Japan's move to reinstate WWII military ranks hurts victims, breaks rules: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's latest move to reinstate WWII military ranks out of "a sense of honor" is a breach of long-existing rules and will instill a wrong perception, and this would also rub salt into the wounds of Japan's wartime victims, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday.

Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on the move.

It is reported that Japan has decided on a plan to revise the rank titles of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and intends to submit a draft bill to the Diet within this year. The overhaul includes reviving military rank titles during WWII, such as "taisho" and "taisa." A senior official in the Japanese government said that the move aims to create a work environment with a sense of honor and attract and retain SDF members.

Lin said after WWII, as a defeated nation, Japan was required to disarm its military forces and dismantle its war machine. Several years later, in 1954, when establishing the SDF, Japan chose to name the ranks using numbers and stopped using the military-style ones used in the old army, he added.

Lin said that many in Japan believe that by adopting a non-military-style rank system, Japan intended to make a clear cut with the wartime military in line with the spirit of the pacifist Constitution.

"It shows that the rank titles are absolutely not just a technical issue for Japan," Lin stressed.

He said in recent years, however, Japan has been pushing for a more offensive, expansionist, and dangerous defense policy and has torn up its "pacifist" rulebook.

"We cannot but ask: Is Japan still indulged in a dream of reviving militarism? What exactly is this 'sense of honor' built on?" Lin asked.

The rise of neo-militarism in Japan is posing a real threat to world peace and stability, Lin said, adding that the Chinese people, together with anyone in the world who stand for justice, should stay on high alert and firmly safeguard the outcome of the WWII victory so that the tragedies of history will not repeat themselves. Enditem