First Secretary,Please forgive my writing this in English. I am the Head of the Humanities Department here at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Centre and I am writing to register my deep concern over the disturbances I saw last night. I consider such violence an indictment upon this government that incites hatred against an ethnic minority to mask its own domestic problems and isdeological emptiness, and then stands back as the flames are fed; all the while accepting the invaluable aid your country has provided as is evidenced by the very compound my students work in.In my class I deal with the Manchurian invasion and the issue of Japanese textbooks ignoring, excusing, or even justifying atrocities commit ...view middle of the document...
I also use my history classes to explain the concern among Chinese about Japan seeking admission into the UN security council. Many of my students are Chinese and Korean where they have been brought up to have an anti-Japanese perspective (much as many of my countrymen were raised to have an anti-German prejudice) and consider it just that the Chinese show the world their opposition to any such move. I explain the fact that China, as a current permanent member, can simply veto any such move and Japan will not be included, without the need for businesses and people to be targetted. Rather than making this clear and owning up to its responsibilities, this government simply blocks sites such as your own http://www.japan.org.cn/ to keep its people ignorant.I assure you that in my classes at least, my students use history to judge such actions as those perpetrated last night in their true context rather than allow it to simply perpetuate hatred and social control. They will see in it what all other members of the civilised world will recognise: A fascist government inciting its people to target a defenceless minority. I shall ensure that my students will see in that shades of another such government from the last century.Most Respectfully,Keir
