In 1989, Emperor Hirohito, who had ruled Japan for more than 60 years, died of illness. The worship of him in Japan once again reached a new height. The mastermind who once single-handedly planned the Second World War suddenly transformed into a hero in the hearts of the people.

Hirohito

In 1989, Emperor Hirohito, who had ruled Japan for more than 60 years, died of illness. The worship of him in Japan once again reached a new height.

The mastermind who once single-handedly planned the World War II suddenly became a hero in the hearts of the people. There were many comments about "Emperor Hirohito's innocence".

War criminal, notorious

Is Emperor Hirohito really innocent? The answer is of course no. Hirohito was not only not innocent in the war of aggression against China, he could even be described as guilty.

According to Japanese historical records, in 1941, when the U.S. fleet was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Emperor Hirohito met with important senior cabinet officials and military leaders several times within a few months.

Later, Japan's NHK radio station unexpectedly obtained the notebooks of Tajima Michio, Japan's first Imperial Household Agency chief, which recorded a large number of conversations between him and Emperor Hirohito. Emperor Hirohito also expressed his determination to go to war several times.

All kinds of evidence show that the heinous crimes committed by Emperor Hirohito and Japanese militarism were not fabricated out of thin air, but existed in reality.

Let me ask you, if everyone in Japan did not receive the order from Emperor Hirohito, how could they sneak attack on Pearl Harbor and trigger a series of world wars?

In just a few days, Japan occupied Hong Kong, invaded Malay , captured Singapore , and expanded to India and Australia at a crazy speed. Did Emperor Hirohito not know about this?

During the Japanese invasion of China, they used biological warfare against China. The 731 unit they established caused countless unarmed civilians to fall into the torture of diseases, and the Chinese land was devastated.

Kawashima Kiyoshi said: "The 731st Kawashima Kiyoshi Force was established in 1936 in accordance with Emperor Hirohito's secret order."

In Emperor Hirohito's plan, the invasion of China had been planned for a long time. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the Nanjing Massacre, and Emperor Hirohito also played a driving role in it.

In the war of aggression against China and World War II, Emperor Hirohito was never a bystander.

Later, the United States atomic bomb joined the world battlefield, and the world situation changed dramatically.

Japan has changed from the original vertical and horizontal fight to a steady retreat. In the end, the proud Emperor Hirohito made the decision to surrender.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately caused a huge shock in the Japanese military circles.

Puyi met with Hirohito

Militarist radical and Army Minister Yui Anan, even threatened to commit suicide to prevent Hirohito from surrendering. Even so, Emperor Hirohito still insisted on surrendering despite all opinions.

He concealed the truth and acted in collusion.

Such "intentional action" in defiance of the disapproval of the world was not the impulse of Emperor Hirohito, but the result of his careful consideration.

Before Emperor Hirohito made the surrender promise, he had reached an agreement with the United States, requiring the United States to allow Japan to retain the emperor system.

At the same time, the United States should adopt an attitude of non-accountability for all crimes committed by Emperor Hirohito during World War II .

From the perspective of the United States, World War II brought great losses to countries around the world, especially Japan. This is also the best time for the United States to control Japan.

Once Japan becomes an assistant to the United States, it will pose a fatal threat to the Soviet Union in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan’s emperor system has become deeply rooted through historical precipitation. The prestige established by Emperor Hirohito during the war has also become the spiritual pillar of the Japanese people.

If Emperor Hirohito is tried at this time and the emperor system is deprived, it may cause chaos in Japan.

Obviously, turning Emperor Hirohito into a puppet, stabilizing Japan, and then controlling the entire country is the best choice for the United States.

In order to win over people's hearts, the U.S. government proposed to Emperor Hirohito that it should adopt a non-recognition attitude on the issue of World War II.

The Japanese people were originally the initiators of the war and committed numerous crimes. They racked their brains in order to exonerate themselves. This suggestion from the United States seemed to give Emperor Hirohito and others hope.

Therefore, an acquittal conspiracy jointly planned by the United States and Japan officially began.

In August 1945, Emperor Hirohito issued the " Final War Edict", which said: "The enemy has recently used new and cruel bombs, causing innocent people to be killed and injured, and the damage done is difficult to estimate."

The implication is that the United States dropped The atomic bomb caused Japan to suffer huge losses and had to make the decision to surrender.

