Less than 100 meters from the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, a large poster features a tough-looking old man gazing at passers-by through a window. Another poster, however, shows the same man kneeling down in front of the monument to victims of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The two pictures are the most authentic reproduction of the image of former Chancellor Willy Brandt, with the former highlighting the German people's respect for the statesman and the latter illustrating the courage and self-respect he displayed on behalf of them, said a staff member of the Forum Willy Brandt Berlin.

The forum hosts an informative exhibition about Brandt's personal life as well as his experience in German politics. Brandt was born in the northern coastal city of Lübeck in 1913. He took part in Germany's social democratic movement as a young man before going into exile in 1933 in Norway where he fought against fascism. After the end of World War II, he returned to Germany and served as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1969 to 1974. On December 7, 1970, Brandt dropped to his knees at the monument to victims of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during a visit to Poland, in what was perhaps the most memorable act of his tenure.

"The action was, without a doubt, surprising and caused uproar in Germany. While many senior citizens who lived through the Third Reich believed that Brandt overreacted, more people thought he should kneel down," a staff member of the forum told People's Daily. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was unable to get authorization from her supervisor, who was on leave. She stressed that the act of kneeling down has become a cultural and political symbol showing that the German chancellor faced up to history, undertook responsibility for war crimes and repented on behalf of Germans to Jews and ordinary Polish people that were slaughtered during World War II. Today all Germans and insightful international commentators take a highly perceptive view of Brandt's action. When asked for her comments on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, she answered that the two actions sharply contrasted with each other and they delivered completely different messages, with Brandt's kneeling down winning international respect and Abe's tribute sparking a huge controversy.

Beside the poster showing Brandt kneeling down, Andre Bennett, an engineer from Dortmund, was reading information with his friends. He said he first saw this picture when he was at primary school. History textbooks in Germany make it clear that historical issues should be treated honestly. When asked about Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, he first responded that he was not familiar with Asian politics. But when he learned that the shrine honors Class-A war criminals from World War II, he was greatly shocked, saying that such a thing would certainly not be acceptable in Germany.

The entry at the forum's exhibition reads that the German chancellor bore responsibility for the Holocaust by dropping to his knees quietly. The Brandt administration also took bold steps to substantively improve relations with eastern neighbors. From 1970 to 1973, the Federal Republic of Germany signed agreements on rapprochement with the German Democratic Republic, the Soviet Union, Poland and Czechoslovakia. In an interview with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci in 1973, Brandt said although he left Germany at an early age, he felt that he was jointly liable for Adolf Hitler's practice of fascism. After assuming office, he felt even more strongly that he had a social responsibility to repent of the crimes committed by Nazi Germany. He said he knelt down not only for Polish people, but also for Germans because too many people in Germany needed to vent their loneliness and share this weighty responsibility. Admitting responsibility not only was conducive to cleansing the German conscience but also helped Jews, Poles and Germans live together, he added.

The reporter was filled with mixed feelings after visiting the Forum Willy Brandt Berlin. Indeed, kneeling down at the Warsaw monument required the wisdom and courage of a true statesman. Past experience shows that acknowledging responsibility for historical crimes does not hurt a nation, but will earn it more respect and understanding. This idea is easy to understand and Germany has set an example. But Japanese politicians have turned a blind eye and refused to follow suit. In what direction do they intend to lead their nation?