[Desk Column] Japan Still Fails to Learn from History

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly expressed his desire to amend the constitution by September next year, the end of his term. However, as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads and criticism of the Abe administration's inadequate response intensifies, discussions on constitutional revision seem to be stalled.

But this is only superficial. The Abe administration’s push for constitutional revision is quiet yet persistent. The "Parliamentary League for Considering a New National Vision," chaired by Hakubun Shimomura, the Liberal Democratic Party’s election strategy committee chairman, is expected to soon present a constitutional amendment proposal. The proposal includes adding an emergency clause to the constitution, which would cover cases of serious infectious disease outbreaks. They intend to use even the COVID-19 crisis as momentum for constitutional revision.

On the 23rd of last month, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s promotional Twitter posted a four-panel comic titled "Theory of Evolution," discussing the need for constitutional revision. The comic features a character named "Moyawin." He says, "There is a story in Darwin’s theory of evolution," and continues, "It is not the strongest who survive, nor the most intelligent who live the longest." He then insists, "The only ones who survive are those who adapt," and emphasizes, "To further develop Japan, constitutional revision is necessary now." This argument relies on the authority of the theory of evolution to claim that constitutional revision is essential for Japan’s progress.

However, 19th-century British biologist Charles Darwin never made such statements. While genetic variation (change) is indeed important for evolution, the claim that only those who change survive is incorrect.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s baseless logic recalls the misuse of evolution theory in eugenics. Osamu Sakura, a professor at the University of Tokyo specializing in evolution theory and science and technology society studies, also criticized this, saying, "Discussing social issues through evolution requires utmost caution."

Evolution theory explains the evolution of living organisms through survival of the fittest and competition. When applied to society, it becomes "social Darwinism," a concept developed by British sociologist Herbert Spencer. According to him, whether living organisms, nations, or superior races, the strong eliminate the weak and dominate the world. This naturally became a theory supporting imperialism. It was also the logic Japan used during its occupation and control of Korea.

This logic also leads to the idea that one must accept reality if they lose in the survival competition. It suggests that rather than being a hopeless weakling, one must integrate into the strong to survive. This was precisely the logical structure of pro-Japanese collaborators.

The Abe administration’s ambition to revive Japan as a "war-capable nation," invoking even evolution theory, is relentless. The first Abe cabinet, inaugurated in September 2006, collapsed within a year due to various scandals and defeat in the House of Councillors election. However, the Abe administration, relaunched in 2012, effectively abolished the principle banning arms exports to socialist or conflict-ridden countries in 2014. This was aligned with the goal of making Japan a war-capable country. In 2015, the Abe administration also changed the interpretation of the pacifist constitution, enabling the exercise of "collective self-defense rights." This eliminated the "exclusive defense" principle, which allowed minimum defense forces only when attacked.

In July 2015, Japan registered 23 Meiji-era industrial heritage sites, including the Hashima Island (also known as Gunkanjima), as World Cultural Heritage sites, promising the international community to also acknowledge historical issues such as forced labor. However, this promise was not fulfilled. Japan, which committed massacres, rapes, and forced labor in the Korean Peninsula and Asia in the past, still does not reflect on its history and only dreams of reviving militarism.

The purpose of learning history is "On-go-ji-shin (溫故而知新)"?to correct the course by learning from the past when society goes in the wrong direction. Japan, which does not learn from history, will never be able to shed the label of a "war criminal nation."