Xinhua Commentary: Japan's right-wing distortion of history is a brazen assault on justice

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- History brooks no distortion, yet Japan's right-wing forces continue to fabricate and disseminate false narratives to whitewash wars of aggression and warp historical truth, which constitutes a brazen assault on justice and an open affront to human conscience.

Deploying rhetorical tricks, these right-wing elements have concocted false narratives. They glorify Japan's war of aggression against Asian neighbors as "the liberation of Asia," downplay the horrendous Nanjing Massacre as "the Nanjing incident," whitewash the infamous Unit 731 as a "public health research unit," and dismiss forced labor and "comfort women" as "voluntary." Such sophistry, however, crumbles under the weight of overwhelming historical evidence.

The Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression caused over 35 million Chinese military and civilian casualties, alongside catastrophic economic losses. The brutal Nanjing Massacre claimed the lives of more than 300,000 people -- a figure unequivocally established by the verdicts of post-war military tribunals. Despite this, Japan's right-wing forces have downplayed or shamelessly denied these wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese military, grossly undermining historical justice.

These forces have even launched frenzied attacks against the Chinese film "Dead to Rights," which depicts the Nanjing Massacre, fearing the historical truth it reveals. Nonetheless, the film has resonated deeply with audiences in China and many other countries, including the United States, Russia, Germany, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia.

Regarding the infamous Unit 731 -- Japan's World War II germ-warfare unit, archival materials recently provided by Russia to China, including trial records of Unit 731 members and investigation reports into the unit's crimes, further confirm that Japan's biological warfare was a top-down, state-organized war crime. These documents offer irrefutable evidence for restoring historical truth. At least 3,000 people from China, the Soviet Union and other countries and regions were subjected to human experimentation by Unit 731.

Japan's right-wing forces have long sought to break free from the constraints of the nation's pacifist constitution, steering the country toward re-militarization and the pursuit of "military power" status.

Through doctored textbooks and media manipulation, revisionist historical views are being fed to Japan's youth, fostering a dangerous nostalgia for militarism. Right-wing forces incessantly dwell on the suffering caused by the atomic bombings while remaining conspicuously silent on the root cause, Japan's own military aggression. Their campaign to whitewash this history of aggression reveals a desire to retrace the path of militarism. This intent is further exposed by remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Nov. 7, which implied the possibility of armed Japanese intervention in the Taiwan Strait.

The international community must make collective efforts to condemn and debunk all attempts in Japan to glorify aggression and distort history, and to resolutely thwart Japan's ambition to rearm itself and even revive militarism. This is essential to upholding justice and safeguarding humanity's hard-won peace.

If Japan truly aspires to be a responsible nation worthy of international respect and trust, it must confront history with sincerity, repent its crimes of aggression, and faithfully fulfill its obligations as a WWII defeated country through concrete actions. ■