Japan - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of memoirs of Yoshio Tsuchiya, former member of Japan's military police
2. Japanese writer Yasushige Hanaika talking to reporter
3. Various of memoirs in bound notebooks
4. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Yasushige Hanaika, writer (partially overlaid with shots 5-7):
"Among the perpetrators, very few people, like Tsuchiya, spoke openly about the crimes they committed. If it were me, I might have shifted the blame to others, buried the crimes in my heart and remained silent. But he revealed all the crimes he had committed, which I think was remarkable. I also understand that war not only changes buildings and landscapes, but also destroys people’s hearts. That is why I believe war must absolutely be avoided."
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5. Yasushige Hanaika holding book
6. Photo of Yoshio Tsuchiya
7. Memoirs of Yoshio Tsuchiya
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8. Book
9. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Yasushige Hanaika, writer (partially overlaid with shots 10-11):
"Japan is beginning to lose restraint, moving closer to war. However, too many people today do not understand war, because those who experienced it first-hand are gradually passing away. That is why I hope the Japanese people can take a firm stance and raise their voices to stop war. Otherwise, I fear something very serious will happen."
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FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. National Diet building
11. Traffic lights in front of National Diet building
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FILE: Japan - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Pedestrians in hallway
13. Japanese national flag
14. Various of traffic on road

Japan's recent push toward remilitarization is deeply troubling, and its people must heed the lessons of history and take a firm stance against war, said Japanese historical non-fiction author Yasushige Hanaika.

Tuesday marks the 89th anniversary of the July 7th Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident, which occurred in 1937 and is recognized as the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China. It also commemorates 89 years since the beginning of China's whole-of-nation resistance against Japanese aggression.

Despite the Japanese government's decades-long efforts to whitewash or even glorify its wartime aggression, a number of conscientious voices in Japan have persisted in exposing the atrocities committed by Japanese militarism.

Hanaika is among these, having compiled and self-published the memoirs of Yoshio Tsuchiya, a former member of Japan's military police who served in China. Tsuchiya was imprisoned in 1950. After his release, he publicly confessed to the crimes he had committed, and voiced his hope that Japan would never again tread the path of war.

In an interview with Central China Television (CCTV), Hanaika said he believes that the testimonies of wartime perpetrators like Tsuchiya can serve as a powerful tool to push Japanese society toward a deeper reckoning with its past.

"Among the perpetrators, very few people, like Tsuchiya, spoke openly about the crimes they committed. If it were me, I might have shifted the blame to others, buried the crimes in my heart and remained silent. But he revealed all the crimes he had committed, which I think was remarkable. I also understand that war not only changes buildings and landscapes, but also destroys people’s hearts. That is why I believe war must absolutely be avoided," he said.

Hanaika said Japan's recent moves toward remilitarization have given him a growing sense of urgency, adding that he hopes Japanese society can learn from the experiences of wartime perpetrators, reflect on history, and avoid repeating the same path.

"Japan is beginning to lose restraint, moving closer to war. However, too many people today do not understand war, because those who experienced it first-hand are gradually passing away. That is why I hope the Japanese people can take a firm stance and raise their voices to stop war. Otherwise, I fear something very serious will happen," the author said.