Japanese Diet Members To China: Remove Atrocity Photos From Museums
TOKYO — Veteran conservative lawmaker Takeo Hiranuma and other Diet members will launch a parliamentary league on Wednesday to urge China to remove photos from its war museums that show the Japanese military’s wartime atrocities, involved lawmakers said Friday.
The launch of the league was initially planned for January but was delayed because Hiranuma, an independent member of the House of Representatives, who is expected to head the group, suffered a stroke in December and was hospitalized.
The group plans to urge China through diplomatic channels to remove what it calls “unjustifiable” photos which are believed to be displayed in about 150 Chinese war museums and aim to convey China’s victory in its resistance to Japanese military aggression. The lawmakers said the museums have apparently been established in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to boost patriotism among the younger generations.
Some of you may remember Takeo Hiranuma for his diehard opposition to the privatization of Japan Post, or perhaps from his statements on proposition last year that would have allowed female members of the imperial family to ascend to the throne. He was quite worried about Princess Aiko’s future:
Hiranuma, however, warned the reform could corrupt the Imperial line, which he said has been the supreme symbol of Japanese national and ethnic identity for centuries.
“If Aiko becomes the reigning empress and gets involved with a blue-eyed foreigner while studying abroad and marries him, their child may be the emperor,” Hiranuma told about 40 lawmakers, academics and supporters at a Tokyo hall. “We should never let that happen.”
You can call the guy extreme, but he does know how to get himself mentioned in the newspapers…
The Kyodo News article doesn’t say why the politicans consider the photos to be “unjustifiable,” but it might be because some or all of the photos are regarded as fakes. I wouldn’t be particularly shocked if some of the photos in the Chinese museums are doctored or faked to help foster anti-Japanese nationalism (“patriotism”) in citizens. However, do guys like Hiranuma really think they’ll actually get results by demanding that the photos be removed? [And is he the right messenger?]
