This spring, anti-Japanese demonstrations broke out almost simultaneously in both China and Korea, with both countries seeking to place the memory of Japanese dominance in the service of building a new national identity and strategic position. So we can expect that, like the events in May to mark 60 years since the end of WWII in Europe, Asia’s commemoration on August 15 of the end of the war in the Pacific will expose lingering – and still raw – historical sensitivities.
今年春天，当中国和朝鲜都在寻求利用日本统治的这段回忆塑造新国家身份和新战略地位之际，两国几乎同时爆发了反日游行。因此我们可以预期，就像5月在欧洲举行的二战结束六十周年的纪念活动一样，亚洲8月15日的太平洋战争结束的纪念活动将会展现那挥之不去——至今依然刺痛心灵的历史敏感。然而与欧洲不同，亚洲的历史回忆将继续与当前的战略雄心结合在一起。