognized as penitence. Japan is one of the only countries that have a constitution solely focused on pacifism and no government past or present will change that deeply rooted belief. I implore the Government of China to embrace democracy, pacifism and freedom in a similar manner.

The US history textbooks similarly teach that the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was an act of kindness.

No they do not, and now you are just as guilty as everyone else, by attempting to spread blatantly false information as fact. You are no better than the Chinese or Koreans, who actually have a viable gripe against Japan. In fact worse, because you should, again I repeat, SHOULD, know better.

If Japan asked forgiveness over and over for the atrocities they committed in WWII, it's my opinion that China would complain they(Japan) were asking way too much. No matter what Japan does, China will find something to naw on, like an old dog worrying a bone half to death. What China doesn't understand is, the Hiroshima bombing is memorialized for the Japanese children, women and men killed there, a civil memorial more so then a "government" memorial. One other fact I find amazing, is the number of foreigners who are in Japan, want to criticize Japan for past atrocities but are happy to have a Job as a guest in Japan and happily take their money.

China has a very legitimate reason keep stockpiling nuclear arsenals due to US openly threatened to nuclear attack China in Korean war and Taiwan strait crisis 1958. Look and aware some countries who had endured the atrocities they suffered in WW2 and you might understood their reasons for being assertive. Just like the israeli DM Moshe Yaalon claimed Hiroshima, Nagasaki were options for Iran. Some countries and were not that lovely to or living in fantasy as people of Japan does and you cannot blame them. Not every country . has the same definition of of peace!

Boy the BS is getting deep in Communist China !

So according to Communist China it is OK to get bombed if you find justifiable reasons to bomb another country – that is what Communist China is saying by putting a spin on this .

This infuriates me more than anything that I've ever heard come out of Communist China and if I were president of the United States I would feel like I would want to launch a war on China right now based on that attitude alone and especially since they are militarizing the South China Sea in the East China Sea I find this country a direct threat to the world .

By the way Mao Zedong murdered over 40 million pro republic Chinese to put his selfish self into power so what are the comparisons hear them?

We are talking about the annihilation of Japanese citizens women and children by the flash of an atomic bomb court was dropped into hero Shima and Nagasaki – and not a military target .

All the Japanese are trying to say is we – the world – should never try to go to war again because war is such a horrible thing.

This Chinese newspaper is 100% correct. The japanese wallow in victimhood as though they did nothing at all during the second world war.

Saketown-umbrella. What both of you cannot understand is that the Atomic Bombs are mass destruction weapons that kill all living things. But China is a hardline communist country. Every new chinese president says the same. Thats why comminism is a disaster.

@sakedown: Imperal Japan was committed a total war back in the final year of WW2. Even monks were instructed to march with wooden dummy guns under an army officer inspection. Everyone was obligated to protect the emperor, so women and children were combatants regardless they know that it or not. Actually when anyone else chanting the slogan of MANSEI, he/she of all ages were like making an oath of military service. They were hardly innocent although many of them never wore uniforms , ranks.

Japan needs to fess up for the part it played in its own destruction....if not for pearl harbor, there would have been no atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

and you KNOW that if Japan had the bomb, they would have used it.

In slogan "we will not make this error/mistake again." Who is we? Who is they? What does error mistake mean here? Waging war attacking hawaii? Or them dropping bomb on us" ?

Casey tee. "If they had the bomb they would have used it." Yeah. Against a carrier group. Not against cities

Casey tee and umbrella...i agree with . Victimhood is unbecoming. Japan had it coming to them! Does city of bremen germany wallow in victimhood of carpet bombing in war nazi initiated? No they accept verdict of history. Only japan wallows in this denial of they had it coming to them...victimhood to the max. And the west lets japan get away with pr charade every august 6. Enuf already! Grow up japan. Yu are not a child. Accept yu started the war.

For the people being a member of LDP in japan, you cannot embarass them because they dont have the concept of SHAME ON YOU. Using the deceased people as a political insturment to gloom Japan being pacificism is a very despicable thing. If Mr.Abe cannot convince his people of his revisionist of Japanese constitution is nothing sway away from pacificism, how can you convince the world? I pity those countries who participated these events since they were mandated. But some countries choose not to inhale the 'political opium' exported from that two highly politicalrized events! Good for them.

So according to Communist China it is OK to get bombed if you find justifiable reasons to bomb another country – that is what Communist China is saying by putting a spin on this .

Communist China had little if anything to do with assisting the defeat of the Japanese in China. The communist party has convenient amnesia when it comes to issues like these, all because they view the nationalists (Taiwan/Chang Kai-Shek) as being a runaway province of China. (Read to mean, they are one and the same and the Communists want to take credit for the nationalists endeavors.)

