ANOTHER high-ranking Japanese politician tried to lecture Asians on history last week, in an attempt to whitewash the stained records of Japanese militarists during World War II.
Seiroku Kajiyama, chief cabinet secretary and top government spokesman, criticized the planned coverage of the "comfort women" issue in textbooks for Japanese junior high school students.
He shamelessly claimed that those women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese militarists "got money when they went to the fronts."
Attributing the statement to the existence of a so-called "authorized prostitution system," he blatantly described the forced prostitution as voluntary and commercial.
According to Kajiyama's logic, it is the Japanese militarists, instead of those Asian women, who had been victimized. Asian countries should shut up and stop "making a fuss" over the issue. On the contrary, they should apologize to the Japanese.
But Japan's Asian neighbours are not "making a fuss" to wrong the Japanese. They want to remove the weight of the past and foster friendly ties with Japan -- if Japan truly repents its past.
Unfortunately, ill-intentioned Japanese, including high ranking officials, have never stopped brazenly denying the country's war crimes.
This time, Kajiyama dared to risk breaching relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) by making impertinent remarks on the eve of summit talks between heads of the two states.
Politicians and a newly formed group of academicians and celebrities in Japan have been lobbying in the Japanese media for the removal of the issue of "comfort women" from textbooks.
The Japanese Prime Minister apologized to his ROK counterpart during their meeting. Kajiyama himself bowed to public opinion, backing away from his outrageous claim.
Nevertheless, we have observed that apologies in the name of the Japanese Government have never prevented Japanese officials from whitewashing Japanese war atrocities; and Kajiyama's apology was based on the emphasis on the existence of "authorized prostitution."
When such self-opinionated people shamelessly distort or deny history, they do not know they are doing harm to Japan. An incorrect interpretation of history only hurts the feelings of Asian people and hinders the establishment of a future-oriented relationship between Japan and its Asian neighbours. (Wang Hui)
End public-paid dining
A COURT in Zhumadian, in Central China's Henan Province, recently ruled that a local grassroots Party official was responsible for the debts totalling 24,000 yuan ($2,892).
Before being brought to court, the official had tried to pay the debts, a result of dining in restaurants paid for with public funds.
The judgement sounds an alarm bell to those who have the bad habit of going to dinner parties paid for with public funds. If they refuse to repent and mend their ways, they will be punished by law.
The central government has laid repeated injunctions upon Party and government officials to be honest in performing their duties and to combat all forms of illegal use of public funds.
However, in some places, spending public money on food, drink and entertainment still runs rampant.
As the consumption level goes up, so does the public indignition.
Those involved are often Party and government officials wielding power. They are unworthy of the trust the people place in them.
It is time for them to wake up and realize that using public funds for selfish purposes is not only a form of corruption but a criminal offense.
Though small in number, they have stained the Party's image.
With the coming of this year's Spring Festival on February 7, the nation's most important traditional festival, governments at all levels should be vigilant against any disguised forms of misuse of public money.
And the central government should adopt harsher administrative and legal punishments for offenders.
Ordinary people should be invited to supervise the performance of Party and government offcials and report to authorities any misconduct of the officals.
(Xun Feng)