Between the lines, the Japanese never mentioned the word aggression, let alone expressed remorse for their war actions. As "Xinhua Daily" said: "The Japanese Emperor showed no remorse, and the imperial edict did not contain the word 'surrender'" Words. "

In this way, the United States, despite the strong opposition of the world, helped Emperor Hirohito escape the trial of the military court and also helped Japan erase all war crimes.

Later, all walks of life in Japan took great pains to cover up their crimes. Japanese illustrations in history textbooks distorted the massacred Chinese people into people holding Japanese flags and smiling faces.

Japanese military officers during the war of aggression against China enjoyed playing killing games. However, the military officer in the Japanese history textbook actually teased the baby in his arms with a kind face.

Japan’s behavior of substituting one thing for another has aroused the resentment of people in China and other countries around the world.

Over the years, China has made a lot of efforts to get Japan to face up to its history and admit its aggression against China.

Japanese history textbook

The Chinese government has made statements through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on many occasions, urging Japan to face up to the fact of aggression.

In order to prevent the Japanese government from making excuses, China also released photos and video materials during the war, which involved a series of crimes such as Japanese bombing and Japan's forcible arrest of Chinese comfort women.

At the same time, a large number of civilian patriots embarked on a long journey to collect Japan's crimes.

Zhao Jimin, vice-president of the Society for the History of Sino-Japanese Relations in the Northeast, has traveled to Japan many times to collect physical evidence of the invasion of China. Japan has a military kettle that is regarded as a god, with the words "Shanghai Triumph" printed on it, and countless others. .

Zhao Jimin

Although Japan invaded China and committed numerous crimes, with irrefutable evidence, the Japanese government has always refused to acknowledge this for a long time and has used every possible means to shirk the blame internationally.

Faced with the rogue behavior of the Japanese government, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued hard with reason while quietly waiting for the opportunity to finally defeat the enemy with a single blow.

Face up to history and fight back

In January 1989, Emperor Hirohito passed away due to cancer . With his funeral imminent, China ushered in the opportunity to seek justice.

As the emperor who has been in charge of Japan for many years, Hirohito is deeply supported by the Japanese. His death has also brought unprecedented pain to the whole country of Japan.

In order to give Emperor Hirohito a "splendid burial", The Japanese cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss the details of the funeral. In the end, everyone chose Tokyo's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden as the venue for Emperor Hirohito's funeral.

In order to show the importance it attaches to Emperor Hirohito, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also contacted heads of state and government from all over the world to Japan and invited them to attend the funeral of Emperor Hirohito, including China.

Since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the 1970s, relations between the two countries have been moving forward steadily. After careful consideration, the Chinese government decided to accept Japan's invitation.

In the end, my country appointed Foreign Minister Qian Qichen to attend the funeral as the "Special Envoy of the President".

In the end, 163 countries and 27 international organizations in the world accepted the invitation and sent representatives. The presidents, prime ministers, kings, etc. of the United States, France, India, Philippines and other countries decided to attend the funeral in person.

Qian Qichen

Seeing this situation, the Japanese authorities breathed a sigh of relief. Japan did not expect that their attitude of denial would be strongly resisted by the international community in the future.

On December 14, Japanese Prime Minister Takeshita participated in a parliamentary defense. When discussing the issue of war responsibility, he said: "Whether the last war was an invasion should be evaluated by historians."

The implication is that Japan does not recognize itself. crime of aggression. The director-general of the cabinet system openly claimed that Emperor Hirohito "had no war responsibility" regardless of domestic law or international law.

These remarks further ignited the emotions of the emperor's supporters in Japan. They shouted loudly: "Emperor Hirohito is not responsible" in an attempt to exonerate him.

Takeshita Noboru

Takeshita Noboru’s remarks spread at a rapid speed internationally, and the World Anti-Fascist Alliance was very dissatisfied with it.

Prior to this, the Queen of England had decided to send Prince Philip to Japan to attend the funeral.

As soon as Noboru Takeshita's remarks were disclosed, there were complaints in the UK, saying: "This is an insult to the thousands of British and Australians who died in Far Eastern countries that were occupied by Japan during World War II."

The Australian Prime Minister learned that Japan Denied Emperor Hirohito's crime and directly canceled the funeral schedule.

South Korean people openly opposed the president's trip to Japan to attend the funeral of Emperor Hirohito, and criticized Emperor Hirohito in newspapers.

New Zealand ’s Minister of Defense bluntly stated that people like Emperor Hirohito should have been cut into pieces as early as the end of the war.

At the same time, in the face of Japan’s denial of aggression, China also has its own countermeasures.

