As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Potsdam Proclamation, a Japanese scholar has voiced concern over Japan's deepening historical divide and the persistent lack of national consensus on wartime responsibility.
In an interview with China Central Television, Atsushi Kouketsu, emeritus professor of Yamaguchi University, noted that despite Japan's official acceptance of the Proclamation at the end of World War II, Japanese society today still exhibits widespread confusion, denial, and avoidance regarding its contents.
He pointed out that Japan places greater emphasis on the so-called "Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War" rather than the legally binding Potsdam Proclamation, which clearly outlined Japan's defeat and the responsibilities it must bear.
Eighty years after the issuance of the Potsdam Proclamation, the document occupies a complicated and contradictory position in Japanese society - some choose to ignore it, some attempt to deny it, while others persist in reflection.
This fractured view of history not only influences Japan's understanding of its wartime responsibilities but also continues to cast a shadow over the country's prospects for reconciliation with its Asian neighbors and with the wider international community.
"Compared with the Potsdam Proclamation, Japan places greater emphasis on the 'Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War', conveying to the public the impression that the war was not a defeat, but merely an end. The Potsdam Proclamation clearly set out the reasons for Japan's defeat and the obligations it must bear thereafter. Yet these contents were never fully conveyed to the public. This may have been a 'natural outcome' brought about either by the Japanese government or by the United States, as the core of the occupying forces, as part of their strategy for post-war governance of Japan," said Kouketsu.
On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan signed the instrument of unconditional surrender and pledged to faithfully implement all provisions of the Potsdam Proclamation.
From the standpoint of international law, Japan's acceptance of the Proclamation renders it legally binding, forming the very foundation of the post-war order in East Asia.
"The most important point of the Potsdam Proclamation was to ensure that Japanese militarism would never be revived. However, it is regrettable that the Yasukuni Shrine still exists, and although the so-called war criminals were indeed removed from office, most of them returned to their original positions within two to three years and regained power. In other words, the post-war reckoning was extremely incomplete. Many Japanese people, through their visits to Yasukuni Shrine, have gradually come to beautify and affirm that war. This is clearly in complete contradiction to the objectives pursued by the Potsdam Proclamation," the scholar noted.
Japan still divided in acceptance of Potsdam Declaration: scholar
