It is unacceptable for the government to deny historical fact of wartime ‘mass suicide’ in Okinawa

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

   On September 29, Okinawans will hold a rally demanding that the Education Ministry rescind its high school textbook screening policy of deleting an account that the Japanese Imperial Army forced Okinawans to commit “mass suicide” during the Battle of Okinawa in WWII.

   Nobody can deny the fact that among the 120,000 victims of the battle, many were killed by or forced to kill themselves by the Japanese Army. Success of the rally, in which Governor Nakaima Hirokazu, municipalities, municipal assemblies and local organizations are expected to take part, will show Okinawans’ strong determination to not allow such a distortion of history.

Government ignores testimonies

   The fact that the Japanese Army was involved in residents’ deaths was characteristic of the Battle of Okinawa. Based on this historical fact, textbooks that have been used in schools wrote that the Japanese Army forced Okinawans into “mass suicide.”

   Despite this, the Education Ministry this year ordered textbook publishers to delete the account by stating, “At this time, it is impossible to clearly state whether the military ordered residents to commit suicide.”

   This is absolutely unacceptable for those who have reasonable knowledge about the battle. This is why the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly and all 41 municipal assemblies in the prefecture adopted resolutions protesting the education ministry decision.

   This policy reflects the wishes of the pro-Yasukuni Shrine forces, including Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, to justify Japan’s past war of aggression and glorify the acts of the Japanese Imperial Army.

   “Mass suicides,” in which family members killed themselves using grenades given to them by the Japanese Army, sickles, or sticks, was forced into by the military.

   In Zamami Island and elsewhere on the Kerama Archipelago where U.S. forces first landed f in Okinawa, the Army had repeatedly assembled residents in order to have them swear to fight the war against the U.S. to the end, and military officials had instructed them to “die with honor” to avoid capture by the U.S.

   Prime Minister Abe, however, has completely neglected the testimonies of survivors, revealing the same attitude towards the wartime sex slavery issue. He does not listen to victims’ testimonies because he refuses to face the historical facts.

Lies must not be taught

   The pro-Yasukuni forces argue that there was no massacre in Nanking when Japan invaded, that there is no evidence showing that the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces coerced foreign women into sex slavery, and that the military did not force Okinawans into acts of “mass suicide.” These arguments are aimed at justifying Japan’s war of aggression and the military’s barbarous acts.

   Instilling such lies in young people will lead to the same mistake that Japan made in the past. It is important for us to block any attempt to justify the past war of aggression and turn Japan into a nation ready to wage wars abroad.

- Akahata, September 14, 2007