China is always playing "we are the Victim" card. Yes, they did suffered! But did they at any time mentioned the millions of people butchered, slaved and maltreated by their Communist government (actually up to these days people are being persecuted and marginalized just because they adhere to their religion which is a basic right in most countries but not in China). Communism is dead, but the communist government want to continue to play God in China. They want to go to war so that their citizen will not see how miserable they are under their government. The Chinese government will always remind their people that they were victimized by Japan, but they will not mention not even a word on how they oppressed and victimized their own citizens. People of China, wake up, your government had been lying to you and victimizing you for so long. They want you to be angry with Japan, the USA, the Philippines so that they ca control and manipulate you, but actually you should be angry with these small group of cowardly men who continually put you under the yoke of oppression. These officials preached Communism but themselves own Swiss bank accounts or in Cayman Island, they are enriching themselves with your life, freedom and dignity. PLEASE WAKE UP!

@overchan - Yes, I agree.

@elephant200 - I think you are missing my point. Communost China is trying to "justify" The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki as if the Japanese "Citizens" deserved it.

That is what boiled my blood. Look, I know The Republic of China was conventionally bombed (Airstrikes) by Japan in the 1930's by Japan BUT the Japanese never justified it nor did they EVER say the Chinese Republic deserved it. The Japanese were misguided by over ambition, murdered Chinese (yes) & they apologized to The Chinese after WW2 and they NEVER raised another weapon against another country since then nor did the Japnese ever try to start an insurgency against their American Occupiers.

It seems like to me that if Communist China finds a justifiable reason or a deserving reason to start a War with another country then I believe they'll do it.

The United States dropped the bombes on Hiroshima & Nagasaki because Washington felt it would save American Lives by not engaging in "Operation Downfall" - The full blown invasion of U.S. & Allied Forces into mainland Japan. I personally do not agree with Truman deciding to use The Bomb, but he did what he felt was necessary to end the War and unlike Communist China - not to justify reasons to start new ones.

Watching the ongoing propaganda war between these two countries is like watching two guys stumble out of the bar so drunk they can barely even stand up, but nonetheless want to get into a fist-fight. They're both absolutely confident that they're going to win the fight, but they're so inept that if any blow lands it will be purely by accident.

Obviously, Japanese people need to do more to acknowledge Imperial warmongering, rape, and wrongdoing. However, anyone who thinks about it for even a minute can see that the A-Bomb memorial ceremonies are absolutely the wrong time to do it because doing so would create an implication that the many innocent victims of the atmoic bombing deserved to be bombed simply for being Japanese.

The anniversary of Japan's surrender with the attendant Abe speech is mere days away. If you can't even wait that long to complain about Japan's attitude regarding the war, then I think it's fairly clear that you don't actually care about what Japanese people think their country's past invasions of Asia, you just want to score points back home.

“Abe wants to normalise the status of his country, but without a full retrospection over Japan’s war crimes,” it said.

What does that mean exactly? Isn't Japan normal? What aspects of a country's nature make it normal or abnormal?

Katsu78...u bring up good point! In fact innocent victims of the A bomb did deserve it as loyal suspects of imperial emperor. Thems the breaks. Sorry.

It's kind of understandable in a way.

Japan can have its day of memorial and victimhood.

When can China have its similar day?

On a day to remember Nanjing?

Most Japanese these days deny that a massacre even happened.

When is a good day for Chinese people to remember their suffering at the hands of the Japanese?

Don't bother what the China's mouthpiece has commented. Japan MUST be prepared for China's hostile acts and continue to build up a strong Japanese defence force, and be aligned with the US and other military forces including Australia, Philippines & perhaps Vietnam.

Daryl1307AUG. 07, 2015 - 07:21PM JST The dropping of the atomic bombs was uncalled for and unnecessary because it was an attack on innocent citizens, men women and children going about their daily lives. Neither city was a military target and had not been bombed at any time during the war. The act was barbaric and has only been condoned because it was undertaken by the winner otherwise the perpetrators would have been declared war criminals and dealt with appropriately. Japan has every right to honour the innocent people who died with the dropping of those bombs. 140,000 innocent people killed and many more maimed for life both physically and mentally, with many still suffering today 70 years on.

If you know anything about the history, you can recall the conventional bombings in summer 1945 in Japanese cities. The U.S. bombers on many missions destroyed 68 cities and killed approximately 300,000 and left 1.7 million people homeless before the a-bomb that was dropped in Hiroshima. Many of these 68 cities were 80-90 percent or completely destroyed, so what makes you think the bombing of Hiroshima was any different than other cities?

