For 67 years after the war, Japan failed to confront the fascism embedded in anti-Japanese education in neighboring countries. This essay indicts Japan’s intellectual class for abandoning its moral responsibility.

2016-08-27
The following essay was originally published on 2012-08-30.

For 67 years after the war, Japan has continued to look away from the fascism that exists right there.

In all of human history, no one and no nation has fulfilled its responsibility for war in such a manner.

Even after 67 years since the war, neighboring countries—South Korea and China—continue the fascism known as anti-Japanese education, and whenever circumstances demand it, in order to prolong the life of the regime in power at the time, or when the anger of citizens imprisoned within fascism at a mental age of twelve is finally about to be directed toward their own rulers, they invariably incite these pitiful citizens to raise anti-Japanese voices.

In the face of such realities, Japan’s professional cultural figures, who have done not even the bare minimum—such as filing a complaint with the United Nations or placing opinion advertisements in leading American newspapers to challenge these practices—are all disqualified and have failed.

Without confronting the fascism that has stood plainly before us for 67 years, what meaning do anti-nuclear power demonstrations possibly have.

Do they truly believe that such actions can repay Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

For 67 years after the war, Japan has continued to look away from the fascism that exists right there.