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发表于 2011-8-10 13:07:43
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VOX POPULI: The wrongs of the past are not forgotten
I wrote about the folklorist Kunio Yanagita (1875-1962) in this column on Aug. 8. Let me cite him again. Reading through his book "Yukiguni no Haru" (Spring in snow country), I came across the following passage and underlined it: "I felt that in history, there are also steps like half-dried squid or bonito."
In other words, unlike "surume" squid and "katsuobushi" bonito, which are completely dry, some events in history are still half-dry. Although they occurred many years ago, they have not been put behind us. I remembered the passage when I read a story that recently ran in the international section of The Asahi Shimbun. According to the story, a monument in China dedicated to Japanese settlers of the former Manchuria was removed slightly more than 10 days after its erection.
The monument was erected by the local government of Fangzheng county in Heilongjiang province to celebrate Japan-China friendship. While the local government had the approval of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, criticism spread on the Internet. People asked why the county was erecting a monument to invaders of their country. Fangzheng county, which tends to be pro-Japanese, is reportedly shrinking in the face of harsh criticism.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Manchurian Incident that marked the start of Japan's military invasion of northeastern China. Although 66 years have passed since the end of World War II, this history is neither dried nor half-dried. The bonito in this case is still fresh and alive. If we cut it, it will bleed. The situation cannot be simply dismissed as a manifestation of "extremely anti-Japanese" feelings. It reflects real feelings.
Yanagita was talking about his impression of the area stricken by the great Sanriku tsunami of 1896 when he visited it more than 20 years later. "Aside from the personal misfortunes of individuals, the scars have completely healed," he also wrote. While it may appear cured on the outside, individuals are still shedding tears underneath the skin of reconstruction. This must be true of both natural disasters and war.
Even now that we have experienced dazzling postwar prosperity, many people have yet to make war a thing of the past. Of course, the Japanese are not the only ones. In August, a month of mourning and remembrance, we must develop imaginations that transcend national borders.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 9 |
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