Hey fam, ever heard of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register? It’s like a global archive hall of fame for documents that shaped history. But what happens when politics steps in? 🤔
Back in 2017, the Chinese mainland filed its bid to include two super important collections: records of Unit 731—where a secret wartime lab in Harbin conducted horrifying human experiments—and documents on “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops. You’d think history is a no-brainer, right? Well…
Japan pushed back hard. A viral video by Yuyuan Tantian (a social media channel tied to China Media Group) blew the lid off how right-wing scholars and groups used a slick move: submitting nearly identical UNESCO applications to create “duplicate” bids and stall everything. ⚔️
We’re talking big names here: Shirou Takahashi, a nationalist scholar, and even Yumiko Yamamoto—a housewife turned activist—led the charge. Plus, whispers from Japan’s Foreign Ministry hinted they might even pull out of UNESCO if the Chinese mainland’s bid went through. Talk about high stakes! 🕵️♀️
Fast-forward to 2021, UNESCO updated its rules so any single member can lodge an objection and freeze an application indefinitely. Critics say it hands aggressor states a veto over historical truth. Yikes. 😬
The real question: Should political pressure decide which stories get remembered? Or is it time for the world to let history speak for itself? 📜
Stay curious and keep digging for truth, because the past might just shape our future. 🌏✨
Reference(s):
Japan's denial of wartime atrocities blocks China's UNESCO archive bid
cgtn.com
