Toward Sustainable Peace - with Authentic Transcending Compassion

Exactly 70 years ago, today, March 10, 1945, Tokyo was literally made into a “living hell”, being turned into a city of fire that mercilessly devoured many innocent civilian lives, as US Air Force B-29 bombers firebombed the capital city of Japan. This was actually one of many “living hells” created by American fire-bombings over Japanese cities during the last phase of WWII. These were also setting a stage for atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Many said that these “Japs” deserve this!, in regard to innocent civilians of Tokyo While innocents, including babies and their mothers, being  relentlessly incinerated alive in the hellish fire. But, they were also very sympathetic and empathic toward people who suffered and died as a result of Japanese military actions in Asia Pacific.  Their compassionate feelings toward victims of Japanese military actions were also their anger and hatred toward Japan and people of Japan. Empathy and anger were on the other side of the same coin to each other. Compassion and hatred were to each other in the same way. Thus, their empathy toward victims in Asia Pacific prevented them from having the same kind of  empathy toward Japanese civilian victims of fire bombing, atomic bombing, and Okinawa land battles. Their compassion toward those who were victimized by Japanese military actions in Asia Pacific kept them from having the same kind of compassion toward the Japanese civilian victims of the fire bombings, atomic bombings, and land battles, brought by the US military forces.

They thought that all these sufferings and death that Japanese civilians had to go through were a  just punishment because of the way Japan acted as the initiator of the war in Asia Pacific and the way Japanese military forces brought sufferings and death in Asia Pacific.  This line of thought still exists today, even it has been 70 years.

An extreme form of this kind of mentality even makes some people celebrate anniversaries of great sufferings, pains, and death brought to innocent Japanese civilians, including of anniversaries of fire bombings of Tokyo and other Japanese cities, as well as atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They say that they were thankful to the United States for inflicting the kind of sufferings, pains, and death upon innocent Japanese civilians, on behalf of their innocent civilian people killed by Japan.  

This is nothing but a manifestation of narcissistic sadism. But, their lingering anger and hatred toward Japan and its people prevent them from see that way but justify and rationalize this narcissistic sadism.

Such extremists are not many, fortunately. However, many people who empathize and sympathize victims of Japan’s military actions in Asia Pacific still show very little or no compassion for the sufferings, pains, and death of innocent Japanese civilians, inflicted by the United States 70 years ago.  Some of them even cite certain portions of the Bible, drawing an analogy with a story from Revelation, in which  God punishes Babylonia at the time of the eschatological judgement, as Babylonia  once destroyed Jerusalem between 587 and 586 BC. They view what Japan was to Asian nations is like what Babylonia was to Jerusalem.  Such an application of biblical story is quite pathetic.

It is true that there was Japan’s fanatic militarism of that time contributed to extensive sufferings and death of innocent civilians across Asia Pacific. As a Japanese national, I deeply regret that so many people had to suffer, bear pain, and die, through Japan’s engagement of the war. This is not only a sad chapter of history but also a critical lesson to be learned from. However, this should not prevent me or any Japanese nationals from pointing out how empathy and compassion toward victims of one side of war turn into anger and hatred toward victims of the other side of the same war, dividing these victims according to the distinction between “victims” and “offender” or “winners of war” and “loser of war”. Or, am I prohibited from  raising this issue simply because I am Japanese and challenging prevailing view on the war can be regarded as a sign of not acknowledging Japan’s past war responsibility and guilt?

In regard to drawing a lesson to be learned from this bloody, painful, sad, chapter of history, many people, including peace educators, seem to think that this is a requirement just for Japan, because Japan was the root of all the sufferings, pains, and death – because Tokyo Tribunal cemented the notion that Japanese militarism at that time caused all of this. Thus, a lesson from the war is that Japan shows its remorse in a way to appease anger of those who have been affected and afflicted by its past military actions.

Of course, Japan must constantly confront its past so that it will not forget the lesson. However, there is a danger in some people’s tendency to make this matter seem to be an issue of Japan but not of other nations. Whenever  I raised this question, I was often criticized and even seen as a Japanese “right wing”, who denies Japan’s war responsibility. It was really sad that I was seen in such a way, because I pointed out what I thought as a blind spot in taking a critical lesson from history.

