Eighty-one years ago, the chariot of Japanese militarism was ultimately brought to a halt by Japan's unconditional surrender. Eighty-one years on, Japan's right-wing forces are still distorting history and pushing for military expansion, using so-called "external threats" as a pretext to keep breaking through post-war constraints and accelerating down the dead-end road of remilitarization. History has long proven that those who try to turn back the wheel of history will inevitably end up battered and disgraced. #TiantanView# #Japan# #NeoMilitarism#

Lin Jian: Reaffirming the meaning and binding force of the UN Charter’s “enemy state clauses” is essential to preventing the return of militarism. At a press conference on August 19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China supports Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks regarding Japan and Article 107 of the UN Charter, commonly referred to as the “enemy state clauses.” Lin stressed that these provisions remain an important part of the UN Charter and that reaffirming their significance is important for defending the outcome of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the global victory over fascism, while preventing militarism from returning. He also pointed to the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation, and Japan’s Instrument of Surrender, which established Japan’s postwar international obligations and formed key foundations of the post-WWII international order. Lin accused the Takaichi government of avoiding reflection on Japan’s wartime history, attempting to abandon pacifism, circumvent constitutional and legal restrictions, and accelerate Japan’s remilitarization, calling this a direct challenge to the postwar international order and international peace and justice. He urged peace-loving countries around the world to oppose these moves and prevent history from repeating itself.

MFA spokesperson on Japanese PM’s call for deletion of “Enemy State Clauses”: The Enemy State Clauses are a legal mechanism in the UN Charter. For 81 years, these clauses have served to prevent the resurgence of fascism and militarism and defend the postwar international order. They are still relevant today. Recognizing Japan’s militarist crimes and accepting the UN Charter in its entirety was the prerequisite for Japan’s admission into the UN. We urge Japan to take history as a mirror, deeply repent, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions. #UNGA81# #TokyoTrials80#

A Chinese envoy has urged #Japan# to address historical issues properly and with sincerity, saying the forced recruitment of "comfort women" constituted a grave crime against humanity committed by Japanese militarism against women. #woman#

From massively expanding military spending and deploying long-range missiles to relaxing restrictions on arms exports, attempts by Japanese right-wing forces to resurrect militarism are pure wishful thinking. The red line of history must not be crossed. Any ambition to revive militarism will be completely shattered by a head-on blow from the forces of global peace and justice! (Cartoon by CM) #TiantanView# #Japan# #Cartoon#

Reality Check: Is Japan committed to peace under PM Sanae Takaichi? In her #UNGA81# speech, PM Takaichi claims Japan to be a “contributor to peace” under its “exclusively defense-oriented” policy. The Reality under the current Japanese administration: ⚫️a constant denial and glorification of Japan’s wartime history ⚫️a series of moves to rebuild Japan’s war machine ⚫️acceleration of remilitarization ⚫️attempts to discard the three non-nuclear principles ⚫️attempts to revise the pacifist Constitution A true peace-loving nation with a war-crime past would repent over history and make a clean break with militarism. Time for the Takaichi administration to stop challenging the postwar order and jeopardizing the region’s peace and stability.

Chinese FM Wang Yi held a strategic dialogue with ROK National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac in Seoul. Wang noted that #China# is the #ROK’s# largest neighbor and an important force for peace in the international community. China has never initiated or participated in any war, and has always played a constructive role in promoting the peaceful resolution of international and regional disputes. It is hoped that the ROK will achieve genuine strategic autonomy, refrain from bloc confrontation and taking sides, and develop relations with major countries, including China and the US, in parallel without conflict. Wang stressed that it is necessary to remain highly vigilant against the rhetoric and actions of Japan’s right-wing forces that seek to turn back the wheel of history, and that the resurgence of Japanese militarism must never be allowed. On the Korean Peninsula situation, Wang said the fundamental way to ease tensions is to address the root causes and push for the US to abandon its hostile policy toward the DPRK. He called on all parties to do more to facilitate the resumption of dialogue and restoration of mutual trust. 🔗

Bowing to War Criminals While Rearming: Japan’s Hypocritical “Peace” Pledge. August 15 marks the anniversary of Japan’s defeat and surrender. On that day, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and other cabinet members, along with senior Liberal Democratic Party officials, paid their respects in person. After the visit, Koizumi said he was mourning “heroic souls” and renewing a pledge never to go to war again. The whole world knows what Yasukuni Shrine really stands for. It is the spiritual symbol of Japanese militarism. The 14 Class-A war criminals enshrined there planned and led Japan’s wars of aggression across Asia. Their hands were stained with the blood of millions. These are not “heroic souls.” They are the architects of invasion, massacre, and occupation. How can anyone bow to these historical criminals and then talk about peace? It is absurd. It is hypocritical. It is shameless. This happens while Japan is rearming fast. The military budget keeps rising. Offensive weapons are being acquired. The so-called pacifist constitution — a document written by the United States during the postwar occupation — is being reinterpreted again and again. Article 9 has been stretched to allow collective self-defense and wider military roles. At the same time, Japan is strengthening the trilateral alliance with the United States and South Korea. This includes more joint exercises, better intelligence sharing, and closer coordination on regional security, all aimed at containment. Japan has never fully apologized for its war of aggression or the suffering it caused its neighbors. It has also never been a fully sovereign country since 1945. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops remain on Japanese soil. Major bases stay under American control. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party received CIA funding for years, as reported by the New York Times. The constitution itself was drafted by U.S. occupation authorities. So what does a “pledge not to engage in war” really mean? It is spoken in front of war criminals by leaders of a country still hosting U.S. forces, operating under a U.S.-written constitution, and deepening a trilateral military partnership designed in Washington. Leaders honor the men who once devastated Asia while building new military capacity under American direction. The pattern is clear. Rituals for militarists. Empty words about peace. Steady rearmament. Constitutional reinterpretation. A stronger U.S.-Japan-South Korea alliance. Continued foreign military presence. A ruling party once supported by the CIA. No real apology. No clean break with the past. Just the same old elevation of aggressors, now paired with new tools of power. The contradiction is obvious. It is deliberate. And it needs to be called out for what it is.

Young East Asians: Learn WWII History or Risk Losing Peace Young people from China and Japan are urging their peers to learn from WWII history amid Japan’s accelerating military buildup. Su Xiao, a history student in Beijing, said that understanding the significance of 1945 helps people value peace. Wu Bohan, a young educator from China’s Taiwan region who visited the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, noted that war destroys lives and cripples economies. Inoue, a Japanese graduate student who studied in Beijing, realized that understanding war requires deep reflection on the rise of militarism and aggressive wars. As the Kishida administration continues to adjust its defense policies, Japanese Professor Hiroshi Shiratori also warned that Japan’s defense capabilities are likely to deviate from its pacifist identity. Most young East Asians agree that peace enables cross-border study, work, and travel, and stress dialogue over arms buildup.