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Although many war crimes were committed and in a number of cases the
perpetrators tried and punished for their crimes, there were many acts of
kindness by individual Japanese, sometimes at great personal risk. The following
stories are examples, some of which happened long after the war and offer hope
for the future. In Japan today there is a far greater interest in learning about
events that occurred during World War II, as information becomes more widely
available.
It is
no part of this website to minimise the terrible events of 1941-45 but to
recognise that although they should not be forgotten, the only way forward is by
learning from the past, actively seeking ways of reconciliation and looking to
the future. Those who have followed this route have found that it is not
possible to classify an entire people as evil, nor to allow that belief to pass
down between generations. Indeed some ex POWs have, through a process of
reconciliation, been able to better come to terms with the terrible events that
occurred.
We
recognise that for many FEPOWs, and their families, there can be no possibility
of reconciliation with the Japanese people. However, for us in this community, as Christians, and citizens
of the world, we look to reconciliation and to
show where and how it has taken place and whenever possible, to help it happen. |
