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Hayao Miyazaki
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Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose last film was accused
by some South Koreans of glamourizing war, said Monday Japan needed to clearly
state its remorse over its imperialist past.
Miyazaki, a well-known
liberal, said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe needed to be explicit in his
condemnation of 20th century warring.
AFP report continues:
"I think (Japan) has
to say clearly that aggressive war was completely wrong, having brought
enormous damage to the Chinese people," he told reporters at a rare press
conference in his Tokyo studio.
"Regardless of the
political situation, Japan has to have deep remorse over a long period of
militarist activities in China," he said.
Nationalist Abe is
readying a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
He has repeatedly talked
of the need for what he calls a "forward-looking attitude" that
concentrates on the positive role Japan has played since surrender and
continues to play.
But that has set alarm
bells ringing in Seoul and in Beijing, which say any attempt to tone down
explicit apologies made by previous prime ministers should be discouraged.
"I know there are many people who want to forget about
it, but it never should be forgotten," Miyazaki said.
The comments come two years after the release of his final
feature-length film, which was praised for its artistry, but criticized for
what a minority of people said was romanticization of conflict.
The film, entitled "The Wind Rises" in English, told
the story of a fighter plane designer modelled on flight engineer Jiro
Horikoshi, the man responsible for the Zero fighter, Japan's best known World
War II fighter aircraft.
Miyazaki has responded to
the criticism reportedly saying "Horikoshi was a person who has resisted
requests from the military. I doubt he is blamed just because he lived a life
at that era."
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