Once again, I want to appeal to your conscience  of people  -  if your own rational mind and compassionate heart of seeking peace really think and feel that it is just a matter of Japan to feel guilty and remain remorseful and never question about this  – simply because Japan was “guilty”, according to the Tokyo Tribunal. Is it an attempt to whitewash dark spot of Japanese history, if I call people of the  nations that regard themselves as “victims of Japan’s past military actions” and “winners of war”, to re-examine the responsibilities and guilty of countless sufferings and losses of innocent civilian lives in Asia Pacific not just a lesson for Japan to learn but a shared lesson for all?

I am raising this kind of question because I am very concerned about how the division between “victims” and “offender”, as well as the division between “winners” and “loser” can turn compassion for victims on one side into no or little compassion for victims of the other side.  I believe that this kind of division prevents us from extending the same kind of compassion given to victims in Asia Pacific also to victims in Japan. And, some people’s tendency to judge this kind of challenge and appeal I am making as an act of Japan’s war guilt denial also makes it difficult to see victims of both sides in the same compassion.

Simply concluding that all the sufferings and death throughout Asia Pacific were brought by the devil in the Japanese militarism in the past and projecting festering animosity against Japan not only keep their compassion from the innocent victims of bombings in Japan but also have little or no merit for peace.

We all have the tendency to try to make sense of our painful experience and memories that are difficult to make sense by finding a blame on someone or a certain thing.  Our minds tend to make sense by making simplistic attributions.  This is a very important issues to be addressed in studying psychology, social psychology, in particular. Thus, putting all the blame on Japan’s past is a simplistic way to try to make sense out of the past painful memories of suffering and death.

But, by taking a risk of being accused and misunderstood, I still must challenge this kind of simple attributive way of making sense, because I do believe that real underlining devil that have brought all bloody sufferings and death on both sides, regardless of the division between “victims side” and “offender’s side”, lies not only in the Japan’s past but many other nations around that time. Furthermore, this real culprit underneath is not really about which nation is guilty or not guilty – which nations are victims and which one is offender – because it can be hidden in heart of every human being. And, our narcissistic disposition, which we all have in our minds, keeps this real devil obscured from being examined and understood objectively and rationally. This also results in turning compassion toward victims on one side but turning hatred toward the other.

Perhaps, if I were a national of one of the nations regarded as “victims of Japan’s past military actions” or “winners of war”, then, this appeal I am making on this 70^th anniversary of Tokyo fire bombing would receive more understanding. But, yes, I am a Japanese national. Perhaps, I am supposed to keep my mouth shut in remembering the” living hell” in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan. For this reason, I should not call for the same kind of empathy and compassion toward suffering and death of Japanese civilians, because it may be seen as my denial of Japan’s guilt and responsibility for sufferings and death in Asia Pacific.

But, once again, I must say that compassion is of critical importance for effective peace education to prevent future conflict leading to a war and to resolve such a conflict before developing into a war.  In this regard, compassion in peace education should not have any boundaries between “offenders” and “victims” or “winners of war” and “losers of war”.  

Devil can go across these boundaries , turning our minds irrational and our hearts compassionate only to one side but not so to the other.  Once we let this devil and fail to acknowledge its existence within and confront it, our mind tends to set up and even cling to these boundaries and divisions.  After all, dividing us and making us kill each other by fueling anger and hatred is Satan’s mission.

Let us unite with our compassion for all the victims of military actions, overcoming and transcending all divisions and boundaries created by our weak minds and hearts as we continue to remember sufferings and death during the war that ended 70 years ago.

At least today, both the United States military and the Japanese military are united as an indivisible ally. In response to devastation of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, November 2013, both the US military forces and the Japanese military forces worked as a team, together with the Filipino military, to rescue and save lives.  It was where Japanese military brought terrors, sufferings, and deaths, in its fight against the US military and the Filipino military. The success of this team work operation of saving lives in the Philippines reminds us that we can overcome anger and hatred that divide us and prevent our empathy for one from turning into hatred for the other.

Let us make this anniversary as a critical year to make our efforts for peace more authentic by uniting our rational minds and compassionate hearts in one. Let us transcend our efforts for peace from all divisive boundaries - including "victims-offender" and "winners-loser" and "victimized" and "guilty" kind of divisions. Let us not myopically misunderstand this call for transcendence as an attempt of whitewash or denial of war responsiblity. For this, let us examine our own mind and heart deeply for confronting the hidden narcissistic disposition within.