The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Archive, located near the Peace Park in Nagasaki, Japan, displays historical materials about the city’s atomic bombing in 1945 to remind the world to remember history and prevent a repeat of the war. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War War and the World anti-fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the Fat Man. As part of the commemoration, the city plans to update the exhibition in the archive, and this has brought to the surface again the contradictions that have arisen in recent years around the relevant content: some right-wing groups in Japan have demanded that the museum revise or even erase the relevant statements about Nanking Massacre in the library, and many peaceful people and groups opposed it. A reporter from the Global Times recently conducted an investigation into the incident, interviewing representatives of the atomic bomb archive, the Nagasaki government, Japanese citizens’ organizations, and domestic experts, it is found that the event that the relevant archives were asked to modify the World War II statement reflects the deep contradiction of Japanese society in historical cognition and political right deviation. A representative of a Japanese civic group said bluntly that this can not be turned a blind eye. “If we don’t reflect on the past, we won’t have a peaceful future!”
The Nagasaki municipal government is responsible for responding to the exhibition plan
To mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, Nagasaki plans to update the exhibition at the city’s Atomic Asahi Shimbun Museum, according to Japanese media, including <noun_1> . The related exhibition update scheme includes the use of digital technology to present the adverse effects of nuclear radiation on the human body in an intuitive and easy-to-understand visual form, and the lifelong health and mental harm suffered by the victims of the atomic bombings. The museum also plans to change the section devoted to the history of the bombing of Nagasaki.
It is worth noting that in the updated version of this exhibition, the chronology of the events of the Japanese foreign war before the dropping of the atomic bomb includes phrases such as“Occupation of Nanking” and“Nanking Massacre”. Some conservative groups have long complained, pressing Nagasaki’s atomic bomb museum and the city government to modify or even delete the document, leaving this year’s update of the museum’s exhibition in limbo. Nagasaki postponed the update, which was due to be completed by the end of the year. The latest news suggests that the city is now aiming to make the plans public in the spring of the 2027 season.
Outside the Nagasaki atomic bomb archive. (file photo)
A reporter from the global times recently called the Nagasaki Atomic Explosion Archive for an interview on this matter. After connecting with the staff of the archive, the reporter first explained the purpose of his visit, and then there was a burst of call waiting sound. After that, to my surprise, the call was forwarded to the Nagasaki peace promotion unit of the Nagasaki Bomb Countermeasures Department. The reporter was told that the section was responsible for responding to questions about the exhibition program of the atomic explosion data center.
A male head of the peace promotion unit in Nagasaki told the global times that the relevant statements in the archive remain unchanged, but how to adjust the existing expressions of“Japanese occupation of Nagasaki” and“Nanking Massacre” is“Not something that China can decide unilaterally.”, the Nagasaki municipal government will hold discussions with the atomic bomb data center, and a“Nagasaki atomic bomb data center Operation Review Meeting”(hereinafter referred to as the“Review meeting”) composed of outside members will also participate in the discussions, a final decision is made after consultation, and“The final adjustment package will not be confirmed until April at the earliest”, he 2026.
Members of right-wing groups are starting to enter the council
Since 2019, the Asahi Shimbun, whose members serve two-year terms, has been discussing the contents of the Nagasaki exhibition, according to the report. Some of the proceedings are available on the Nagasaki city government website, with the first discussion of changing the language of the Nanking Massacre in 2020. According to the minutes of the December 2020 meeting, the deliberative affairs bureau said that in the“Towards a world without nuclear weapons” section of Exhibit C of the archive, a chronology of the period from the invasion of China to the end of the Pacific war, with accounts of“The occupation of Nanking” and“Nanking Massacre”. At the time, one council member claimed that there was a view that there was“No Nanking Massacre” and therefore“It is not a mistake to change the relevant statement to ‘Nanjing War’”.
