In Heiwadai Park in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, stands a stark irony: the Peace Tower, once the Hakko Ichiu Monument. Conceived as an emblem of Japanese militarist aggression, it has no genuine connection to peace.

The monument, built from 1938 to 1940 during Japan's aggressive expansion, embodied the ideology of "Hakko Ichiu," meaning "bringing the eight corners of the world under one roof" — a doctrine of conquest.

To display imperial prestige, the Japanese military plundered stones from invaded territories as war trophies for the monument's foundation.

Built into the foundation are 372 stones plundered from abroad, 238 from China — including a qilin relief from Nanjing's Ming Dynasty imperial palace, Great Wall bricks and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum carvings.

Inscriptions like "Great Wall-Tada Unit" and "Central China Expeditionary Army" remain clearly visible. The stones are silent witnesses to suffering in Japan's occupied territories. Each mark is a scar history cannot erase.

After Japan's defeat in World War II, Allied forces ordered the dismantling of all militarist symbols. Under international pressure, Miyazaki authorities removed the "Hakko Ichiu" inscription, took down samurai statues and renamed it the "Symbol of Peace" to pass Allied scrutiny.

Whitewashing resumed: In 1962, samurai statues were reinstalled; in 1965, the "Hakko Ichiu" inscription was restored. Local authorities erected a plaque claiming that "Hakko Ichiu" meant "universal brotherhood" and that looted stones were "gifts from friendly nations."

Thus, a militarist symbol became "cultural heritage," systematically distorting its crimes.

Japanese citizens rally before the Diet against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push for constitutional revision and military expansion. (Photo: Liu Wenzhang/People's Daily)

According to Japanese scholars, the monument is visited by more than 100,000 students each year on school trips, exposing generations to a distorted view of history.

Reports also indicate that Miyazaki Prefecture plans extensive park renovations despite calls to revise whitewashing inscriptions. Officials say they'll "preserve the status quo."

Japan's right-wing forces use similar tactics around this monument, history textbooks and  Yasukuni Shrine visits — whitewashing atrocities to pave the way for neo-militarism.

At the end of April 2026, Japan will mark the Shōwa era's centenary, but official websites contain no references to any aggression, which seems conspicuously absent.

While right-wing figures claim to uphold Japan's constitution but view its pacifist clauses as obstacles, they push constitutional revision to undermine peace principles.

They insist Japan's "exclusively defense-oriented policy" remains unchanged. Yet, defense spending exceeds 9 trillion yen (about $56.63 billion) — rising for 14 consecutive years — and new long-range missiles give preemptive strike capability for the first time since World War II.

Thus, an invisible Hakko Ichiu monument emerges amid Japan's resurgent right-wing activism.

Warnings from insightful voices are loud and clear: Japanese society is entering a new prewar period where war awaits just at the end of the corridor.

This neo-militarism intensifies global vigilance about Japan's trajectory.