Japanese politician condemned for WWII remarks

Archive photos captures the horrors of World War II

By Rose Tang
CNN.com Writer

HONG KONG, China -- Campaigners seeking compensation from Japan for World War Two victims have condemned a senior Japanese politician who blamed the United States for forcing the country into the war.

Japan's former defence minister Hosei Norota, was reported in Japanese media as telling supporters of the dominant Liberal Democratic Party that the country was not to blame for entering the war.

"Faced with oil and other embargoes from other countries, Japan had no choice but to venture out southward to secure natural resources," Norota, now chairing the Lower House's Budget Committee, was quoted as saying.

"In other words, Japan had fallen prey to a scheme of the United States. This is what many historians are saying," he said.

Global Alliance for Preserving the History of World War Two in Asia has condemned Norota's remarks. The umbrella group consists of more than 40 organizations seeking war compensation from Japan.

Thekla Lit, executive vice president of the California-based organization told CNN.com: "Japan's die-hard right wing groups always use the embargos as an excuse.

'Never showed regrets'

"But the United States and other Allied countries didn't embargo Japan until it invaded other Asian countries."

"They (Japanese government) have never showed any regrets. So we should be more vigilant of a revival of Japan's militarism," Lit said.

She is in Hong Kong organizing locals to stage a protest outside the Japanese Consulate next week demanding justice over a Japanese high court ruling on a case involving Hong Kong WWII victims.

Hong Kong Legislative Council member Albert Ho, told CNN.com that he felt "very bad" about Norota's comments.

"It's not the first time that I heard such irresponsible and provocative statement by a senior Japanese official," Ho said.

"It's totally unremorseful and unrepentant about Japan's past atrocities and aggressions against other Asian people," Ho said.

Ho is the vice chairman of the Protection of Diaoyu Island, a Hong Kong-based non-government organization which has been campaigning to claim China's sovereignty of an island in the South China sea which has been disputed by Japan, Taiwan and other Asian countries.

Ho's group has been backing more than 50 court cases lodged by war victims for compensation and apologies from the Japanese government.

"There has been lots of campaigning and lawsuits over the last decade over Japan's war crimes, but the Japanese government hasn't changed its attitude," he said.

He said he recently saw two types of Japanese high school textbooks watering down Japan's invasions during the World War Two.

"The government has been using the politics of denial. Even for those (crimes) which can't be denied, they seek to water them down," he said.

Ho blamed the Chinese and Taiwanese governments for avoiding the issue in order to gain diplomatic recognition by the US and Japan after the war. "They haven't taken a responsible attitude," he said.

Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia
Alliance for Preserving the Truth of Sino-Japanese War

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