¡@The Society to Carry on the Miracle at Fushun:
Its Origin and Activities[1]
Mizuho Shimada and Megumi Makino
For many foreign observers, Japan probably does not strike one as a country which
makes any effort to remember its wartime actions in order to learn lessons from
history. There is a prevailing assumption that war veterans do not want to
discuss their war experiences and Japanese people, in general, are completely
ignorant about their nation¡¦s militarist past. Therefore, it may be a surprise
to many people to discover that there is a group of ex-servicemen who have been
publicly relating their own war crimes for nearly five decades. As introduced
by Motomu Ishikawa and Megumi Makino in ¡¥Miracle at Fushun: The Transformation
of Japanese ¡§War Criminals¡¨ from Devils into Humans¡¦, these veterans
established the Chûgoku Kikansha Renraku
Kai (the Association of China Returnees, or the ACR for short) in 1957 for
the purpose of contributing to the promotion of Japan-China friendship and the
opening of formal diplomatic relations between the two
countries. During the war, Chinese people called Japanese soldiers Riben Guizi (Japanese devils) due to
their inhumane activities. What transformed the ACR members from Japanese
devils into humans was the humane treatment that they received from the prison
staff at Fushun: the process which they regard as a miracle.
These war veterans now have the support of
younger people who belong to the Bujun no
Kiseki o Uketsugu Kai (the Society to Carry on the
Miracle at Fushun, hereafter the SCMF). It is a Japanese
citizens' group which is concerned about the issues of peace and the mutual
friendship between Japan and its neighbouring countries. The society was
established in 2002 by those who wanted to carry on the peace activism of the
ACR.
Since their repatriation, more than 800
returnees from Fushun Prison have already passed away and, as of 2006, their
average age is over eighty-five. Although many ACR members were determined to
be active in their cause to the end of their lives, it was becoming
increasingly difficult for them to continue with it when the new century began.
Around that time, a group of young people who were in their twenties discovered
the ACR and its activities. They were astonished to find out that there were
Japanese war veterans who were willing to discuss their war experiences from
the perspective of aggressors. What is more, they had been doing this in order
to atone for their past sins for nearly half a century.
In April 2002, the ACR was forced to disband
itself due to the aging of its members. Yet, on the very same day, those young
people who were moved by the activism of the ACR announced the establishment of
the Society to Carry on the Miracle at Fushun. Currently, the society's membership is about 500
and it has 10 chapters within Japan. It also has members in Beijing, Sydney, Berlin, London and Vancouver.
The SCMF members are involved in various
activities. The most important task for them is to interview the former ACR
members. Since the number of these elderly men is dwindling year by year, there
is an urgent need to collect and preserve their memories of the war of invasion
and the process by which the ¡¥miracle¡¦ happened at Fushun.
Second, the Society organises various public
events to hold testimonial sessions given by the former ACR members. The SCMF
members believe that it is extremely important for young Japanese people to
listen to these veterans' war stories, which are grounded in their deep
reflection on Japan's militarist past, in order to understand how
precious peace is. The SCMF also organises a trip to China every year. Thanks to the contact that the ACR
members have maintained with the former prison staff at Fushun, the SCMF members are blessed with an
opportunity to listen to these Chinese people¡¦s experiences of Japanese war
actions and the reforming process of Japanese ¡¥war criminals.¡¦ At the same
time, the SCMF members make efforts to expand their networks of friendship with
students and other young people in China through dialogue.
Third, the society publishes a quarterly
magazine Chûkiren
which is the Japanese acronym for the ACR. During the 1990s, right-wing
historical revisionists became very active in Japan. They saw the ACR members¡¦ stories as
reflecting badly on Japan and, thus, tried to discredit them by claiming
that these veterans had been brainwashed by Chinese Communists. The magazine
was first published by some ACR members in 1997 in response to such right-wing
attacks. With the establishment of the SCMF, young people came to play a vital
role in this publishing activity. Right-wing historical revisionism is
deep-rooted in some sections of Japanese society. However, owing to the support
of Japanese citizens who are concerned about historical issues, the number of
publications of the Chûkiren has
already reached 36 issues.
The SCMF members are very proud of carrying on
the peace activism which originated in the unique experiences of the Japanese
detainees at Fushun Prison. They will continue to reflect on Japan's war guilt and responsibility, and pursue
anti-war peace activities in order to strive for international friendship in
collaboration with other citizens' groups.
Notes