Originally posted on May 6, 2019.
Drawing on a Newsweek article by Jason Overdorf, this passage argues that China has used narratives of Japan’s war crimes to justify its military expansion and regional hegemonic ambitions.
It also addresses German diplomacy, China’s human rights issues, and the role of media outlets such as Asahi Shimbun and NHK.

2019-05-06
By speaking about Japan’s war crimes, China can also justify its military expansion and its ambitions for regional hegemony, while diverting attention.

This is an article by Jason Overdorf in Newsweek, March 11 issue, p.11.
The chapter posted on 2014-03-09 under that title is now in goo’s real-time top 10 in search count.
This is an article by Jason Overdorf in Newsweek, March 11 issue, p.11.
Omitting the preceding text.
Even the “history card” has its limits.
According to Chinese specialists, the disputes over historical issues have significance beyond merely settling accounts with the past.
Omitted in the middle.
By speaking about Japan’s war crimes, China can also justify its military expansion and its ambitions for regional hegemony, while diverting attention.
Asahi and NHK, among others, have continued all along to do exactly what China intended… as seen in the Moritomo and Kake uproar, and in the reporting on Okinawa as well.
That said, “China’s leadership also understands the limits of the ‘history card,’” says Professor Srikanth Kondapalli of Jawaharlal Nehru University, an expert on Chinese politics.
“Because later the Tibetans and the Uyghurs may present the leadership with similar issues.”
Meanwhile, the reason Germany refused Xi’s visit to a Holocaust facility is not simply that it does not want to be drawn into the squabbling between China and Japan.
Germany itself is now trying to “graduate” from the past and move forward.
The other day, Foreign Minister Steinmeier, together with the foreign ministers of France and Poland, volunteered to act as a mediator in order to bring the confused situation in Ukraine under control.
Germany is also considering sending troops to help restore security in the Central African Republic, which has descended into civil war, and in this and other ways is seeking to play a role on the front lines of the international community without being excessively timid.
Furthermore, Chancellor Merkel, who visited Israel last week, expressed “great concern” about Jewish settlements on the West Bank, showing a stern attitude by saying things painful to Jewish ears as well.
For Xi, who wants to talk about the past during his visit to Germany, this is not an auspicious development.
“Merkel has up to now spoken forthrightly about China’s human rights issues.
She also met with the 14th Dalai Lama, pushing past protests from the Chinese government,” Davis says.
“If China wants to discuss Nazi imperialism and racist policies, Merkel would be able to explain to China the lessons her own country learned from its past.”
Jason Overdorf