By Wang Mengjie
王梦杰
This August 15 marks the 80th anniversary of Japan's announcement of unconditional surrender. On that day, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, where convicted WWII Class-A war criminals are enshrined, and some cabinet and parliament members paid tribute to it. These acts once again laid bare the grave historical misperceptions of Japan's right-wing forces regarding militarism, as well as their sinister attempt to shirk responsibility for the war.
今年8月15日是日本宣布无条件投降80周年的日子。日本首相石破茂当天向供奉有二战甲级战犯的靖国神社供奉了祭祀费，部分内阁成员和国会议员参拜了靖国神社。这一系列行径再次暴露了日本右翼势力对军国主义历史的严重错误态度，以及妄图推卸战争责任的险恶用心。
The essence of the Yasukuni Shrine issue lies in Japan's continued failure to properly recognize and deeply reflect on its militarist past of aggression. The Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 convicted class-A war criminals are enshrined, is a spiritual tool and a symbol of the wars of aggression conducted by the Japanese militarists. Among the 2.46 million war dead commemorated at the shrine, 2.1 million perished in WWII. The then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine since 2001; Members of Shinzo Abe's cabinet have continued the practice; The Fumio Kishida administration pursued a roundabout way of paying homage; Now the Shigeru Ishiba administration has added yet another stain to this record. Japan's recent attempts to revive militarism are, in essence, an open provocation against the hard-won victory of the world anti-fascist war.
靖国神社问题的实质是日本还未能正确认识和深刻反省日本军国主义侵略历史。靖国神社是日本军国主义发动对外侵略战争的精神工具和象征，供奉有对侵略战争负有严重罪责的14名甲级战犯。在靖国神社合祭的246万战死者中，有210万死于二战。自2001年小泉纯一郎在任期间多次参拜靖国神社以来，安倍晋三内阁成员持续参拜，岸田文雄政府延续“曲线拜鬼”策略，如今石破茂政府再添新账。日本近年来不断为军国主义招魂的行径，实质是对世界反法西斯战争胜利成果的公然挑衅。
Equally alarming is the gradualist strategy pursued by Japan’s right-wing forces in textbooks. By downplaying Japan's responsibility for its wartime atrocities and glossing over its wars of aggression and colonial rule, they seek to construct a historical narrative that serves their own interests. The history textbooks authorized by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2023 contain serious distortions of historical facts. Such acts of historical revisionism not only violate the basic principles of international legal documents like the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, but also inflict lasting harm on the feelings of the peoples of Asian countries that suffered under Japanese aggression.
日本右翼势力在历史教科书领域推行的渐进式淡化策略同样值得警惕。通过弱化战争加害责任表述、美化侵略战争与殖民统治等罪行，日本试图构建符合自身利益的历史叙事体系。2023年日本文部科学省审定通过的历史教科书就存在严重史实偏差。这种历史修正主义行径不仅违背《开罗宣言》《波茨坦公告》等国际法律文件的基本原则，更对亚洲受害国人民的情感造成持续伤害。
What is more alarming is that Japan's increasingly risky moves in the field of military and security are creating a vicious cycle in which historical whitewashing and military loosening feed into each other. The most direct manifestation of this trend is Japan's drastic shift in its security policy. By repeatedly breaking through the limits of the "exclusively defense-oriented" policy, lifting the ban on collective self-defense, and sharply increasing its defense budget, Japan's path toward becoming a "normal state" has already exceeded the framework of its postwar pacifist constitution. Moreover, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) have frequently carried out targeted military exercises in recent years. This expansionist momentum resonates with historical revisionism, gravely undermining the strategic balance in the region.
不仅如此，日本在军事安全领域的动作也越发危险，呈现出历史翻案与军事松绑相互作用的恶性循环。其安保政策的重大转变是最直接的表现。日本不断突破“专守防卫”原则，解禁集体自卫权，大幅增加防卫预算，其“正常国家化”路线已突破战后和平宪法框架。更值得警惕的是，日本自卫队近年来频繁开展针对性军事演习，这种军事扩张态势与历史修正主义形成共振，严重破坏地区战略平衡。
To view and treat history correctly is an important prerequisite for Japan's post-war return to the international community, the political foundation for Japan's ties with neighboring countries, and more importantly, a key measure for Japan's commitment to peaceful development. The Chinese side urges the Japanese side to face up to and reflect upon the history of aggression, act prudently in handling historical issues such as the Yasukuni Shrine, make a clean break with militarism, stay committed to peaceful development, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community by taking concrete actions. This is not only fundamental to the political basis of China-Japan relations, but also an important safeguard for the international community in upholding the postwar peace order.
正确认识和对待历史，是日本战后重返国际社会的重要前提，是日本同周边国家发展关系的政治基础，更是检验日本能否恪守和平发展道路承诺的一杆标尺。中方敦促日方切实正视并反省侵略历史，在靖国神社等历史问题上谨言慎行，同军国主义彻底切割，坚持走和平发展道路，以实际行动取信于亚洲邻国和国际社会。这不仅关乎中日关系的政治基础，更是国际社会维护战后和平秩序的重要保障。
Even after 80 years, the bitter lessons of WWII remain deeply engraved. Any attempt to revise the history of aggression will only lead Japan down a dangerous historical path. In the face of the right-wing's reactionary actions in Japan, the international community must join forces to safeguard the victory of WWII and the post-war international order. Militarism must never be allowed to return and the tragedies of history must never be repeated.
80年过去了，二战的惨痛教训依然深刻。任何为侵略历史翻案的企图，都会将日本自身推向危险的历史歧路。面对日本右翼倒行逆施行径，国际社会更应携手共同维护世界反法西斯战争胜利成果和战后国际秩序，决不允许军国主义卷土重来，决不允许历史悲剧重演。