Where is the evidence that 140,000 people were killed? The 1946 U.S. had figure of 90,000 dead. Deaths after Dec 1945 evidently were not very numerous. The survey found that approximately 75% had died by Dec. 1945, and that an additional 5-6% had died between then and 1950. Interestingly, the latter death rate is slightly above 1 percent a year, almost exactly the normal mortality rate for the Japanese population. Counting deaths as of the end of 1945 must have captured essentially all of them.

I'm guessing they're a bit worried it takes some steam from their planned "Victory Over Japan" commemorations.

@Haa Nemui

Oh Yea! That's right - The Commies in China are gearing up for "Victory Over Japan" Day.

They should also be celebrating "Victory Over The Chinese Repuplic" Day while they are at it.

After all it was "Chairman Mao" that actually murdered 40 Milllion of his own people just to put himself into power AFTER WW2.

So The Communist Mao Loving Media in China thought they would initiate a disgusting and distasteful insinuation that Japan "deserved" to be Bombed with Atomic Weapons by pointing out that Japan focus's more on the "Victimization" of their citizens from the aftermath of the bombings instead of focusing on "why" they were bombed.

That's Communist China's focus - They deserved it - right?

There is no doubt in my mind that The World had better be On Guard and Very Focused on Communist China and Do Not turn a blind eye for 1 Second.

Let them observe the 6th to memorize those who killed by the atom bomb. The 9th will also be the day for the same purpose in Nagasaki. But the 15th will be different. Prime Minister Abe will express the remorse for causing pain in other countries using the word "invasion." For a right wing prime minister who has a war crime suspect grandfather -Kishi to say the word "Japan's invasion" must be very hard. But he will say it because China is economically getting stronger and stronger and he doesn't want to infuriate China. That's China's growing influence and if China keeps growing at annual 7%, not only Japan but also other countries have to be more conciliatory to the middle kingdom.

Can the chinese stop whining or BSing for 1 day? No!

In the past China has sent representatives to the ceremonies, which are attended by many nations as the focal point of the global anti-nuclear proliferation movement. And justifiably so. It isn't a "we are victims" show as Chin now, and many biased and unlearned posters seem to think. And if civilians everywhere aren't "victims" of war who is?

Oh China. Only clever people scheme, and ruling Japanese politicians are anything but.

China has a valid point, if Japan held ceremonies and apologised each year for the attrocities commited by the IJA in tandem with the Abomb ceremonies id say there relationship with China and Korea would be so much better than it has been in the last few years. After all if you can never tire of remembering your victims, why is it so hard to remember the victims of your aggression. The Germans have done it countless times, which is why they have much more respect from there neighbours compared to Japan

Few days after U.S. dropped the A-bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Minister of War, General Anami remarked that the atomic bombings were no more menacing than the fire-bombing that Japan had endured for months. If Hiroshima and Nagasaki were no worse than the fire bombings, and if Japan’s leaders did not consider them important enough to discuss in depth, how can Hiroshima and Nagasaki have coerced them to surrender?

If Japan’s leaders were going to surrender because of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, you would expect to find that they cared about the bombing of other cities in general, that the city attacks put pressure on them to surrender. But this doesn’t appear to be so. Two days after the bombing of Tokyo, FM Shidehara expressed a sentiment that was widely held among high ranking J-officials at the time. Shidehara's opinion was that "the people would gradually get used to being bombed daily. In time their unity and resolve would grow stronger." He said it was important for citizens to endure the suffering because "even if hundreds of thousands of noncombatants are killed, injured, or starved, even if millions of buildings are destroyed or burned," additional time was needed for diplomacy. It is worth remembering that Shidehara was a moderate. At the Japan's highest levels of government, the Supreme Council's attitudes were apparently the same and discussed the importance of the Soviet Union remaining neutral, and didn’t have a full discussion about the impact of city bombing. It is difficult to make a case that Japan’s leaders thought that city bombing, compared to the other pressing matters involved in running a war had much significance at all. The Japanese government and the military didn't care about their people.

Honestly, the Chinese and the North Koreans are in a league of their own when it comes to idiot PR.

China, at least, has the money. It should employ a better PR agency to manage it's press in the free world.

China may be a bad actor but it is somewhat ridiculous to commemorate Hiroshima bombing as if Japan was a victim nation while ignoring the atrocities committed against japan's neighbors. That is deeply problematic.

sfjp330 @ Aug. 08, 2015 - 01:33AM JST

Taken directly from

http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/05/30/the-bomb-didnt-beat-japan-stalin-did/

which was already referenced here

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/seventy-years-on-few-americans-regret-enola-gays-mission#comment_2029278

melonbarmonster,

Your views are habitually highly prejudiced against Japan. I have no idea but I see you've been at this for year.

Care to tell us why?

Japan did not commemorate the bombing "as if Japan was a victim", that is the Chinese propaganda spin.

Why don't you read the original Japanese and find out what was really going on?

