Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
May 8, 2025 at 15:41 JST
German author Erich Kastner (1899-1974), whose works included children’s literature, secretly kept a diary while resisting the Nazi regime.
In May 1945, he described an Austrian village where the wartime blackout ended upon liberation from German rule: “The light is back on in the window!”
Men shaved off their “Hitler moustaches” before mirrors. Women cut out the Nazi swastika from flags and sewed on patches of white sheet.
“The flag of freedom fluttered,” Kastner wrote.
On May 7, exactly 80 years ago, Germany surrendered and World War II ended in Europe.
In Britain and the United States, confetti rained on jubilant citizens on the streets.
But I am recalling the words of Winston Churchill (1874-1965) who said to the effect that, were a totalitarian or police state to replace the German invaders, it would be pointless to punish Hitler and his gang for their crimes.
Unfortunately, Churchill’s apprehension may have proven valid.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed the Crimean Peninsula in violation of international law and continues to invade Ukraine. And yet, the White House is condoning these acts in its “peace plan.”
How can this be?
The international community turned a blind eye when the Nazis annexed Austria. The world must have learned a bitter lesson from this history, and I am sure many people were reminded of this by what is going on in our world now.
After World War II, Kastner published an illustrated storybook for children titled “Die Konferenz der Tiere” (“The Animals’ Conference”), where an elephant and his wife become deeply frustrated by the inability of humans to stop fighting.
The elephants say to the effect, “It’s wars, agony and stupidity everywhere, and all the humans are seeing them.” “And yet, they don’t try to learn anything.”
These words sting.
—The Asahi Shimbun, May 8
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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The Japanese version of Erich Kastner's book "War Diary 1941-1945" was published in 2024. (The Asahi Shimbun)
