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marking 70 years since the end of World War II

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced plans to attend a Sept. 3 event in Beijing to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of victory in China’s war against Japan and fascism.

The decision comes amid objections from Tokyo over the appropriateness of his attendance.

“Mr. Ban has already attended commemorative events for the end of the Second World War in other countries besides China, including Poland, Ukraine, and Russia,” a UN source said on Aug. 29, dismissing the protest from Japan.

“The whole purpose of establishing the UN was to avoid a reoccurrence of World War II, which was the most atrocious war in human history, and this year marks the seventieth anniversary of the UN’s establishment,” the source noted.

The same source also said Ban had “already decided early on to attend all of the commemorative events for the war’s end if time permitted.”

Regarding the objections from Tokyo, the source noted that the Japanese government “has not met with Mr. Ban directly or sent an official document to communicate its position.”

“My understanding is that the opinion was expressed by a working-level diplomat in the Japanese mission to the UN,” the source said.

Japan’s Kyodo News agency reported on Aug. 28 that Tokyo had notified Ban through its New York mission that his attendance at the Chinese V-Day parade “raises neutrality issues.”

Another UN source noted that Ban had also been present at a seventieth anniversary event that Western diplomats had refused to attend, and that a parade took place there as well.

“The position of the Secretary-General is that all member countries should be treated fairly,” the source said.

The blunt message was that Ban had no reason not to attend the parade in Beijing unless it was judged to be more problematic than the one in Russia.

Some analysts read Tokyo’s reaction to Ban attending the parade as a sign of lingering resentment over remarks to Japan made on Aug. 14 ahead of a statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“True reconciliation is needed, based in humble reflection on the events of history,” Ban said at the time.

May 9.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

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