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On Sept. 29, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will hold its leadership election to choose its next party president. The victor is all but assured to become the country's next prime minister due to the parliamentary majority held by the LDP and its coalition partner, the Komeito Party.
Japan's next leader will encounter significant headwinds—a demographic crisis, an overtaxed health care system fighting a pandemic, vexing relations with the Chinese Communist Party as well as a damaged economy. Amid these significant challenges, we wish our Asian ally well.
Given all that is on the line, Japan will need a prime minister who can govern the country ably during this turbulent period. This will require an individual who possesses both requisite leadership skills as well as a moral compass. With the memory of the horrific wars and epic tragedies of the 20th century fading from collective memory, Japan's new leaders must shun historical revisionism, equip and empower educators to openly teach the past and redouble efforts to improve Japan's relations with its neighbors by acknowledging history, not beclouding it.
Without question, Japan's image has been boosted by this summer's well-run Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games that provided the world with many inspiring stories and triumphs over adversity. Contrary to the narrative propagated by Beijing that democracies are on the decline and unfit for meeting today's challenges, Japan's competent handling of the Games was validation that free societies can achieve big things amid these tumultuous times.
Additionally, Japan distinguishes itself with many other important contributions to the global community, among them its roles with providing regional security in the Indo Pacific, global economic governance, supporting free markets and global trade, humanitarian aid, COVID-19 vaccine donations and climate policy pledges to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Japan has also become an important goodwill ambassador that promotes art, design, fashion and culture to the world.
However, many human rights activists are concerned that China's menacing behavior threatens Japan and the international community. Beijing's maritime aggression, threats to invade Taiwan, crackdown of dissent in Hong Kong, systemic oppression of the Uyghur Muslims and destruction of Christian churches have left many worried.
During this pivotal time, Japan requires able leadership that is grounded in values. Yet, as a recent article in The Times reported, allegations of any politician having shown sympathy to Nazis is a serious matter. The resulting denial of association with identified Japanese Neo-Nazis and the failure to denounce the Neo-Nazi ideology in more robust terms also raises real concerns.
Developments such as these risk damaging the significant advancements over the past decade in relations between the Japanese and Jewish peoples, much of which took place when Shinzo Abe served as prime minister.
As we have seen recently, the ideas of Nazism are dangerous and are not to be taken lightly—it is a toxic ideology that continues to have repercussions. Tragically, recent years have seen accounts of self-identified Nazis killing Jews in synagogues in the U.S. and in Europe.
An examination of the Third Reich's anti-democratic practices and the ideas of Nazism are important and have their place. Learning about Adolf Hitler's crimes must be a requirement for the education of our young—regardless of their heritage or where they live—to help them understand the lessons of history.
At a time when authoritarianism is on the rise globally, it is crucial that students learn about history's villains, including proper context and not blind admiration and endorsement.
It also bears saying that our sister democracy and key ally does not need leaders who advocate the expunging from school curricula the so-called masochistic accounts of Imperial Japan's crimes. Such an outcome would have serious ramifications, denying Japanese youth opportunities to learn about what happened prior to and during World War II and raise alarms with Asian neighbors. There cannot be any role for leaders who assert that Tokyo should backtrack on its previous apologies for its World War II atrocities. Rather, the Japanese people deserve a leader who will champion an honest accounting of history, the study of key lessons from the past and good faith efforts to continue the hard work of reconciliation.
The Japanese people are keenly aware that the upcoming vote will usher in the next prime minister who will face unpredictable challenges spawned by the still unconquered COVID-19 pandemic.
We wish the Japanese people well as they enter a new era. Their leader will have to bring his or her "A Game" to successfully lead Japan. Involvement with historical revisionism or genocidal Nazi ideology will distract from the prime minister's important duties and will play into the hands of the Chinese Communist regime seeking as always to harm Japan's global stature.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper is the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (@SimonWiesenthal).
Kinue Tokudome (@JewsandJapan) and Ted Gover, Ph.D. (@TedGover) serve as advisors to the Center.
The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
