Japan war atrocities exhibition prompts emotional apologies to China

A photo and documentary exhibition examining Japan's wartime atrocities opened on Wednesday in the city of Yokohama, drawing emotional reactions from visitors, including some Japanese attendees who apologized to the Chinese people over Japan's actions during World War II.

The exhibition focused on Japan's history of colonial rule and wartime aggression across Asia. Displays covered events including the Nanjing Massacre, the activities of Unit 731, the issue of wartime "comfort women," the use of chemical weapons, the Battle of Okinawa, the bombing of southwest China's Chongqing, and the forced labor of Chinese and Korean civilians.

Some visitors said Japanese society has long emphasized the suffering experienced by ordinary Japanese civilians during the war while paying insufficient attention to Japan's wartime aggression and the suffering inflicted on neighboring Asian countries.

"I didn't know about the Nanjing Massacre before, and I feel deeply ashamed of my ignorance," one Japanese visitor told ifeng.com, a media outlet based in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The visitor also stressed the importance of learning and passing on the history of wartime aggression.

Another attendee emotionally apologized while speaking to reporters.

"As a Japanese person, I want to apologize to the Chinese people. Japan committed extremely cruel acts. It is truly shameful and unforgivable," the attendee said.

A lecture on historical memory was also held during the event. Speakers warned that some voices in Japan continue to portray the country's wartime actions as acts of self-defense and dismiss reflection on wartime aggression as a "masochistic view of history."

Denying the history of aggression, they said, could risk pushing Japan back toward militarism.

The exhibition was held amid growing scrutiny over Japan's military expansion, including increased defense spending and efforts to bolster its security posture, developments that have raised concerns across the region.

(Cover: A historical photo of Japanese troops in Nanjing, China, December 1937. /VCG)