🇬🇧 For Publication — “Pride Without Glorifying War”
In 1919, Japan proposed something the world was not ready to accept: the end of racial discrimination. This is part of our history—alongside other chapters that must never be forgotten.
During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, Japan proposed that the Covenant of the League of Nations include a “racial equality clause,” stating that all member nations should treat each other’s nationals equally regardless of race or nationality.
Although the proposal gained majority support, it failed because the conference required unanimity, and several Western powers—most notably the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia—opposed it.
At that time, Japan was one of the very few nations in Asia that had avoided direct colonization by Western powers. This independence is historically notable. Yet, we must also acknowledge that Japan itself engaged in colonial rule over Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula—an undeniable part of our history.
True patriotism does not require us to glorify war or ignore its darker chapters. The Second World War, prolonged by flawed decisions at the highest levels, inflicted untold suffering on millions. Above all, the Kamikaze missions stand as a tragic reminder: no cause should ever demand the sacrifice of young lives in such a manner.
A nation’s strength lies not in its ability to wage war, but in its commitment to safeguard human life—always and without exception. Education, if it is worthy of the name, must teach this above all else.
And yet, as a Japanese citizen, I still feel a quiet pride in the moments when our nation stood for justice—such as in 1919, when we called for the end of racial discrimination, even if the world was not ready to listen. That pride, however, does not blind me to the pain we caused others. True pride is not built on denial, but on the courage to face history in its entirety—its honor and its shame—and to choose a path forward that values life over glory.
Pride without denial. Memory without glorification.
The past cannot be changed—but the future can still choose life over war.









