China and Korea haunted by Japan\\\'s imperial past

Contrary to the popular expectations in much of Far Northeast and Southeast Asia, Japanese rightwing prime minister Shinzo Abe did not say anything new on August 14 evening on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In his closely watched speech on the wartime Japanese aggression, Abe said previous Japanese apologies "were unshakable" and emphasised that "future generations (of Japanese) should not have to keep saying sorry."  
He did not make even a passing reference to the Chinese invitation to him to take part in the 70th anniversary function of ending the World War II scheduled for September 03 in Beijing. In case he refuses to participate in the first such event in Beijing will obviously have serious impact on the relationship of the two countries. However, Japanese media has speculated that Abe is unlikely to participate in the Beijing parade on that day, but may try to make a visit 'either before or after the event.'  There is yet no sign of his undertaking any visit to China prior to the September 03 Beijing event. However, his visit to China after the event is not being ruled out. But it has to wait until the Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to Washington shortly after September 03.     
It is said that one can judge a politician's intent not only by the things he says but the things he crucially omits. Abe is seemingly honing his expertise in it. Analysts dutifully found the words mentioned by him included "colonial rules," "aggression," "apology" and "reflection" in the text officially released by the authority. But it is considered that it was Abe's 'personal statement' and by this he wanted to change the consistency of history.   
However, Professor Meng Xiaoxu of China University of International Relations in a recent commentary said: "The ambiguity of the Japanese language can always comfort Japanese people when they try to describe or even argue about the country's wartime history. A correct attitude towards history bonds Japan and its neighbouring countries. Without proper apology, statements made by Japanese prime ministers (in the past) to mark the anniversaries of WWII will lose their weight."
Meanwhile, AFP reported from Hong Kong that China and South Korea had previously made it clear that they wanted the Japanese prime minister to 'stick to explicit prime ministerial apologies'. Both the countries are more serious about this issue than others because of historical background. A Xinhua report on the issue pointed out that Abe mentioned that previous (Japanese) cabinets had apologised for Japan's wartime past, but 'side-stepped offering his own.'
At a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule, South Korean President Park Geun-hye pointedly said: "The Japanese government should back its open declaration of inheriting history perception of previous (Japanese) cabinets in the future with consistent and sincere actions to win trust from neighbouring countries and the international society." She said history cannot be glossed over, but has been 'alive with testimonies of living witnesses'. She pointed out that the country paid attention to Abe clearly mentioning his pledges not to shake positions of previous governments in historical issues based on apology and remorse towards Japan's aggression and colonisation that inflicted much damage and sufferings to the peoples of many countries and 'comfort women' victims.
RAPID RESOLUTION OF SENSITIVE ISSUES: The comfort women issue is very sensitive and refers to about 200,000 women, mostly Korean (both the North and South), forced into sexual slavery for the imperial Japan's military brothels during WWII. President Park urged the Abe government to 'rapidly resolve' the comfort women issue in a right way as Abe refused to 'clearly' acknowledge and apologise for sexual abuse.
Japan and South Korea normalised their relations in 1965 and two statements - one made in 1993 by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono and Prime Minister Murayama in 1995 - sustained their bilateral ties. The Kono statement was the first official apology from Japan that acknowledged the imperialistic Japan had recruited the 'comfort women.' The Murayama statement clearly apologised to the Asian neighbours who had suffered from Japan's colonisation, war of aggression and wartime brutalities under its militaristic past. Both were clear and specific.
Japan's wartime history and aggression have come under renewed focus after Prime Minister Abe stormed into power in 2012. It has plenty of reasons and based on evidence. For example, Abe is a conservative nationalist and also known as a 'revisionist'. Earlier in 1995 when Japan's National Diet (Parliament) was discussing a resolution for the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the WWII, Abe, a new member of the house, absented himself from vote. The reason for this was that, sources say, he had objected to the words "colonial rules" and "aggression" in the resolution.
This did not end there. Professor Meng Xiaoxu says after he became the prime minister in 2012, Abe made, which was described in the social media as "shocking claim", that the definition of 'aggression' has yet to be established.  He even praised convicted Japanese war criminals as martyrs and said that wartime 'comfort women' were victims of "human trafficking." It has reopened old wounds.
This year, the statement on  the 70th anniversary of WWII was analysed with special focus on Abe's decision to revise the country's pacifist constitution since the war and the passage of the Collective Defence Policy Bill in the Japanese Parliament on July 16. Prime Minister Abe's ambiguity in making such an important statement and clever attempt to practically reopen issues that were considered as closed gave rise to more suspicion and misgivings.     
A recent survey, jointly conducted by China's Global Times and Seoul-based MK Business News, provides interesting insight of the popular Korean and Chinese thinking about Japan and Abe in particular. Asked whether it is necessary for the three countries (China, South Korea and Japan) to hold a summit after three years, 55.2 per cent of the Chinese and 65.2 per cent of South Koreans replied that dialogue can be reopened if Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is willing to apologise for his country's wartime aggression. Besides, 94.2 per cent South Koreans and 48.3 per cent of Chinese respondents said they are worried about the revival of (Japanese) militarism in the next decade.        
China says more than 20 million of its people died because of Japan's invasion, occupation and atrocities in China while Tokyo colonised the Korean Peninsula for 35 years. Some say, the wounds are deep and may take time and endeavours to gradually heal. The Abe statement seems to have done just the opposite.
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