As I was writing this piece last Thursday, I was somewhat surprised to note that it was 80 years ago to the day that humanity decided to come to its senses, end all the killings, violence, greed, and grief and take up the cause of world peace.
It was on August 14, 1945 or exactly 80 years ago, that United States President Harry Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, officially ending the most devastating and deadliest conflict on earth, World War 2.
That war resulted in an estimated 70 to 85 million fatalities, both military personnel and civilians.
Deaths and destruction was widespread across Europe and Asia, with these countries taking the hit in their order of lives and property lost: Soviet Union, 24 million; China, 20 million; Germany, 7.7; Poland, 5.6; Dutch East Indies, 3.5; and Japan, 2.9.
The Philippines lost 0.7 M, while other countries with human losses were India, French Indochina, Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, France, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
The United States and Korea had the least percentage of lives lost, 0.4 million.
It is interesting to note that WW 2 did not start in Europe, although many adults in our generation now equate that war with the European theater, what with Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin as principal players. The lessons learned from WW 2 should not be forgotten.
That war started when expansionist Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. Japanese and Chinese troops clashed and within a few days, the local conflict had escalated to a full, although undeclared war between the two countries.
History says Japan’s invasion of China was driven by several factors, such as the need for natural resources to fuel Japan’s industrialization and economic growth, the Japanese empire’s expansionist ambitions and the political instability in China then.
Notable in the Japan-China conflict was the Nanjing Massacre from December 1937 to January 1938, wherein there was mass killing and ravaging of Chinese citizens and capitulated soldiers by the Japanese Imperial Army. The period from 1937 to 1945, especially the declaration of formal war on Dec. 9, 1941, saw China and Japan engaged in hostilities.
In the Philippines, Filipino guerrillas and Chinese immigrants joined hands in fighting the Japanese invaders—a footnote in Philippine history that is not appreciated by pseudo-nationalists who are at the forefront of demonizing China by adhering to the US propaganda and pro-war policy in the Pacific and the Asian region.
It is time to ask now— why would General Brawner propose to send the Philippine Navy’s grey ships to the South China Sea at this time when tension in that part of the region is already tense? Why would Tarriela and Hey! Darian insist on stoking the fire of regional confrontation when diplomacy and dialogue are better options?
Finally, we dare to ask why President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is undermining the One-China Policy accord enunciated by his father in 1975 with Chinese Premier Chou En Lai by dangling support for Taiwan in case of that province’s conflict with the mainland—clearly another imposition by the United States.
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