Malaysian politician: Beware the resurgence of Japanese militarism

A commentary by Yu Chin Liik, permanent chairman of Sarawak-based Parti Bumi Kenyalang, was recently republished on Ehornbill, a Malaysian news website. The article reviews the historical trauma inflicted by Japanese militarism, criticizes certain Japanese politicians, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, for perpetuating a distorted view of history, and calls on the international community to remain vigilant against militarism in order to safeguard world peace.

According to the commentary, the aggression carried out by Japanese militarists in the 20th century brought an unprecedented devastation to Asia, and the Pacific region, particularly to China. Entire villages were burned, countless women were subjected to brutal violence, and innumerable families were torn apart overnight. The atrocities, the article stresses, constitute a collective historical tragedy shared by all the peoples of Asia.

Yet today, the commentary notes, Sanae Takaichi openly denies Japan's history of aggression, whitewashes its colonial rule, and has even claimed that a Taiwan contingency would be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, a statement that amounts to blatant interference in China's internal affairs. Such provocative rhetoric and actions, it argues, reveals that a segment of Japanese politicians continues to embrace an erroneous view of history. Their actions, the article warns, demonstrates that "the spectre of militarism has not fully faded" and represents a grave affront to historical justice.

The article stresses that without a thorough reckoning with Japanese militarism, the risk of its resurgence remains. If historical truths are distorted or rewritten, past tragedies could be repeated. Therefore, the international community must remain highly vigilant and unequivocally condemn any attempts to glorify militarist aggression. Only through collective effort, it concludes, can nations preserve and safeguard the hard-won peace.