Today is August 15.

　　Today 60 years ago, Emperor Hirohito published a broadcasted imperial edict, declaring that Japan accepted the "Potsdam Proclamation", and the world's anti-fascist war ended with the final victory of the allied countries.

　　From the "September 18" 1931 incident launched to invade and occupy China's northeast provinces to its defeat and surrender on "August 15" 1945, Japan carried out an aggressive war for 14 years, causing tremendous harms to China as well as various other Asian countries. In the process, tens of millions of people of Asian countries died, of the figure, China suffered sacrifice of over 20 million people.

　　What's more, during the period Japan resorted to various cruel and savage aggressive means that were unheard-of and that made one's hair stand on end, causing unforgettable spiritual harms to the people of China and various other Asian countries.

　　After its invasion and occupation of Nanjing in 1937, Japanese army slaughtered 300,000 innocent Chinese civilians and prisoners of war, turning Nanjing into a hell on earth.

　　In the Philippines, Japan's occupation authorities stipulated that with the death of one Japanese soldier, they would shoot 10 local citizens to death as a payment of life for life.

　　In Thailand, in order to build the Thailand-Myanmar Railway known as "a railway of death", the Japanese army compelled 60,000 prisoners of war of the allied forces and 300,000 civilians to engage in high-intensity labor, which led to the deaths of more than 100,000 people. In other words, with the extension of each mile in the Thailand-Myanmar Railway, 400 war prisoners and laborers had to die.

　　After the conclusion of World War II, the people of China and various other Asian countries returned good for evil out of consideration of world peace; while exposing and criticizing Japan's war crimes, they exhibited great magnanimity and good intentions.

　　Fewer than 1,000 Japanese war criminals were sentenced to death by Tokyo tribunal and the courts of various countries. Some countries gave up the claim laid on Japan for indemnity of war.

　　Proceeding from respect for Japanese people's national feelings, in particular, the allied countries did not prosecute Japan's Mikato for his war liability. If investigation and affixing responsibility was carried out conscientiously, the allied countries had numerous ironclad facts to prove that Mikado had inescapable responsibility for the war.

　　It is regretted that the magnanimity and returning good for evil exhibited by the people of China and various other victimized Asian countries did not gain in return the conscience of Japan's Right-wingers; instead of making profound self-examination of their war crimes, they returned evil for good.

　　Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi repeatedly visited the Yasukuni Shrine that honored Japanese war criminals in disregard of the feelings of the Chinese and other Asian peoples; some Japanese senior officials, not only refuse to apologize to China and other Asian countries for their aggressive war and war crimes, but instead, they deny their war liabilities, and deny the Nanjing Massacre and the "comfort women" incident and even prettify Japan's war of aggression against various Asian countries.

　　On August 14, Japanese Economy Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto visited the Yasukuni Shrine, this is, without doubt, a fresh hurt to the feelings of people of China and other Asian countries.

　　History should not be forgotten and all the more cannot be repeated. In the face of the rampancy of Japanese Right-wingers and the countercurrent of their denial of their aggression and war responsibility, the peoples of China and various victimized Asian countries are duty-bound and have the right to remind Japan that pursuit of peace, development and cooperation with Asia is the appeal of China and various Asian countries as well as Japanese people's interests.

　　If Japan wants to keep pace with the surging tide of Asia and the world at large, they should bear international responsibility in commensurate with its economic status, and enjoy coexistence and co-prosperity with various Asian countries.

　　It should, first of all, sincerely and correctly treat that phase of history 60 years ago, face up to its war crimes, should shoulder its historical responsibility, sincerely apologize to China and various victimized Asian countries, and strive for the understanding of China and various victimized Asian countries.

　　(By People's Daily Online)