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BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhuanet) -- All political parties and people of Asia should make efforts to support the application of the Article 9 in Japan's Constitution for Nobel Peace Prize and stop Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe from "going ballistic."
This was expressed by Japanese political and diplomatic critic and member of Japanese Reporters Association Honzawa Jirou in a written interview with Xinhuanet lately.
Honzawa Jirou spoke on a wide range of issues to Xinhuanet in the interview, including Abe's wrong attitude on Japan's wartime history, the security legislation recently adopted by the Japanese government, and the application of the Meiji industrial relics for world heritage status.
Abe denies wartime history, said the Japanese critic, pointing to Abe's denying on May 20 of the Potsdam Proclamation, which states clearly that the war Japan waged over 70 years ago is an aggression war.
From Abe's attitude towards the Tokyo Trail and the WWII class-A war criminals, the world can get a glimpse of his real intention in making visits to the Yasukuni shrine, added Honzawa Jirou.
Last month, Abe hinted he would not repeat the wording of the 1995 Murayama Statement like "colonial rule", "aggression" or "heartfelt apology".
This revealed that Abe, on the surface, claimed he would carry on the statements by former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, but in reality, he would make no real apology nor reflection on Japan’s wartime crimes, Honzawa Jirou stressed.
In fact, he is making a cunning evasion and whitewashing the country's war past, said Honzawa Jirou.
Moreover, he added, the security legislation which enables Japan to expand the role of its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) will put Asia in great danger.
Clearly, the legislative provisions violate the Article 9 while exposing Abe and other right-wing forces’ attempt to subvert peace, he said, stressing the legislation is a "bill of war".
Talking about the application of Meiji relics for world heritage status, Honzawa Jirou said, the move is as ridiculous and unimaginable as the German Nazi remnants would have done the same.
These are industrial relics left from the Meiji period, but also scenes of cruel corvee of forced labor from China, the Korean Peninsula and other Asian countries during the Second World War, he said.
Why does the Abe government go ballistic? Why does Abe not face up to history? Why does Abe intend to depart from the post-war international order? The reason lies in the support he gets from the extreme rightists, which gives Abe a worry-free time during elections and in implementation of his domestic policies, Honzawa Jirou answered.
Insightful political leaders and masses in Japan and South Korea have launched a campaign to promote the application of the Article 9 for the prize.
Honzawa Jirou believed the article has great bearing on peace and stability in Asia, and its success in the application may pull Abe away from “going ballistic”, adding chances would be much bigger if the campaign gains momentum in China.
By Yao Siyan, Zhang Yi, Li Xianghua
