The lasting legacy of Yukawa
and Goto
by MIKOspace
Japan
society remains shaken over the last 2 weeks in unprecedented shock over the
beheading of its 2 citizens, Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto, within a week of
each another, by the Islamic ISIS Group in Syria. Goto, a respected journalist working mostly
in the war zones, reportedly went to Syria in October 2014 to try to
secure Yukawa's release.
There is
no justification whatsoever for ISIS actions. And no senseless deaths of
civilians could ever be condoned by any decent human being in the world.
Nothing in this Post is therefore intended to demean or devalue the life of
Yukawa and Goto, as well as the many others who have fallen victims to
ISIS-like inhuman and evil acts throughout the centuries.
It must surely
be Deja Vu for many in the older generations in Japan. The thought and video of
cold-blooded beheadings must surely evoke national memories kept hidden for
nearly 70 years since the end of World War 2 (WW2). Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe condemns the latest inexplicable killing, and calls it a "heinous act",
sharing deep anger and commiseration with his fellow Japanese amidst
understandable grief, sympathy and sorrows.
Such “heinous” acts are not strange to the
Japanese, of all people.
Former Japanese
WW2 soldiers should have no difficulty seeing the similarity between ISIS standing
over Goto and Yukawa just before their respective beheading and a Japanese
military officer standing with drawn Samurai sword over one of the 300,000 Chinese
in Nanjing and several Chinese cities mostly beheaded (see picture) in a similar
manner. Even babies and little children were not spared by the Imperial
Japanese.
Older
Singaporeans will also remember the beheading of nearly 70,000-90,000
Singaporean Chinese during Operation Sook Ching by the Japanese Occupation from
1942-45. Younger Singaporeans should visit the exhibition galleries in the Old Ford Motor Factory at Bukit Timah, the former factory site where the British
surrendered to the Japanese on 15 February 1942 to see and hear the memories of
those who survived that tragedy.
The Japanese
national position has been to deny that the Nanjing Massacre, and other wartime
atrocities ever took place under its benevolent Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere campaign in China and South East Asia from 1935-1945. It has refused stubbornly
to apologise for what never took place!
Even Japanese history
books are re-written to de-emphasise such “heinous” conduct of the
Japanese during WW2. The denial of WW2 atrocity is the key
mission of the influential revisionist organization Nippon
Kaigi.
It
is reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is among its 35,000 members, as well as 15
of his 18 key members of the government following the 2014 reshuffle. Japanese Prime Ministers and other Key Japanese politicians also
regularly visit the Yasukuni Shinto Shrine where Japanese had enshrined its top
14 leading WW2 war criminals among the 1,068 other WW2 war criminals who
committed “heinous” atrocities, to show their respect and reverence.
Imagine
if ISIS were to follow the Japanese Model in remembrance of ISIS members who
commit “heinous” acts of evil and decide to build a shrine to include the
cold-blooded murderers of Yukawa and Goto? Imagine also that ISIS leaders
regularly undertake a pilgrimage to this Shrine to honour and revere especially
those who did the beheading of the 2 Japanese citizens? Imagine further that ISIS dismisses any “allegations”,
even withdraws its own video, of its beheading that never took place? Imagine after all these, ISIS tells an astonished
Japan that there is really nothing to apologise for since the beheadings never
took place?
And if
someone were to suggest dropping a nuclear bomb on ISIS, assuming ISIS can so
targeted, it should be remembered that not one but 2 atomic bombs merely end
the Japanese War, but did little to make her feel remorseful or penitent to
seek forgiveness and repentance.
This
week, having been confronted by evil as great or greater than herself, Japan should
begin nation-wide honest conversations over its own “heinous” past acts. Yukawa
and Goto’s contribution to Japan social development may be to inspire his
countrymen to confront historical truths and facts squarely and to recognize
its own culpability in the prolonged pain and suffering in her victims as a
result of her denial and recalcitrance.
The scars
of Yukawa and Goto tragic deaths may never healed until Japanese takes active concrete
steps to heal the wounds and painful memories of those whom she has inflicted
much deeper wounds and pain. The
lasting legacy of Yukawa and Goto lies in bringing the Truth of Japanese war
atrocities into the living room, classrooms and social conversations.
Ironically,
ISIS’ only moral but greatest lessons in Yakuwa and Goto may well be to finally
bring a remorseful and recalcitrant Japan onto its knees in deep contrite and
regrets to owe up to its own similar beheading spree of innocence and other
evil deeds 70 years ago in the Asia Pacific.
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Original Article (with photos):