Emperor Hirohito is notorious for his invasion of China. Since Japan is unwilling to admit its crime, our head of state cannot go.

Qian Qichen attended as the "Special Envoy of the President of the People's Republic of China" this time, but he actually had a heavy responsibility.

On the issue of Emperor Hirohito, China has always maintained its bottom line.

For the sake of Sino-Japanese friendship, China can attend the funeral of Emperor Hirohito, but it is not unconditional: China hopes that the Japanese authorities can admit the crimes of Japan's invasion of China under its leadership.

Therefore, Qian Qichen repeatedly ordered people to negotiate with the Japanese government, asking it to "face history".

Many war victims from China, the United Kingdom, and South Korea united to demand an explanation from Japan, catching Takeshita Noboru and the Japanese government off guard.

The grand "state funeral" of Emperor Hirohito that the Japanese imagined was also turned into a laughing stock, bringing disgrace to Japan.

In desperation, Noboru Takeshita urgently contacted the world leaders through diplomatic channels and asked for their understanding.

Takeshita Noboru said that the wars launched by Japan in the past have caused great damage to people all over the world. Japan will fully understand this fact and cherish peace in the future.

At the same time, in the face of China's legitimate rights and interests, Japan also responded: The 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement once stated that the Japanese government does not deny its understanding of past actions.

The Japanese government’s concessions have also softened the attitude of China and other countries around the world, and various countries have sent representatives to Japan.

html On February 23, Chinese special envoy Qian Qichen also boarded a plane to Japan. On February 24, Qian Qichen attended the state funeral ceremony held by the Japanese government for Emperor Hirohito.

During the funeral, 32,000 police officers stood on both sides of the street. The scale was the largest in history.

In the afternoon, Emperor Hirohito's coffin was carried into a hearse and drove to the cemetery, announcing the end of the funeral. However, the game between Japan and China over the historical facts of the invasion of China is far from over.

According to the original plan, Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita would meet with heads of state on the night after the funeral. However, that afternoon, Noboru Takeshita could not hold back his anxiety and met with Qian Qichen.

Takeshita Noboru said that the relationship between China and Japan should be developed on the basis of the "Joint Statement" signed when the two countries established diplomatic relations. The implication is that Japan still values ​​the cooperative relationship between the two countries.

As for China’s demand to “face history”, Takeshita Noboru did not mention a word and always talked about it.

In response, Qian Qichen counterattacked calmly: "The friendly relationship between China and Japan is based on Japan's correct treatment of history. In this regard, China will never give in."

Neither side is willing to make concessions. The meeting between Noboru Takeshita and Qian Qichen naturally ended on bad terms.

Soon after, the Japanese government once again dispatched Minister of Foreign Affairs Uno Soue to hold talks with Qian Qichen.

Uno Soue said that Takeshita Noboru’s remarks did not fully represent the attitude of the Japanese government. In other words, the Japanese government has already reflected on its behavior in waging war.

On the surface, Japan is trying to make concessions, but in fact it is trying to obscure the key points and then cover up the crimes committed by Emperor Hirohito in the war of aggression against China.

Seeing that the Japanese government had no intention of repenting, Qian Qichen once again reiterated my country's request for Japan to "face history squarely" and was determined not to make concessions.

html Thirty-three days later, due to China’s attitude and international public opinion, Noboru Takeshita issued a public statement, changing his previous attitude of refusing to admit war crimes: “The last war (Japan’s war of aggression) caused great harm to neighboring countries. This aggression The facts cannot be denied.”

At the same time, Takeshita Noboru also directly denied the theory of “Emperor Hirohito’s innocence.”

After many years, China finally achieved a staged victory on the diplomatic issue of requiring the Japanese government to face up to its history of aggression.

However, the denial factor in the hearts of the Japanese determines that in the face of the fact of aggression, the Japanese authorities always try to change the situation.

For a long time, every August, important Japanese political and military figures often visit the "Yasukuni Shrine" where war criminals of World War II are enshrined.

Their behavior of treating war criminals as heroes also shows the fact that they have no remorse. As far as China is concerned, it still has a long way to go to ask Japan to "face history squarely" and "acknowledge the fact of aggression."

Japan’s various war actions are too numerous to describe and there is overwhelming evidence. In the long and just struggle, China will eventually win.

References

[1] Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, "Major Events in Sino-Japanese Relations"

[2] Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, "Overview of Japan and Bilateral Relations with China"

[3] Xinhuanet, "Brief Introduction to Post-War Sino-Japanese Relations" Review》