The resilient tradition, in a quite negative way, of so irrational, terribly unethical, illogical thereby often very insane acts which have been repeatedly committed by mostly “ultra right-minded” elites of economic, political, military and media powers of Japanese society seems never end.
Even after more than 60 years have passed, those acts of repeated insanity thereby so much disheartening or heartbreaking of many others in Northeast Asia region in particular, the world in general seem to continue.
In a way, it’s been that way all along since the disgraceful defeat of the Imperial Japan at the end of Second World War (WWII) in August 15, 1945.
Remnants and descendants of sociopolitical, military, economic powers of former militarists and/or WWII “Class A” war criminals of the Imperial Japan have neither been discouraged, discriminated, prevented or shunned away from taking the higher or highest offices of national leadership nor seem to have genuinely regretted their ancestors’ and/or predecessors’ numerous “crimes against humanity.”
One of the most recent cases in this shameful tradition of succession of ultra rightwing (i.e., imperialist, racist thereby insane) political leadership was former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who took the office from 2006 to 2007.
His grandfather who was one of the most prominent war criminals is Nobushuke Kishi. He also took the office of Japanese Prime Minister from 1957 to 1960.
After release from the prison 1948, under the protege of then US Supreme Commander for Far East Command General Douglas MacArther, the rehabilitated “Class A” war criminal Kishi established the “Japan Democratic Party.”
In 1950, merging with another imperialist colleague the former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida’s “Japan Liberal Party,” they both founded the staunch anti-communist and pro-US “Liberal Democratic Party” (LDP) which has ruled Japan for next 60 years.
Since the inception of US-made and Japanese war crimianals’ LDP, it’s a well-known fact that the LDP has faithfully served US interests both in the region and the world.
It was particularly true during the 1950-53 Korean War from which the rehabilitated Japanese war criminals made astronomical fortunes.
These financial reward from “one of the most destructive and bloody wars in history” (Cumings) had evenutally laid a foundation or a backbone for Japan to become the worlds’ number second enconomic power until it was upside down by China’s rapid economic growth in late 2000s.
As well-publicized, of course, it was solely possible due to the notorious US post-war (criminal) policy of rehabilitating those war criminals and simultaneously putting them back to work not only in Japan but also in Korea and many other parts of the world.
In the case of US occupation of southern part of Korea, those fatally lethal US policies of rehiring those “bloody/dirty hands (criminals)” were undoubtedly intended to serve US interests both in the region and the world.
As mentioned above, the exactly same thing happened, under the US military occupation, in the supposed-to-be-liberated but instead occupied and divided Korea, too.
Most of those pro-Japanese national traitors who’d instantly changed their master from Japanese to American by forming a staunch anti-communist and pro-US political party were brought back to sociopolitical, economic, educational, judicial, police and military power to impose a Nazi-type of fascist rule over South Korean population for the next several decades, a carbon copy of Japan, under the “full spectrum dominance” of US military power.
On the 66th Anniversary of August 15th’s National Liberation Day, Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda who is considered to be the most probable candidate for next premiership after Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s departure joined in that ultra rightwing thereby often insane tradition of Japanese politics of cowardice or dwarf.
On that very symbolic day both in the region and Korean peninsula, he made a politically very controversial statement regarding the history of WWII war criminals, as former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi did so many times during his tumultuously controversial five-year term.
The Prime Minister candidate Noda, like his many predecessors, also seemed to have attempted to attract supports from ultra rightwing sections of Japanese society.
The statement, according to August 15th’s Korean news reports, Minister Noda is not going to consider those condemned WWII war criminals buried at Yashukuni Shrine as war criminals.
Unless some fundamental sociopolitical and economic changes both in American and Japanese society are preceded or genuinely accompanied, whoever moves into the top Japanese political leadership position, it seems the tradition of Japanese ultra rightwing politics won’t ever be able to change its history of “war crimes.”
Unfortunately, the tradition of succession of ultra rightwing sociopolitical ideology, culture and mentality seems to continue at least for a while.
Dr. Kiyul Chung who is a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communciation is Editor in cheif at the 4th Media.