Go to contents

Tokyo’s displeasure over Ban’s attendance at China parade

Tokyo’s displeasure over Ban’s attendance at China parade

Posted August. 31, 2015 07:06,   

한국어

The Japanese government has raised issues of impartiality over United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s decision to attend the military parade to be held in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on September 3. The Japanese foreign ministry has delivered a message saying, "China’s anniversary event focuses on the past and the U.N. should urge its member nations to take a future-oriented stance." It is unprecedented for a member nation to oppose the U.N. secretary general’s attendance to an event hosted by a third nation. If the Abe administration, which still avoids sincere reflection on the past atrocities even in the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, has raised the issue being aware of Ban’s nationality, it would be all the more narrow-minded attitude.

“It is important to look back the past, what kinds of lessons we have learned and how we can move ahead to a brighter future based on the lessons learned. That is the main purpose (of attendance to the China’s military parade,” said Ban in the unprecedentedly stern voice. This comment can be interpreted as his strong resistance to Japan’s regressive attitude toward its past wrongdoings.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has given up the participation even though he was invited by the Chinese government. He probably is not pleased with the event to commemorate the 70th anniversary for the victory of China in anti-Japanese war and the world anti-fascist war. It may hurt his pride to attend the event as a representative of the defeated nation. President Park Geun-hye’s attendance to the event will be considered as loss for Japan’s diplomacy toward China.

The world’s diplomatic war is getting fiercer around the commemorative event in China. China has prepared a grand-scale events to enhance its international influence. China exercised a large-scale military drills in the East China Sea on Thursday and showed off its military power through the 9-day-long joint military drills with Russia in the East Sea. Absence of leaders from major Western countries including the U.S. conveys opposition to China’s exercising its power. President Park has deeply considered whether her attendance might generate a misunderstanding that South Korea sympathizes with China’s expansionism. It is necessary to let the world understand that President Park’s visit to China puts more weight on looking back on the history where Korea and China fought together against the Japanese imperialism and making efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Choe Ryong Hae, the Korean Workers’ Party secretary of North Korea, will attend the commemorative event. Depending on the message that China would send to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, it may make an impact to the North Korea-China and the inter-Korean relations. If Japan opposes China’s diplomatic initiative, it is concerned to make a harmful effect to South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation toward North Korea. President Park is the only leader to attend the event among major countries in the Northeast Asia. It is an opportunity for her to exercise diplomatic power to make the Northeast Asia’s situation favorable to South Korea.