Imagine if former german nazis held "remember bremen carpeting bombing that killed 25,000 innocent nazis Observance Day every year. Would caroline kennedy attend and show respect the army that tried to kill JFK? Thats hiroshima pr charade kabuki in a nutshell.

@Saketown - Look what happens to stop commemorations of an incident in their own country.

In mainland China, activists have been moved or put under house arrest to prevent them from marking the date.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33013270

Proof the Peoples Republic of China does not want peace with Japan.

More hate speech from the Chinese. Japan has every right to comemmorate its war dead.

Let's hope Abe can be successful with his goal of a stronger Japan.

"More hate speech from the Chinese. Japan has every right to comemmorate its war dead."

Yes, as long as we don't have total amnesia about our past sins.

China has some serious issues, but China is also QUITE right on this one about Japan. Japan is playing the victim. Why doesn`t Japan talk about the reason why they were BOMBED?

Tell the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that their continual letters to the heads of nations that continually test nuclear weapons is playing the victim.

Why aren't ALL the Japanese who died in the war also mourned....those 1 million or more innocent souls who died in tokyo.air raids and 68 other cities? Why only the kabuki pr dentsu charade of A BOMB victims? Is death by blast and radiation a more elevated form of evil death than the other innocents who died in the noble cause of the IJA? This etire august tv show

The japanese right-wing government like Abe does want a nuclear armed Japan. He is boosting the victimhood at home to consolidate naive Japanese people supports. The one who dont want peace is the LDP clique. What does Abe knows besides blaming the China intimidating her? Japan has no desire to build her own arsenals, you are kidding! China knows that troublesome neighbor japan more than two thousand years, this knowledge is nothing westerners could match.

The cenotaph carries the epitaph "安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは 繰返しませぬから", which means "please rest in peace, for [we/they] shall not repeat the error." In Japanese, the sentence's subject is omitted, thus it could be interpreted as either "[we] shall not repeat the error" or as "[they] shall not repeat the error". This was intended to memorialize the victims of Hiroshima without politicizing the issue, taking advantage of the fact that polite Japanese speech typically demands lexical ambiguity in the first place.[19] The epitaph was written by Tadayoshi Saika, Professor of English Literature at Hiroshima University.[20] He also provided the English translation, "Let all the souls here rest in peace for we shall not repeat the evil." On November 3, 1983, an explanation plaque in English was added in order to convey Professor Saika's intent that "we" refers to "all humanity", not specifically the Japanese or Americans, and that the "error" is the "evil of war": The inscription on the front panel offers a prayer for the peaceful repose of the victims and a pledge on behalf of all humanity never to repeat the evil of war. It expresses the spirit of Hiroshima — enduring grief, transcending hatred, pursuing harmony and prosperity for all, and yearning for genuine, lasting world peace. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ambiguity of the phrase has the potential to offend; some right-wing circles in Japan have interpreted the words as an admission of guilt—implicitly reading it as "we (the Japanese people) shall not repeat the error"—and they criticize the epitaph as a self-accusation by the Japanese empire. In July 2005, the cenotaph was vandalized by a 27 year old Japanese affiliated with the Japanese right.[21]

@ Danny Bloom

Copy and paste from : http://blog.livedoor.jp/mitokosei/archives/7249713.html

The cenotaph carries the epitaph "安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは 繰返しませぬから", which means "please rest in peace, for [we/they] shall not repeat the error." In Japanese, the sentence's subject is omitted, thus it could be interpreted as either "[we] shall not repeat the error" or as "[they] shall not repeat the error".

I'd translate it as 'the error shall not be repeated'. As there is no subject, the translation also should be subjectless.

Anyway, China said they deserved these! Period! The futher is nothing any political leaders can control if there is an urgency they must use that weapons for their political purposes. So dont make the statement beyond you can handle.

Strangerland...good! Could we say "Rest in peace. May the error never be repeated."

? And what is best trans? Error or mistake? What is the word used in nihongo? Can u romaji that key word in roman letters for me ? Thanks.

What is the word used in nihongo?

過ち - あやまち - ayamachi

I read the Global Times every day and have for years. Hardly a day goes by that they do not have at least one piece of garbage anti-Japan propaganda bashing Japan; sometimes they have 3 or 4. I found this article particularly offensive. Exulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and insinuating they "deserved it" is, to me at least, sickening.

@Danny Bloom

Unfortunately, the Wikipedia is not a reliable source for any WWII/Japan related topic.

It's a PR war already, crawling with various race hate activists attempting to skew history their way and defending the ground they've already taken.

The way it work is, they achieve some point of view advance, and then it's promoted elsewhere on the internet - and here - as "proof" of a particular view.

Strangerland....re "ayamachi" it is. Thanks.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a forever reminder that starting a war will end bad for the country that started it.