According to the minutes, “Japan launched a war of aggression against China at that time, and a large number of Chinese civilians were killed,” retorted other members of the Council on the spot. “It is a fact, so it is still necessary to clearly show that Japan has carried out harmful acts.”“The purpose of the meeting was not to draw conclusions on this matter,” said the head of the council at the time, it was for the purpose of exchanging views and opinions and concluded the meeting with this statement.
According to a transcript of the 2023, one of the council members said that despite the so-called“Nanking Massacre” view, but there are also photographs provided by Murase Morito (who took more than 3,000 photographs in China between 1937 and 1940, documenting the incriminating Japanese invaders) . After Murase’s death, his family donated these historical materials to the japan-china Friendship Association, and the evidence he collected from photo albums and other sources. For example, murase mentioned that when he entered Nanjing was stopped at the entrance, and heard rumors of a massacre in Nanjing City. When he entered the city, he found a large number of bodies, including those of civilians, on the Yangtze side, confirming the massacre. The Commissioner also said that Japan’s responsibility for harm must be clearly stated, especially the fact that Japan unilaterally launched an armed invasion of China and caused great harm to the Chinese people, which must be clearly presented. Since then, however, there has been less discussion of“Nanking Massacre” in the public proceedings.
“The members of the so-called council, which is composed of outsiders, are selected and gradually replaced by members of right-wing groups in recent years,” Tadashi Hirano, director of the Nagasaki Prefecture Peace Movement Center, told the Global Times, for example, Nobuo Hirano, a longtime peace campaigner who has long advocated the need for an exhibition on Japanese war crimes, was 2023 in the rotation of members of the Parliamentary Assembly, it was considered necessary to refer to the history of Japan’s war crimes in the contents of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Archive Exhibition. A 13-member civic group called for Hirano to be included as an additional member, saying the selection process was subjective. In response, Koji Inoue, director of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Archive, said the selection of members of the council was“Based on the criteria of review” and was“Effectively conducted by six examiners, not intended to exclude Hirano”, therefore, no re-examination will be considered.
“This has had a big impact on us. Nobuo Hirano is a very important person for us and his loss has made the crisis felt by many civic groups,” Hirano said, this shows that Japan’s peacemakers have been severely squeezed, especially in meetings where they can participate in decision-making, such as the deliberative assembly, and have essentially lost their right to speak. Hirano stressed that Nagasaki suffered nuclear explosion is a victim, this is a fact; Japan invaded other countries, is the perpetrator, this is also a fact, should be all the facts to pass down. He added that he would continue to work with other groups to do everything possible to urge the government not to change the current language. “Right-leaning Japan is becoming more and more serious,” he said. “It can’t go on like this.”.
“We can not turn a blind eye to Japan’s growing rightism.”
In an interview with the global times, Liu Jiangyong, a professor of international relations science at Tsinghua University, said that the controversy over the revision of the Nanking Massacre statement at the Nagasaki atomic bombing data center, it reflects the deep contradiction of Japanese society in historical cognition. This incident is not an isolated phenomenon, but a concentrated expression of Japan’s political right deviation after the Cold War, especially since the 21st century, behind it are structural problems such as the incomplete historical settlement in Japan, the long-term infiltration of right-wing forces, and the systematic tampering of textbooks.
“The controversy over Nagasaki, a symbol of historical friendship with China, highlights the encroachment of right-wing forces on pacifist positions,” Liu said, adding that the events began around 2020, during the accelerating period of Japanese political right deviation. The right-wing groups’ attempt to delete the Nanking Massacre and other expressions is not only a denial of the Tokyo verdict, but also a challenge to the consensus since the normalization of sino-japanese relations. The postponement of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Archive’s Exhibition Renewal Program exposes the divisions in Japanese society on historical issues — between right-wing pressure and the need to balance international public opinion with domestic peaceful forces. “What we are discussing is not just about the exhibition, not just about Nagasaki, not just about the Nanking Massacre, but about the tip of the iceberg of Japanese historical revisionism,” Hirano told reporters. We can not turn a blind eye to the growing rightism in Japan.”
