Friday marks the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Shimonoseki Treaty, which saw Japan receive a huge bonus from the first Sino-Japan war, and have its militaristic embers and desires stoked.

On April 17, 1895, the Qing Empire signed the treaty at Shimonoseki with the Empire of Japan, ceding huge territory and indemnifying 200 taels of silver to the latter.

There is no doubt that Japan received disproportionate returns through its war gamble, but the road ahead for the country was becoming twisted. The victory of the war made Japan believe erroneously that as long as the whole nation, armed with determination and perseverance, walked the road of militarism and war, they could conquer Asia or even the world.

Historical evidence also showed that the first Sino-Japanese war in 1894-1895 and the treaty of Shimonoseki were the roots of Japan's militaristic strategy on invading China and other parts of Asia. The Mukden Incident in 1931, as well as the Lugouqiao incident in 1937, can all be traced back to this first conflict.

Nowadays, some people in Japan believe that the "Meiji wars" represented by the first Sino-Japanese war and the Russo-Japanese war from 1904-1905 are worthy of praise, which is a very dangerous mindset.

Regarding this, Akira Yamada, a professor of modern Japanese history, said in his book "How Japan Should Face Up to History" that those people fail to recognize the essence of the war, namely expansion and invasion.

Thus, people in Japan should realize that the nature of war is inherently evil, no matter if the result is victory or defeat. The evil nature of war will always damage a country, sooner or later.

The Second World War ended nearly 70 years ago, but Japan still lacks enough honest reflection on its past war crimes and its ideological roots. On the contrary, the administration led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to revive Japan's past militarism and is paving the way for potential aggression under the banner of "proactive pacifism."

Lagging behind leaves one vulnerable to attacks used to be the "law of the jungle" in the international community 100 years ago, but peace and development have become the virtues of the current era. No matter how strong a country is, it should never use its advantage to invade other countries.

Japan needs to reflect on its past, not for what missteps lead to their defeat or ways to gloss over its wrongdoings, but how to prevent the future recurrence of war. Endi

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