On August 15, Japan held a ceremony to commemorate the people who lost their lives in World War II. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made no mention of Japan's responsibility as an aggressor against Asian nations at the ceremony and sent an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine which enshrines individuals convicted as Class-A war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East after World War II. On the same day, his cabinet minister also visited the shrine. A series of such actions have drawn widespread dissatisfaction from the international community.

A global survey conducted by CGTN, covering 11,913 respondents from 40 countries, reveals that Japan's denial of wartime atrocities and its emphasis on a "victim narrative" are dangerously distorting its historical view of WWII. Furthermore, its inadequate reckoning with history and escalating military expansion have provoked growing anger, concern and vigilance in the international community.

Japan's attitude towards history is met with strong dissatisfaction among global respondents, with 64.4 percent opposing Japanese politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine. Furthermore, 55.3 percent of respondents criticize Japan for shirking historical responsibilities, 65.2 percent oppose Japan's tampering with history textbooks and 65.7 percent call on the Japanese government to apologize to the victimized nations and provide reparations.

The degree of dissatisfaction is heightened among Asian respondents, at a rate over 90 percent in South Korea alone. The majority of Indonesian respondents, 74.7 percent, oppose Japanese politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine while 84 percent of Malaysian respondents oppose Japan's tampering with history textbooks. Over 80 percent of respondents in Indonesia and the Philippines call on the Japanese government to apologize and provide reparations to the affected countries.

What the Japanese say

However, the attitude of Japanese respondents towards the same issues is vastly different from that of global respondents – the difference between the relevant data of Japanese respondents and the global average is over 43 percentage points. Among them, only 18.3 percent of respondents oppose Japanese government officials visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. A minority of 11.7 percent believe that the Japanese government shirks historical responsibility, 18.3 percent oppose Japan's tampering with history textbooks and 18.3 percent agree with the sentiment that the Japanese government should apologize to the victimized nations and provide reparations.

Whether the defeated countries of World War II can recognize and treat their wartime history with the right attitude is an important prerequisite for their return to the international community. Germany, also among the defeated of World War II, presents a sharp contrast to Japan's account of its war actions. In the survey, 62.1 percent of global respondents are in favor of Germany's practice of settling its history of aggression, which is 48.8 percentage points higher than that of Japan. A 69.5 percent of respondents are in favor of Germany's post-war reparations and apology efforts, which is 56.8 percentage points higher than that of Japan. A 71.2 percent of respondents see the performance of post-war history education in Germany favorably, which is 61.1 percentage points higher than that for Japan's.

Besides Japan, seven other Asian countries were surveyed, with respondents being asked the same set of questions. They all favored Germany's approach to its historical responsibilities compared to Japan's, by a rate of over 40 percentage points. Among them, over 80 percent of the South Korean respondents approve of Germany's post-war efforts, but their approval for Japan drops to less than 10 percent. On the question of history textbooks, South Koreans view Germany's efforts more favorably than Japan's, with a rate difference of 85.6 percentage points. In Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, less than 20 percent of respondents view Japan's post-war efforts favorably, but more express approval for Germany.

Japan's international credibility has taken a hit due to both political statements and moves. In the survey, 57 percent of global respondents believe that Japan's post-war performance has hindered the normal development of relations with China. A little over half, at 50.1 percent, think that Japan's post-war efforts will affect its relations with other Asian neighbors, and 50.7 percent say that Japan's post-war conduct has seriously damaged its international image.

Among Asian countries, even a bigger share of respondents from South Korea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines agree with these statements. Moreover, South Korean respondents show the strongest dissatisfaction, with over 80 percent of them believing that Japan's post-war conduct "affects relations with its Asian neighbors" and "damages its own international image."

Although the proportion of respondents from Singapore and Thailand who say that Japan's post-war conduct "affects relations with Asian neighbors" is slightly lower than the global average, more than half of respondents still believe that Japan's historical perception issues will affect relations with China and damage Japan's image.

The survey was conducted by CGTN in partnership with the New Era International Communication Research Institute, which was jointly established by China Media Group and Renmin University of China. Using an online panel, researchers polled 11,913 adults aged 18 or older from major developed countries and the Global South countries. The sample is in line with the age and gender distribution of the population censuses of various countries.