A peace-themed exhibition was held in Tokyo's Chuo ward on Saturday, displaying historical accounts of Japan's aggression and atrocities during World War II and calling on Japanese society to face up to the country's wartime history.
The exhibition featured testimonies from former members of the country's notorious wartime Unit 731, information on Japan's use of chemical weapons during the war, and accounts of Japan's wartime atrocities presented through recitations, songs and other forms.
"We must never forget this history. I am already quite old myself. In order to pass this history on to the next generation, to tell them what Japan actually did during the war and about the crimes committed by Japan as the aggressor and perpetrator, I began conducting activities related to this about 25 years ago, and have since focused on passing this history on to the next generation," said the organizer of the exhibition Kazuo Fukuda.
Japanese participants at the expo criticized the government's attempts to revise the three non-nuclear principles, promote military expansion and Constitution revision.
"I didn't know much about these before. Today I saw a lot of information. Although the venue isn't large, it contains so much information. It was really painful to see all this. I hope [the Japanese government] won't so easily get involved in wars, including seeking to possess [nuclear] weapons. In the end, that will only bring suffering to the people. I have only one thing to say: I hope this will never happen again," a visitor said.
"We were all born after the war, so the generation that experienced and knew about that war is gradually diminishing. Under these circumstances, as Japanese people, we should seriously examine the crimes Japan committed as the aggressor," another participant said.
They also voiced clear opposition to visits by some Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday.
"It's absolutely outrageous. Yasukuni Shrine is not a shrine at all. The so-called 'war spirits' were people who launched wars on their own initiative, and then they are 'enshrined' there. What does it mean to 'enshrine' them? When I think about these things, I can only feel angry. I believe Yasukuni Shrine should not exist at all," said a local resident after visiting the expo.
Japanese citizens call for remembrance of WWII aggression at Tokyo peace exhibition
Japanese citizens call for remembrance of WWII aggression at Tokyo peace exhibition
Japanese citizens call for remembrance of WWII aggression at Tokyo peace exhibition
