VOX POPULI: Latest twisting of WWII history adds to recent revisionist trend
The Himeyuri-no-to memorial in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, stands on top of a natural cave where many girls of the Himeyuri Student Corps were buried after the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. The Himeyuri Peace Museum is seen in the back left. (Kazuyuki Ito)
Shoji Nishida, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the Upper House, has criticized Himeyuri-no-to, a memorial in Okinawa Prefecture dedicated to war victims from the Himeyuri Student Corps.
It comprised a group of students, ages 15 to 19, from two local girls' schools and their teachers who were mobilized as nursing aides during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.
Reflecting on a past visit, Nishida asserted that the memorial presented a narrative suggesting, 'The Japanese army kept coming in, and the Himeyuri (star lily) unit ended up dying. Then, the Americans came in and liberated Okinawa.'
He condemned this portrayal as a revision of history.
Yet, is it not Nishida himself who is attempting to rewrite history? Neither the Himeyuri Peace Museum, a memorial museum dedicated to preserving the history and experiences of the student corps, nor the cenotaph contains such crude or simplistic descriptions.
During the Battle of Okinawa—the bloodiest conflict in the Pacific theater—the Japanese military, having already lost any realistic chance of victory, mounted an all-out defense, vowing to 'fight as long as even an inch of land remained.'
There is no denying that this stance led to the deaths of countless civilians.
While some survivors of the gruesome ground battle were rescued by the invading U.S. military, receiving medical care, water and food, a closer look at history reveals the immense suffering endured by the people of Okinawa under decades of U.S. military rule after the war.
Were they truly praising the Americans as 'liberators'?
Okinawa has long been a focal point for those seeking to distort Japan's wartime history to suit their own narratives. In recent years, arguments denying that the ground battle in Okinawa served as a 'sacrificial stone' to shield the Japanese mainland have gained traction.
Nishida's challenge to the prevailing interpretation of the battle appears to align with this broader revisionist trend.
Yet in Okinawa, the lessons of war have been shared across ideological divides. The local LDP chapter's opposition to Nishida's remarks stands as evidence of this commitment to historical integrity.
The ruling party lawmaker has acknowledged visiting the Himeyuri-no-to memorial more than 20 years ago.
Were he to walk through the museum exhibits today, he would find himself in a room where the names and photographs of 227 student nurses and teachers who perished in the final months of the war solemnly stare back at him.
What might they be trying to tell us? He would do well to listen—quietly and attentively.
—The Asahi Shimbun, May 9
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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