Reaction to Ban's visit sets Abe on wrong side of history

The Japanese government's "concern" about UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to Beijing betrays the narrow-mindedness of the Shinzo Abe administration and its obstinacy in clinging to wrong perceptions of history.

After the announcement that the UN chief would attend the upcoming series of events commemorating the end of the World War II in Beijing this week, a Japanese foreign ministry official said Tokyo has asked the world body to "take a neutral position on events that focus mostly on the past" and expressed "strong displeasure" with the UN chief's attendance.

Such an open display of displeasure is against diplomatic etiquette, not to mention that Japan's concerns are ill-grounded as well as unreasonable.