Chinese version of German book on WWII crimes debuts

The Chinese version of German writer Manfred Kittel's book After the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials, which details Japan's and Germany's crimes during World War II, debuted at the world's largest book fair in Frankfurt on Wednesday.

The Chinese version is published by Shanghai Jiaotong University Press and is about the history of World War II, as seen through the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials.

"The countries that committed crimes should have a pragmatic attitude about World War II," said Zhang Fuhai, director of the international exchange and cooperation department of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. "While we are happy Germany has given deep introspection to its crimes, we deplore that Japan has not expressed enough regret or introspection after the war."

The book was originally released by German publisher De Gruyter Group.

Sven Fund, CEO of the group, said at the promotional event that the book is about the comparison between Germany and Japan after the two famous trials.

The Nuremberg trials and review of the war laid the foundation for Germany to return to being a civilized country. However, in contrast to Germany, since 1950, senior representatives of the Japanese government have repeatedly asked to be excused of responsibility for serious misdeeds by officers and soldiers during the war, Fund said.

"The Chinese and Japanese governments still argue over the appropriate form of analysis of that history," he said.

German author Kittel said that his book had raised some dispute about the past. "I am not a specialist in Chinese or Japanese history. I was interested in the process of my country to review our past," he said. "There are some points that could be compared between Japan's history and German's history after the two trials."

It is not easy for German people to review their country's history, as Germany also encountered many difficulties, the writer said.

"It is my honor that my book's Chinese version could be debuted at the book fair," Kittel said.

"My book is not to accuse Japan, but to analyze the Japanese mentality, which means the country could not face its crime directly."

Han Jianmin, president of the Chinese publishing house, told China Daily his company will bring a series of books about the war to overseas exhibitions in the future, and may consider translating and publishing them in Japan as well.

tuoyannan@chinadaily.com.cn

Manfred Kittel (right), author of After the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials, and Lyu Peng, translator of the book's Chinese version, talk on Wednesday at the Frankfurt Book Fair.  Tuo Yannan / China Daily