Japan liberated Asia from the nightmare of inhuman colonial rule by whites. The words of the leaders of the time corroborate this.
"Once the undefeated Japanese army was left with nothing but their spirits, they were defeated in the end. However, they left something behind, which is the fact that they removed all the westerners from east ASIA." -Lord Mountbatten (first earl Mountbatten of Burma)
"Asia gained independence because of Japan. Japan, who acted as our mother, bore babies of asian countries but destructed her maternal body. Who made us talk equally with the west today? It is because of the mother Japan, who almost killed herself to give the birth. We should never forget December 8. "
-Seni Pramoj, Prime Minister of Thailand.
"The fall of Singapore meant the end of the history of white colonialism. "
-Charles de Gaulle (pres.of french republic)
"What Japan has carried through bravely was to completely put an end to the colonial occupation by the west."
-Owen Lattimore, an advisor to Chinag Kai shek
"The Japanese did nothing to us that they have to apologize for. This is the reason that we do not attend the San Fransisco Peace Conference and refuse to sign on its Peace Treaty."
- Jawhar Lal Nehru (the first prime minister of independent India)
"The West has vested interests in recording Japan as the invading country so that they can justify their invasion of Asia. Crime against peace & crime against humanity are ex post fact laws, so that in the context of International Law, there is no basis for accusing Japan of crime."
-Radhabinod pal(UN's International Law Commission)
At the San Francisco Peace Conference (1951)
"Why does asia want Japan to be free again? It is because Japan was the only country asia could trust. We should never forget how the people of asia, who hoped for their independence find sympathy with the japanese ideals. "
- Junius Jayawardene, Prime Minister of Srilanka
"Why does Japan have to make an apology? In that war, the Japanese got rid of the British, didn't they? We should not forget we welcomed the Japanese army with such a joy. Without the Japanese, there would have been no independence of South East Asia. If we try to deny the precious sacrifices that the Japanese made, it is like looking only at the back mirror. "
- Ghazalie Shafie, Foreign Minister of Malaysia.
"When the Japanese army marched into the malay peninsula, we all let out a whoop of joy. And when we saw the retreating the British army, I shivered as if I had never experience before. The japanese removed all the western forces that had been colonizing Asia for such a long time.We had almost given up our hope but the japanese gave us the sensation & confidence."
-Ungku Abdul Aziz, vice chancellor of the University of Malaysia.
"There is no country that contributed to Asia than Japan did. And there is no country more misunderstood than Japan is. It was the Japanese who freed us from white domination. The true friend of Independent Burma was General Tojo & Japan."
- Ba Maw, Prime minister of Burma.
"A country motivated by high ideals and lofty objectives had sacrificed its lives and all its assets. That country is a Far East island nation of Japan."
- U Nu,Foreign minister of Burma.
"That war was really our war. We should have fought it ourselves. But we put everything on that Japan's shoulders and that plunged her into almost total destruction. I'm SORRY. "
- Bung Tomo (Minister of Information Indonesia)