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NHK
3 days ago
- General
- NHK
Japan, India commemorate WWII Battle of Imphal
A memorial service has been held in northeastern India to remember those who died in one of the fiercest battles of World War Two. In what is known as the Battle of Imphal, the Japanese Imperial Army launched an offensive in 1944 to capture the area then under British control. An estimated 30,000 Japanese soldiers died as they fought with limited supplies. Many also succumbed to hunger and malaria. Japan's Ambassador to India, Ono Keiichi, laid flowers at a monument in the outskirts of Imphal on Saturday. Ono said at the memorial service, "We should never forget that war robs everything and gives nothing." A peace museum built with Japanese support opened in the area six years ago. Bayonets, canteens and other personal belongings of Japanese soldiers are on display. Visitors can also read the names of civilian victims and their ages. A 95-year-old local survivor who was displaced by the conflict, and who worked to build the monument, stressed the importance of passing on the horrors of the war. The man said many soldiers fought fierce battles here and lost their lives. But today, he said, they all rest in peace, friend and foe alike.
Yomiuri Shimbun
02-08-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Suspect Detained Following Attack on Japanese Woman in Suzhou, China; Injuries Apparently Not Life-Threatening
SHANGHAI — A suspect in the Thursday attack of a Japanese woman and her child in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, was detained on Friday, according to Japanese and Chinese sources. The woman was walking with her child after getting off a train when the suspect threw what appeared to be a rock at her. The woman's injuries are apparently not life-threatening. Local public security authorities told the Japanese side on Friday evening that the suspect had been detained. Following the attack, the Japanese government demanded the Chinese government strictly handle the matter, prevent similar incidents and ensure the security of Japanese nationals. The Japanese Embassy in China informed Japanese people living in China of the case and called for vigilance. Another incident occurred in Suzhou in June last year, where a Japanese woman, her child and others waiting for a school bus were attacked by a Chinese man wielding a knife. A Chinese woman who tried to stop the assailant was killed. Thursday's incident apparently occurred about a 30-minute car ride from last year's incident. For China, this year marks the 80th anniversary of its victory against Japan. A TV drama themed around anti-Japanese activities has been broadcast. A film about the Nanjing incident and the former Japanese Imperial Army also opened in theaters in late July, accompanied by related events and exhibitions, raising concerns over a potential increase in anti-Japanese sentiment.
Associated Press
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Global Times: Japanese civil group urges Tokyo to 'face history' through exhibitions of Japanese chemical warfare in WWII
06/14/2025, Beijing, China // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // A Japanese civil group recently held an exhibition in Yokohama, Japan which focused on the Japanese Imperial Army's use of chemical weapons and the dangers posed by abandoned chemical munitions during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in a bid to bring these 'dormant historical materials' to light. Nobuharu Goi, chairman of the Yokohama Committee for the Exhibition on Japanese Army's Chemical Warfare, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that the Japanese government is attempting to erase the public's memory of the war. His organization has spent years collecting materials related to the chemical warfare conducted by the Japanese Imperial Army during its invasion of China, and has held 10 such exhibitions across Japan on the country's 'wartime perpetration' - including the Nanjing Massacre, 'comfort women,' Unit 731, chemical warfare, and the Battle of Okinawa. We hope that the exhibition will encourage more people to understand the crimes committed by the Japanese military in China and urge the Japanese government to confront history, Goi said. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The exhibition was held from May 2 to 6. Approximately 120 exhibits, including historical photographs, thematic panels, and documentary materials, reveal the truth about the Japanese Imperial Army's development, production, and large-scale use of biochemical weapons in China and other places, as well as the suffering inflicted on victims due to the weapons being abandoned after Japan's defeat. Discussing the motivation behind the exhibition, 68-year-old Goi explained to the Global Times that Japan signed the 'Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare' (the Geneva Protocol) in 1925, yet continued to manufacture and use chemical weapons during the war. His organization believes it is essential to make these 'dormant historical materials' public. Notably, the promotional poster for the exhibition featured the phrase: 'This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Shouldn't