Hina Hayata, who won bronze in the women’s singles and silver in the team table tennis at the Paris Olympics, was asked by the press at a press conference upon her return to Japan on August 13 what she would like to do. I also want to visit the Kamikaze Museum in Kagoshima (Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots). I want to feel that I am alive and that being able to play ping-pong is not something to be taken for granted. Hayata did not support the war or suicide attacks, but wanted to think about the meaning of being able to live a peaceful life and play ping-pong as a matter of course. This answer received a lot of support. Those involved with the Museum of Kamikaze Pilots expressed their hope that Hayata would visit the museum, and on X, she was praised for “conveying the gratitude she felt through her athletic career. However, there were those who objected to Hayata’s statement. Several Chinese media outlets reported that a Chinese athlete who competed with Hayata in the Paris Olympics and recommended that Hayata use the Chinese version of the SNS “Weibo” unfollowed her. He and the Korean player, who both competed for the third place, exchanged heated hugs after the match and were cheered by fans in both countries, but criticism of Hayata’s comments is reportedly brewing on the Korean Internet. For them, Hayata was seen as “glorifying the Kamikaze pilots. But this time, Japanese fans responded with an X. What’s the problem if he neither glorified the war nor praised the Kamikaze pilots? Mr. Hayata wants to learn about the war, suicide attacks, and the people of today who were kept alive. Did he make even a single statement in favor of suicide attacks or war? 《When it comes to this kind of talk, we are forever incompatible because we get emotional. After all, it is only a superficial relationship, and there is a strong anti-Japanese sentiment at the root, and when relationships between countries, people, and businesses break down, it is fragile and sudden. Will the gap between the two countries on historical issues never be bridged?
FLASH