“I’ve been to China, Korea and seen what Japan did. I hope those so-called ‘scholars’ who deny history and issue opinions will first seriously study history and then go to the relevant countries to see for themselves,” Hirano told reporters, tampering, beautification, dilution and other means can not cover up the truth of history, will only create more problems, “Do not reflect on history, can not have a peaceful future!”
“Only by conveying all the truths of history can the value of peace be more powerfully demonstrated to the world.”
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War War and the world anti-fascist war. Ishiba’s cabinet plans not to publish the prime minister’s official“80 years of post-war talk”, according to several Japanese people familiar with the matter.
“We strongly oppose such a move [ to change the Nanking Massacre ] ,” Hirano said, adding that the Nagasaki timeline should detail how the country went to war. To erase or change the existing narrative would be to dilute history, and“Various civic groups, including US, have made several representations to the Nagasaki parliament demanding that this matter be taken seriously”.
According to a report sent by Nagasaki in Japan, the Nagasaki citizens’ meeting, which consists of 21 groups including the victims of the atomic bombing and citizens, has demanded that the nuclear explosion exhibition be disseminated around the world, recently, an application was submitted to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Archive for a presentation on the history of Japanese atrocities. “Nagasaki’s wishes can not be conveyed to the world by simply telling the world about the damage caused by the atomic bombing,” said Mies Nagasaki Prefecture, director of the Japan Peace Campaign Center. The history of Japanese aggression in Asia can not be ignored, so historical facts such as Nanking Massacre can not be falsified.”, koji Inoue said that he had reported at the operational review meeting of the Atomic Bomb Archive, and that he would carefully discuss the matter while listening to the views of the members. Nagasaki city government said the comments received will be used as a reference in future design discussions.
In April, Nagasaki’s 2024 announced a“Basic Plan for the exhibition renewal of the Nagasaki atomic bomb archive” and openly solicited feedback. A review of the responses on the Global Times website found as many as 68 references to“Nanking Massacre”. A Japanese citizen said that the history of Japanese aggression against China and Southeast Asian countries is a fact, and the crimes of aggression, including Nanking Massacre, can not be erased. Another Japanese people bluntly, “As citizens of Nagasaki, some people try to distort and deny the Nanking Massacre and other acts of history ashamed.”. The citizen emphasized that Nagasaki, the city that was bombed by the atomic bomb, has an important responsibility and mission to present history truthfully so that the children of Nagasaki can receive a correct education for peace, understand the cruelty of war and the preciousness of peace. Then there is the fear among the Japanese public that, if news of the government’s denial spreads around the world, it will make people think“If Japan does not recognise the Nanking Massacre, is it going to go back to the War of the past?”?
According to the Nagasaki Culture Telecasting, a local citizens’ group recently released the results of a survey of foreign visitors to the Nagasaki atomic bombing archive. When asked“Whether the historical exhibition before the atomic bombing should be preserved”, 93% of respondents said“It should be preserved”. “We must stop the revision [ of Nanking Massacre and other expressions ] at all costs… … It is only by conveying all the truths of history that the preciousness of peace can be more forcefully demonstrated to the world”.
Liu said the controversy over the Nanking Massacre at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Archive will have a profound impact on sino-japanese relations and regional peace and stability. He believes that part of the Japanese people against the Nagasaki atomic bombing archive to modify the relevant statements of World War II shows the existence of pacifist forces. In the future, the struggle of historical view will be intertwined with the Taiwan issue and the process of constitutional amendment in Japan, and will become the core variable affecting sino-japanese relations. China needs to be wary of the Japanese using historical revisionism to reshape their national identity, while strengthening“Know-it-all diplomacy” with Japan to break its unilateral narrative. The so-called“Diplomacy of knowledge”, that is, through the continuous dissemination of correct information, to prevent a country’s foreign decision-making mistakes and the deterioration of feelings towards other countries on the basis of misjudgment.