we reflect on what Japan did in China?' However, these historical facts are either barely mentioned or completely omitted in contemporary Japanese textbooks, as the government attempts to gradually erase the public's memory of the war, Goi said. After visiting the exhibition, some Japanese netizens shared their thoughts on social media platforms, expressing the importance of conveying the truth of historical events to future generations. Also as a member of a Japanese civil society group 'Kanagawa Association for Promoting Memory Inheritance', Goi said they plan to hold similar exhibitions in Yokohama in August and in Tokyo in December. We hope exhibitions like this will help more people understand the crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial Army in China, deeply reflect on the suffering caused by war, and urge the Japanese government to confront history to avoid repeating past mistakes, Goi said. According to Goi, the Japanese civil society group holds annual exhibitions on relevant themes. Before each exhibition, there are concerns about potential disruptions from right-wing extremists, but fortunately, this time in Yokohama there were no incidents. He noted that most visitors reported gaining insights into topics that are rarely mentioned or completely absent in Japanese textbooks, recognizing the crimes committed by Japan during the war and finding the exhibition both rewarding and meaningful. When commenting that Japan has significantly increased its defense budget with the intention of 'expanding its military' in recent years, Goi expressed his opposition to Japan's military buildup, stating that Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution mandates that Japan renounces war and the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. He asserted, 'I believe Japan should adhere to Article 9 of the Constitution and apologize for the crimes committed during the war.' Regarding future China-Japan relations, Goi said that Japan must adhere to the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, which serve as the foundation for developing relations between the two countries.
Business Upturn
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Upturn
Global Times: Japanese civil group urges Tokyo to ‘face history' through exhibitions of Japanese chemical warfare in WWII
Beijing, China, June 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Japanese civil group recently held an exhibition in Yokohama, Japan which focused on the Japanese Imperial Army's use of chemical weapons and the dangers posed by abandoned chemical munitions during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in a bid to bring these 'dormant historical materials' to light. Nobuharu Goi, chairman of the Yokohama Committee for the Exhibition on Japanese Army's Chemical Warfare, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that the Japanese government is attempting to erase the public's memory of the war. His organization has spent years collecting materials related to the chemical warfare conducted by the Japanese Imperial Army during its invasion of China, and has held 10 such exhibitions across Japan on the country's 'wartime perpetration' – including the Nanjing Massacre, 'comfort women,' Unit 731, chemical warfare, and the Battle of Okinawa. We hope that the exhibition will encourage more people to understand the crimes committed by the Japanese military in China and urge the Japanese government to confront history, Goi said. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The exhibition was held from May 2 to 6. Approximately 120 exhibits, including historical photographs, thematic panels, and documentary materials, reveal the truth about the Japanese Imperial Army's development, production, and large-scale use of biochemical weapons in China and other places, as well as the suffering inflicted on victims due to the weapons being abandoned after Japan's defeat. Discussing the motivation behind the exhibition, 68-year-old Goi explained to the Global Times that Japan signed the 'Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare' (the Geneva Protocol) in 1925, yet continued to manufacture and use chemical weapons during the war. His organization believes it is essential to make these 'dormant historical materials' public. Notably, the promotional poster for the exhibition featured the phrase: 'This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Shouldn't we reflect on what Japan did in China?' However, these historical facts are either barely mentioned or completely omitted in contemporary Japanese textbooks, as the government attempts to gradually erase the public's memory of the war, Goi said. After visiting the exhibition, some Japanese netizens shared their thoughts on social media platforms, expressing the importance of conveying the truth of historical events to future generations. Also as a member of a Japanese civil society group 'Kanagawa Association for Promoting Memory Inheritance', Goi said they plan to hold similar exhibitions in Yokohama in August and in Tokyo in December. We hope exhibitions like this will help more people understand the crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial