Spotlight: Chinese diplomat calls on Japanese youth to adopt all-encompassing view of world history

In a statement made at the Conference on Disarmament (CD), China's Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Fu Cong has called upon Japan and its younger generation to adopt an all-encompassing view of world history so that the suffering of all nations including China's can be remembered accordingly.

While recalling the nuclear strikes that hit Japan in August 1945 is essential, so is remembering the misery endured by other states during World War II, Fu said in the statement which was published Wednesday on the website of China's permanent mission to the UN at Geneva.

"World War II was the darkest page in the annals of mankind, with the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki being part of the tragedy," Fu remarked in the statement, which was delivered Tuesday at the CD's plenary session.

"To view the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki outside the wider context of World War II would very likely lead to a mistaken conclusion," he warned.

The statement followed a speech delivered by a Japanese high-school student, one of 22 who made the trip from Japan to attend the third and final part of this year's CD session.

Fu highlighted that some 100 million soldiers and civilians, of which 35 million were recorded in China alone and 27 million in the Soviet Union, perished across the world as a result of the World War II.

In light of this, the ambassador reminded that all tragedies, including those perpetrated by Japan's notorious military, are central to the world's holistic understanding of the War.

"During the War, a certain country, in violation of international law, had used biological and chemical weapons, killing or maiming several million soldiers and civilians in China," Fu reminded.

"Commemorating the sufferings endured by the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki while ignoring the much greater sufferings inflicted on the people of other Asian countries will inevitably result in a skewed view of history," he said.

The diplomat called upon nations to adopt a panoramic approach to world history to gain a more accurate understanding of what took place in that dark period.

This is also essential in the quest for peace and stability, as well as the ability of countries to draw important lessons from the past, he said.

"During the War, the people of most Asian countries, Japan included, were victims of fascist militarism," Fu said.

"The purpose of remembering history is not to renew hatred, but to draw lessons from it, to guard against a revival of harmful ideas such as militarism and to prevent the tragedy of war from repeating," he noted.

The official encouraged Japan and its younger generation to deepen its knowledge of the war by reading more history books, in so doing covering facts not included in the nation's curriculum.

Established in 1979, the Conference on Disarmament is the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community.

The Conference on Disarmament counts 65 member states. Endit