United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned military escalation in the Middle East, highlighting concerns over Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites amid ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, urging restraint to prevent deeper regional conflict, according to a statement issued by the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN chief on Thursday.
The secretary-general is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran's nuclear programme are underway, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general.
The secretary-general recalls the obligation of UN member states to act in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, the spokesperson said.
The secretary-general asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford, the spokesperson added.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said their jets struck many military and nuclear sites in different areas of Iran.
Iran's official news agency reported that two senior commanders of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and two nuclear scientists were killed in the airstrikes.
Both Israel and Iran closed their airspace following the attacks, and Israel declared a nationwide state of emergency.
UN chief condemns Israeli airstrikes on Iran amid nuclear talks
UN chief condemns Israeli airstrikes on Iran amid nuclear talks
UN chief condemns Israeli airstrikes on Iran amid nuclear talks
UN chief condemns Israeli airstrikes on Iran amid nuclear talks
Japan should better inform its younger generations about its history of aggression during World War II (WWII) to raise anti-war awareness in society, according to descendants of Japanese invaders in China during WWII.
On July 7, 1937, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing, marking the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of China and China's nationwide resistance against the Japanese invaders, initiating a whole-of-nation war effort that opened the main Eastern battlefield in the global war against fascism.
In a recent interview with China Media Group, Kuroi Akio, one of the five descendants who visited China last year for an apology tour, warned about the lack of information in today's education system regarding Japan's wartime invasion of China and other Asian countries.
"Three years ago, I asked a group of children between the ages of six and 10 if Japan had ever been in a war and where it was fought. About 70 children raised their hands, so I asked them one by one. Every child answered 'America,' and not one mentioned any other country. The children knew about the war with the United States and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, they didn't know about Japan's invasions of China, the Korean Peninsula, China's Taiwan region, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This is the reality, and that's why the education in Japan is so hopeless," said Kuroi, who knelt down before the Chinese people during his apology tour in northeast China's Jilin Province last September.
Kurokawa Yasuko, another descendant, also called for better education in Japan about its wartime history, saying it was essential for a properly informed public opinion.
"I think that [the lack of war history education] is wrong. It's important to teach students the history of Japan's invasion to others in the modern world, otherwise the public opinion of this country will be steered in the wrong direction," she said.
"We hope to create a strong anti-war public opinion in Japan. My activities are called 'micro-power' in Japan, a tiny power indeed, but by gathering voices of support and agreement, such drops of water will become a stream, a river, and eventually an ocean. Without a peaceful future, mankind can't survive. Humanity's future can only be realized through the belief in peace," Kuroi said.
Japan should better inform younger generations about its wartime atrocities: WWII descendants
