On August 29, 1997, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (equivalent to China's Ministry of Education) sat in the defendant's seat and received a defeat of its own. The Supreme People's Court ruled that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's opinions on the "Nanjing Massacre" and "Unit 731" in the textbooks were illegal, and ordered the Japanese government to compensate Mr. Ieagasaburo 400,000 yen.
At the moment when the verdict was read, the plaintiff, Ieyasaburo, breathed a sigh of relief. But he wasn't proud. This was only a small victory, and there was still a lot of distortion in the textbooks of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology about Japan's historical record of World War II.
However, this small victory alone has already taken Ieyasaburō 32 years.
In fact, Ieyasaburo would not have had to fight for 32 years. With the achievements of the first half of his life, his 32 years could have been exchanged for higher academic achievements.
01
A noble family member, he was once an "imperial master"
Ieyasaburō's luck began with his frailty and illness. If he were not frail and sickly, Ieyasaburo, who was born into a military family in 1913, would most likely have gone to the battlefield and become a killing tool in World War II. Nagasaburo, who abandoned Takebu, entered Tokyo Imperial University to study history, and was fortunate to preserve his conscience during a crazy era.
In 1937, when many of the young people around him threw their lives into war and committed rape and massacres in many parts of Asia, Ieyasaburo graduated from the University of Tokyo and became a middle school teacher.
In 1944, Ieaga saburo entered the Tokyo Higher Normal School, the predecessor of Tokyo University of Education. Here, he let people see what it is like to open and hang life. At the age of 35, he won the Nippon Academy Award for his "Complete History of the Previous Dynasty", and was recognized by the highest academic institution in Japan. Later, he became the teacher of the then Crown Prince and the current Emperor Akihito. In 1952, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology commissioned him to write a high school history textbook, New History of Japan. The Japanese government attaches great importance to education, and the preparation of teaching materials mostly requires the cooperation of top scholars. Ieyaga Saburo alone can single-handedly pick the beam, which also proves his strength.
After the end of World War II, Ieyasaburo reflected on the dangers of militarism. He was both heartbroken that many young people around him had been drawn into war and ashamed of Japan's crime of aggression. When the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology commissioned him to write history textbooks, he tried to tell students the real history.
Ironically, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which claims to attach importance to education, is reluctant to expose students to historical truths. Officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology revised Ieyasaburō's manuscript.
Ieyasaburo wrote: "The Japanese army occupied Nanjing and killed countless Chinese soldiers and civilians. This event came to be known as the 'Nanjing Massacre'. ”
The censors commented: "Readers may understand this description to mean that after the occupation of Nanjing, the Japanese army unilaterally slaughtered a large number of Chinese." In order not to be understood in this way by the reader, this passage should be modified. ”
Under the resistance of Ieyonasaburō, this statement was eventually changed to read: "After fierce battles with the Chinese defenders, the Japanese army occupied Nanjing and killed many Chinese soldiers and civilians." The event came to be known as the 'Nanjing Massacre'. This formulation is a compromise between Ieyasaburō's argument and the position of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, but the problem is that this statement is not correct, because it implies that the Nanjing Massacre occurred in the course of the fierce battle between the Chinese and Japanese armies.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Sports, Science and Technology also asked Ieaga saburo to delete the description of rape committed by the Japanese army on the grounds that "the violation of women has occurred in every war at every stage of human history and is not a unique act of the Japanese army and does not need to be discussed here." Even the word "aggression" should be avoided, because "aggression is a word with negative ethical connotations."
In his history book, Ieyasaburo denounced the Japanese army's practices in the war: "This war was called a 'holy war' by Honor, and the defeat of the Japanese and their barbarism on the battlefield were completely covered up. As a result, most of the Japanese people are unable to learn the truth, and in this case they have no choice but to participate enthusiastically in this reckless war. ”
This passage infuriated the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and they deleted it completely.
In this way, in the following decade or so, the textbook was changed beyond recognition. The term "aggression" became "force in and out", from a pejorative term to a neutral term, which completely changed the nature of war. The existence of biological and chemical weapons units such as "Seven-Three-One" has been completely deleted. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also often criticized the "lack of love for the nation" and warned him to "not write too darkly about the war, but to write more glorious images of the people desperately supporting the war."
02
For the sake of conscience, make enemies of the country
The practice of falsifying history again and again made Ieaga Saburo intolerable. In 1965, he took the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to court, accusing the government of "violating the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of scholarship and performance," causing him great mental anguish and demanding compensation from the government.
In this way, historians who originally had a great future chose a "road of no return" for their conscience.
In the book "Textbook Trial", Ieyaga Saburo once wrote about his state of mind in suing the country:
By 1937, Ieyaga had already entered society as a researcher. I did not pander to, speculate on war, buried my head in protecting my own conscience, did not make any resistance attempt to prevent that tragedy, and watched many of my peers fall into a tragic fate. My conscience was devastated by this. Today, if I give up writing again to protect my own conscience, can I not repeat the same regrets? ”
The lawsuit, which lasted from 1965 to 1997, left Ieyasaburo in a deep predicament for half of his life.
In 1974, Ieaga saburo published the original manuscript despite government opposition
In a society where the government has taken the lead in beautifying and distorting the historical facts of aggression, Ieyasaburo's defeat seems to be taken for granted. His first and second lawsuits ended in failure, and he himself was the target of right-wing attacks. Many scholars who defend the legitimacy of Japan's aggression regard the attack on Nagasaburo as the proudest thing to do. They said: "Post-war history education was controlled by the denial of Japan's Marxist view of history and the history of the Tokyo Trials, and this masochistic view of history must be overcome." ”
In the end, he was characterized by the Japanese right-wing group as a "non-national", that is, the so-called "Japanese traitor", and his life and safety were repeatedly threatened. The mob appeared outside his house, knocking on pots and pans and chanting slogans, so that he could not rest.
In 30 years of litigation, Ieyasaburo lost his health. At the age of 83, he had 7 diseases and weighed less than 38 kilograms.
03
Belated justice
However, Ieyasaburō's persistence has its own reason.
Ieyasaburō said: "The reason for resorting to the law is secondary, and I want to let the people know that such a terrible system of power is being implemented through approval, and it is most effective for the court." In addition, it is also beneficial to make the majority of people realize that power cannot enter the world of spiritual values. ”
Even though it is difficult, justice is growing slowly. Ieyasaburō's fearless and unwavering attitude has won the support of more and more righteous people. Inspired by him, Japan even set up the "Japanese Lawyers' Group for Compensation for Chinese War Victims", whose lawyers fought free lawsuits for the victims of World War II.
After 3 prosecutions, 10 verdicts, and more than 30 years of resistance, Ieyasaburo finally ushered in a small victory at the age of 84. The Supreme Court ruled his victory.
Ieyasaburo was not satisfied with the verdict, but due to his own physical factors, he had to abandon the fourth lawsuit.
On November 29, 2002, Ieyasaburō completed his cold and lonely life and quietly passed away. His death was a source of sadness and a secret blessing for his enemies.
Ieyasaburo's life, before the age of 50 is success and applause, after the age of 50 is a lonely battle. His struggle for justice and conscience has led many to say he has "betrayed" his country. Between the so-called "patriotic" and the truth, he chose the latter. Such a betrayal is the greatest bravery.