Japanese Emperor Akihito (first photo) abdicated the throne in late April citing his advanced age and health concerns.
December 13th will be the 82th anniversary of The Rape of Nanking, the seven week Japanese siege of the Chinese capital which left almost 300,000 Chinese dead. There will be a memorial service that day in Nanking. Former Emperor Akihito should attend the memorial service in Nanking, but of course, he won’t.
Akihito’s father, Emperor Hirohito(second photo), oversaw the siege which happened when Akihito was four years old. It would be of massive symbolic value for his son to attend the service.
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulted in about the same number of deaths as Nanking, but with a big difference: The bombing totals also include all those who died over the last 74 years from the long term consequences of radiation exposure.
The Nanking totals cover seven weeks. The Japanese killed as many people in seven weeks as the United States did in seven decades.
The Japanese have been very slow to accept responsibility for the slaughter 82 years ago. The Japanese claim the Chinese numbers of the slaughter are exaggerated and politically motivated. In short, the Japanese claim it really wasn’t that bad.
It would be a source of profound reconciliation for former Emperor Akihito to attend the memorial service in Nanking on December 13th.
Perhaps, in good time, Emperor Akihito’s son, newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito can offer a gesture of reconciliation to the citizens of China.