"Xia Ke Dao丨Uncle Dao said" This Japanese old man came to China to apologize
2024-08-14
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On August 13, Shimizu Hideo, a former member of the Japanese Army's Unit 731, came to the Unit 731 Crimes Evidence Exhibition Hall in Harbin to confess his crimes and apologize.
The 94-year-old man pointed out the Japanese army's crimes of aggression against China at the remains of the bacteria laboratory, the special prison, and the old site of the frostbite laboratory. He then "expressed sincere apology and repentance" to the victims and dead of Unit 731 in front of the "Monument of Apology and Peace without War". On August 12, he published a signed article entitled "Historical Facts Cannot Be Covered Up" in the People's Daily.
(Source: CCTV News)
In 1945, Shimizu Hideo, who was only 14 years old, enlisted as a young soldier and was assigned to Unit 731, the headquarters of the Japanese army's bacteriological warfare. He recalled that in the specimen room of Unit 731 headquarters, he saw various dissected human organs soaked in bottles filled with formalin, including fetuses, infants, and infant specimens. The superior officer told Shimizu, "If you want to become a 'surgeon', you must dissect at least three corpses."
"Since my first child was born, whenever I heard a child crying at night, the image of the specimen room of Unit 731 would flash through my mind, as if those dead children were crying" - the experience in Unit 731 became Shimizu's lifelong nightmare.
Shimizu Hideo said that after Japan's defeat and surrender in August 1945, they were asked to conceal their experience of serving in Unit 731. It was not until 2016 that he made up his mind to publicly expose the crimes of the Japanese bacterial unit invading China. He continued to give public speeches, giving six speeches in 2023 alone; in the face of doubts from Japanese public opinion, he took out historical materials such as the group photo of the "boy team" of Unit 731 and the "List of Unit 731 Left Behind" and responded decisively.
Shimizu said he had two wishes when he came to China: first, he wanted to pray for those who were killed by Unit 731 and apologize to the families of the victims; second, he wanted to learn about the plague victims in Harbin after Japan's defeat, "There are very few Japanese testimonies in this regard." He said frankly, "Rather than worrying about what the Chinese will do to me after I go to China, I think those Japanese politicians are probably hoping for my death."
On August 13, Shimizu Hideo prayed in front of the list of martyrs in the Exhibition Hall of Evidence of Crimes of Unit 731 of the Japanese Invaders in China. Source: Xinhua News Agency
In response to the sincere confession of the Japanese old man, some netizens said: "We should welcome people who respect history, are willing to objectively state history, and still want to break the silence and tell the truth under certain public pressure."
In recent years, Japanese people have continuously pointed out the atrocities of the Japanese army and confessed their crimes through personal and material evidence. Their courage to face history is worthy of recognition. However, for some time, Japan has not faced up to its history of aggression, and the ghost of militarism lingers: current officers of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces collectively visited the Yasukuni Shrine, and retired generals served as the highest priests of the Yasukuni Shrine; some Japanese right-wing politicians publicly denied the Nanjing Massacre and the germ warfare conducted by Unit 731; in 1995, the then Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama expressed deep remorse and sincere apology for Japan's colonial rule and aggression, but the Japanese authorities afterwards have occasionally shown words and deeds that are inconsistent with the "Murayama Statement".
In an article published in the People's Daily, Shimizu Hideo said, "The current Japanese government has not only failed to seriously reflect on past war crimes, but also failed to assume the historical responsibility of being a war perpetrator. I firmly oppose the Japanese government's continuous undermining of the peace constitution, increasing military spending, and expanding armaments. We do not need war, and Japan cannot go down the old path of war again."
August 15 this year marks the 79th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender. At this special time, Japan should face up to and deeply reflect on its history of aggression that brought countless disasters to other countries. Shimizu Hideo said it well:
"Historical facts cannot be covered up. I am determined to return to the site of the former Japanese Army Unit 731 in my lifetime to express my deepest apologies to the Chinese people who were harmed. I also hope to arouse more people's reflection and vigilance, cherish the hard-won peace, and avoid the recurrence of war tragedies."
Text/Dian Cang
Editor/Wuji
Source/Xiakedao WeChat Official Account
