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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE November 7, 2007
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| October 15, 2007 |
Global University Unit 1: “Forgive But Don’t Forget”: Remembering Japan’s Role in Occupying Singapore during World War II |
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| Global University students present their findings from their programme in Singapore |
Global University (GU) is a peace education programme run by Peace Boat combining study, research and workshops onboard and 'exposure' programmes in port, culminating in a presentation by the students themselves to report on what they have learned through the program. By addressing a range of issues relating to peace, human rights and the environment, the students are equipped to become “builders of peace” both in and out of Japan as they take their new found knowledge and act accordingly.
The first of three units for the 59th voyage focused on Japan’s war compensation, with a special focus on the Japanese occupation of Singapore. In the presentation, the students, who range in age from 20 to 80, shared with participants the programme they joined in Singapore. For many, it was an eye-opening experience to see for themselves the damage caused by the Japanese occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945. Working with historian and professor, Utsumi Aiko, the students relayed pertinent points relating to that era and critically analyzed the role the Japanese government and military played in the occupation of Singapore. For instance, they spoke of how the Japanese were led to believe that the fall of Singapore was a triumphant event because it made Japan appear heroic to its citizens. This was amplified by the fact that none of the atrocities carried out by the Japanese during that time were broadcast in Japan, although there were many advertisements for everyday products such as toothpaste that boasted about Japan’s success in occupying the island. |
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The Civilian War Memorial in Singapore, which GU students visited to pay their respects to those who died during the Japanese occupation. Courtesy of Tanaka Miharu |
Incredibly, many of the audience members, both young and old, had very little knowledge of the events that occurred in Singapore. The Global University students therefore felt it was their duty to enlighten them about the crimes committed there by the Japanese and pass on information purposely omitted from history textbooks. The students spoke of tens of thousands of Prisoners of War (POWs) being put to hard labor in the jungle and being denied food and medicine, resulting in countless deaths. In addition, the allied POWs faced torture such as having their fingernails pulled out with pliers. To keep order in the prison, the Japanese guards displayed the decapitated head of one of the prisoners. The students also spoke of the “Sook-ching” (cleansing) incident whereby the Japanese military massacred as many as 50,000 ethnic Chinese based on arbitrary selection. |
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Participants break into small groups to discuss the issues raised during the presentation such as the importance of learning the truth about historical events |
After the presentation, the audience broke into small groups to discuss the points raised and relate them to contemporary times. Some of the older participants felt that it was too difficult to talk about the war, preferring not to dig up the past. However, most expressed their opinions with candor. There were several common threads between the groups that came to light. Many believed that the older generation of Singaporeans, as well as Chinese and Koreans whose countries were also occupied by Japan, held a grudge against the Japanese while the younger generation do not because they are more removed from the experience of war. One of the volunteer staff members, a Singaporean, relayed a story about her friend who wanted to move to Japan to teach English. However, her grandmother had been raped by a Japanese soldier during the occupation in Singapore and was vehemently against her decision, forbidding her to go. The direction of the discussion moved towards Japan and the atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were mentioned. Several voiced the notion that if the United States had not dropped the bombs, they would have launched a ground attack and more people’s lives would have been lost, a point that was hotly debated on both sides. |
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| Two volunteers debate the issue of Japan’s war compensation |
To conclude the discussion, it was generally agreed upon that in textbooks and other documents, Japan portrays itself solely as a victim based on the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a result, there are no explanations about why Japan occupied other Southeast Asian nations or why Japan lost the war. Also, history textbooks are becoming increasingly thin, and the truth is kept out of official channels like these as well as the media. Moreover, participants agreed that high ranking politicians and officials, such as the prime minister of Japan need to stop the controversial visits to Yasukuni Shrine which aggravate China and Korea, pointing out that there are other places where the civilian and soldier victims of the war can be visited without having to also pay tribute to war criminals. Finally, the most important lesson gleaned from GU’s Unit 1 report is that it is important to keep searching for the truth and learning about the past in order that the truth can be passed on to the next generation. If we can learn from the past, rather than erase it, then it is more likely that the same tragedies will not be repeated. As stated on the Civilian War Memorial in Singapore: “Forgive, But Don’t Forget.”
For the Global University Pamphlet, click here (Link to GU Pamphlet pdf) |
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