The contrast between official and societal attitudes of Germany
and Japan toward lingering war issues shows how much the latter is
still in denial and refuses to accept its share of responsibility,
say analysts.
The comments came as Germany on Tuesday formally completed its
payments program for people coerced to work for the Nazi while
Japan's top court recently rejected an appeal by Chinese citizens
seeking government compensation for using them as wartime slave
laborers.
Jin Xide, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, said Germany had chosen a path of reconciliation by
actively settling wartime forced-labor accounts while Japan has
taken a different approach.
He said: "Germany expressed deep remorse for the past through
legislation as well as administrative methods, which are very
effective."
A Berlin-based foundation called Remembrance, Responsibility and
the Future has paid more than 4.37 billion euros (US$5.83 billion)
to 1.7 million former slave laborers or their descendents in more
than 100 countries since it was founded seven years ago.
"Many of the prisoners didn't survive this martyrdom, and the
ones who did are physically and mentally marked. They could barely
overcome the trauma from these inhumane times," German Chancellor
Angela Merkel said during a ceremony in Berlin to commemorate the
completion of payments.
It marked a milestone when "it has finally been possible to
grant many former slave laborers the humanitarian aid they were
promised," she said.
German companies paid half of the 10.1 billion deutsche marks
(US$6.9 billion) to the fund while the German government provided
the rest.
"The law establishing the fund was intended to make up for a
failure," Michael Jansen, the fund's chief executive officer, said
in a statement.
"Together with German industry, the German parliament
acknowledged the moral and political responsibility for Nazi
victims and for the people forced into slave labor by the Nazi
regime." The fund will continue to operate and will support
educational and humanitarian projects in the countries which have
suffered most under the Nazis.
While Germany is putting a full stop to its invasion history and
moving forward, Japan's actions are starkly inadequate, he
said.
Jin said the lack of legislation, the political atmosphere and
public support have decided Japan's attitude toward history.
"Shirking historical responsibility makes it impossible for
Japan to get rid of the shadow of the war forever," Jin said.
The ruling by Japan's Supreme Court said the plaintiffs could
not seek compensation because a 20-year statute of limitations had
expired and the current government was not responsible for the
wrongdoings of leaders who followed the wartime constitution.
(China Daily June 14, 2007)
