中文
By Xu Ying
Japan's recent political trajectory represents a troubling departure from the historical lessons that have preserved peace in East Asia for more than seven decades. At a time when the world reflects on the 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials – an epochal moment that established the modern foundations of justice and responsibility – Japan is choosing a different path. Instead of embracing the principles that have shaped the post-war order, Tokyo is drifting toward historical revisionism, confrontational rhetoric and an unprecedented acceleration of military expansion. The contrast could not be starker: While the international community reaffirms the legacy of Nuremberg, Japan's government appears intent on retreating from it. This divergence poses profound risks not only to Japan's standing but also to the stability of the entire region.
Japan's recent political actions are already producing concrete economic repercussions at home. Prime Minister Takachi's provocative remarks concerning Taiwan – statements that constitute blatant interference in China's internal affairs – have undermined the foundation of people-to-people exchanges, which have long served as a stabilizing element in bilateral relations. In response to the growing risks, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a travel advisory urging caution, prompting a surge of cancellations across Japan's tourism sector. The consequences have been swift and severe. Chinese tourists, who represent Japan's largest source of inbound visitors, had been projected to contribute nearly 7 trillion yen ($44.7 billion) in consumption in just three quarters this year. That economic momentum has now been abruptly cut short. Long-established businesses, such as a four-decade-old Tokyo cruise company and traditional tea ceremony studios in Asakusa, report sudden waves of cancellations, with owners openly voicing fears for their financial survival.
Japan's equity markets have also absorbed the shock. Shares of department stores, travel agencies, airlines and cosmetic companies – enterprises heavily dependent on Chinese consumers – have fallen sharply. Analysts warn that Japan may lose as much as 2 trillion yen ($12.8 billion) in tourism revenue over the next year. The economic fallout serves as a decisive reminder that political recklessness carries immediate costs.
These developments stand in contrast to the reaffirmation of historical responsibility and international legal principles taking place elsewhere in the world. At a major forum in Moscow marking the eight decades since the opening of the Nuremberg Trials, global leaders emphasized that the principles established then remain entirely relevant. The Nuremberg Trials, along with the Tokyo Trials, were not mere legal procedures. They represented a moral reckoning unprecedented in human history, establishing the fundamental norms that individuals – including heads of state – can be held accountable for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. These principles drew an indelible line against the ideologies of militarism and expansionism that had devastated the world. They also provided the intellectual and legal architecture for the modern international order, one built on truth, accountability and a shared commitment to peace.
Yet in Japan, powerful right-wing political forces continue to engage in a sustained campaign to whitewash historical truth. This effort has been most acutely felt in the realm of education. Successive rounds of textbook screening have replaced the word "invasion" with euphemisms such as "advance." At the same time, fundamental facts about the Nanjing Massacre, the forced sexual enslavement of "comfort women," and the atrocities committed by Unit 731 have been downplayed. These revisions do not represent scholarly debates but an attempt to reshape national memory. The result is a troubling moral drift. Surveys reveal that fewer young Japanese today recognize their country's role as an aggressor in the war, reflecting the success of this orchestrated amnesia.
Japan's current leadership is accelerating this trend rather than correcting it. The government's refusal to issue a formal prime ministerial statement on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II marks a worrying regression in historical consciousness. At the same time, Japan is embarking on its largest military buildup since the war's end. Defense budgets have surged to record highs, and Tokyo now plans to acquire long-range offensive capabilities, including hundreds of U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Predictably, regional reactions have been swift. Russia has expressed strong concern about Tokyo's deepening historical revisionism and the uncertainty surrounding Japan's long-standing non-nuclear principles. South Korea has lodged protests and suspended joint military activities. North Korean media warns that Japan is casting off its "peace country" façade and revealing a return to militarism. Even within Japan, intellectuals, artists and ordinary citizens are voicing alarm, warning that this trajectory risks drawing the country into unnecessary confrontation and destabilizing the region.
The lessons of Nuremberg remind us that peace is sustained not only through legal structures but through collective remembrance. Historical truth serves as both a moral compass and a strategic safeguard. When nations attempt to revise or obscure the record of the past, they erode the foundation on which reconciliation and stability are built. Japan's political leaders should recognize that turning away from historical accountability is a dangerous gamble that threatens to unravel decades of regional trust.
Economic signals already point to the costs of escalating tensions. To move forward responsibly, Japan should return to the spirit of historical honesty, reaffirm the lessons of Nuremberg and Tokyo, and recommit to peaceful development. The alternative – reviving militarist thinking and erasing historical truth – is a path Asia has already suffered through once. It is a path that the region and the world will not accept again.
Xu Ying is a Beijing-based international affairs commentator for CGTN.