Army in China, deeply reflect on the suffering caused by war, and urge the Japanese government to confront history to avoid repeating past mistakes, Goi said. According to Goi, the Japanese civil society group holds annual exhibitions on relevant themes. Before each exhibition, there are concerns about potential disruptions from right-wing extremists, but fortunately, this time in Yokohama there were no incidents. He noted that most visitors reported gaining insights into topics that are rarely mentioned or completely absent in Japanese textbooks, recognizing the crimes committed by Japan during the war and finding the exhibition both rewarding and meaningful. When commenting that Japan has significantly increased its defense budget with the intention of 'expanding its military' in recent years, Goi expressed his opposition to Japan's military buildup, stating that Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution mandates that Japan renounces war and the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. He asserted, 'I believe Japan should adhere to Article 9 of the Constitution and apologize for the crimes committed during the war.' Regarding future China-Japan relations, Goi said that Japan must adhere to the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, which serve as the foundation for developing relations between the two countries. This story first appeared in Global Times: Company: Global TimesContact Person: Anna Li Email: [email protected] Website: City: Beijing Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
The Global Cinema Film Festival aims to bring the pains of the rest of the world to viewers
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Cinema saved me in a way that it transported me out of a hostile reality,' he said. 'Now what's funny is I'm bringing people into a hostile reality to show what is happening — not so they do not forget, but rather so they wake up.' Advertisement This year's lineup at the Advertisement The festival is showcasing 14 films from around the world. There are multiple North American premieres slated, including 'Tongo Saa,' or 'Rising Up At Night,' a Congolese film about the darkness surrounding the capital, Kinshasa, due to a lack of electricity; 'Faithful Unto Death,' a Latvian observational documentary centered around an elderly married couple forced to remain together out of economic necessity, and 'My Memory Is Full of Ghosts,' a snapshot of the destruction ravaging the Syrian city of Horns throughout the nation's civil war. The lineup will also feature films from countries new to the festival, including 'The Congress' (Indonesia), about the fight to unite Indigenous communities in the face of climate crisis, and opening-night film 'The Treasure Hunter' (Philippines), about a father and son who travel to the Southeast Asian archipelago in search of treasure buried by the Japanese Imperial Army. A documentary filmmaker himself, Jacob, 36, has produced films with similar themes as the films he screens yearly, exploring the broader ramifications of genocide ('In A Blind World') and the civil war in his home country ('Sierra Leone: A Culture of Silence'). When first conceiving of the festival, he sensed a hole in the film festival circuit for international documentaries. With the many challenges surrounding funding and presenting these projects in front of large audiences, he wanted to make sure the work got its proper due. 'It's hard to sell documentary films, it's hard to get distribution for documentary films,' he said. ' I'm proud to say that we're still continuing that mission, if not expanding our goal, to give documentary filmmaking the platform it deserves.' The annual event has survived turbulent periods before, and this year may prove to be another one to endure. Jacob said there's been a sense of unease in the international filmmaker community, pointing to Advertisement Recently, made the trip to Boston. As Executive Director Patrick Jerome told at the time, 'you have a group of people that are protesting, you have a group of people that are scared, and then you have another group of people that didn't even have the option to obtain a visa.' Although Jacob asserted there are a variety of other factors that can affect a filmmaker's decision to come to the U.S., he expressed some concern about the future of production and distribution. However, he is heartened by the drive of documentary filmmakers under duress, and puts that same faith in audiences. 'I think if anything, people are going to come out and be exposed to the truth,' he said. 'People are seeking out what lies beneath and going to the front lines through cinema.' As the state of global affairs gets more and more tumultuous, documentary film should continue to be a beacon for highlighting injustices, he said. 'These people are demanding to be seen,' he said. 'They're raising their hand or they're raising a torch and they're saying, let there be light here, please. We're bringing stories that spark conversation, and we spotlight films that make us care.' Advertisement Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston May 16-18, West Newton Cinema. 1296 Washington St, West Newton, MA,
