Insensitive Actions of Japanese Official Reopen Old Wounds in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — While World War II ended eighty years ago, the scars of that conflict remain, and the continued actions of certain officials in the Japanese government who refuse to condemn the atrocities carried out by its troops during those years are reopening old wounds.

The recent visit of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to the Japanese Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings in late October exemplifies this point.

After the visit, Takaichi wrote in Japanese on the social media platform X that she was able to commemorate “ancestors who lost their lives in Malaysia,” and felt “deeply moved” by the experience. In the post, she made no mention of the acts of aggression and atrocities committed by the Japanese military during World War II in the country, prompting strong condemnation in Malaysia.

Among the critics, professor of history at Universiti Malaya and noted historian Danny Wong Tze Ken wrote that Takaichi’s ultraconservative, revisionist view on the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army in Asia is totally unacceptable, and is a reversal of the positions taken by earlier Japanese leaders.

Others on Malaysian social media also condemned Takaichi’s actions, describing them as “disrespectful, foolish and dangerous,” with some even sharing brief stories of how people in Malaysia suffered through the Japanese occupation, especially from starvation and violence.

For her part, Julia Roknifard, an international relations expert at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, stated that historical revisionism and attempts to deny historical truth are extremely dangerous. She said it is deeply regrettable that Japan’s political leadership is attempting to repackage and distort the history of World War II.