The theme this time is “Japan has no choice but to clear up the ‘Pearl Harbor’ misunderstanding”.
I would like to share the insights of Mr. Andrii Gurenko, a Ukrainian International Political Scientist.
On March 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy addressed the U.S. Congress online.
He called for solidarity with the United States and insisted that the United States should not be indifferent to the tragedy in Ukraine, which is being invaded by Russia.
Overall, the speech was excellent, but there was one problem that the Japanese could not overlook.
The problematic part is as follows.
"Dear Americans. There has been an event in your history that makes you understand how Ukrainians feel today. Ukrainians need your understanding now. Remember Pearl Harbor. On that terrible and tragic morning of December 7, 1941, the sky was blackened with aircraft attacking you."
● Inappropriate example of the Ukrainian president.
Of course, President Zelenskyy had no intention to criticize Japan at all, but only to highlight an event that is easy for Americans to understand as an example of the "fear of being attacked from the sky".
However, it is true that some Japanese have had their feelings hurt by this.
President Zelenskyy is not simply comparing the Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbor to the Russian military attack on Ukraine.
Whereas the U.S.-Japan war was caused by differences of opinion and conflicting interests regarding the future of East Asia, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a lawless, barbaric, one-sided outrage with no justification whatsoever.
It is not appropriate to use the memory of a scene from the former to enhance our understanding of the latter.
How can we respond to this inappropriate analogy based on this false perception?
As a Ukrainian, I (the author) who greatly value the friendly relations between Japan and Ukraine, do not want to see the impression of Ukraine in Japan tarnished because of this statement.
Therefore, I think that Japan should ask for a correction through diplomatic channels.
A request from Japan would be a valuable opportunity for President Zelenskyy to correct his mistaken perception. ......
