Japanese rock sensation RADWIMPS earned buzz among Filipinos after videos of them acknowledging the atrocities of Japan during the Second World War in their Manila concert circulated online.
The band made their Philippine concert debut on May 1 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum for the Manila leg of their world tour “The way you yawn, and the outcry of Peace.”
RADWIMPS performed some of their well-known hits from the global anime blockbusters “Your Name” and “Weathering With You.”
Apart from their performances, clips and images of frontman Yojiro Noda reportedly recognizing the brutalities done by the Japanese in Manila during the last world war went viral.
“.@RADWIMPS acknowledged the atrocities of the Japanese to the Filipinos during WW2. They went to a site that remembered the [Japanese] occupation in the PH. They don’t want to forget and are grateful to be here. ‘We would like to keep this peace through our music,'” an online user wrote.
“Radwimps was an amazing show, but the highlight should be the singer talking about visiting WW2 sites in Manila, mentioning the Japanese occupation, and saying their tour is called ‘the outcry of peace’ for a reason. Then, they gave the audience a deep bow after talking about peace,” another user wrote.
“When RADWIMPS [felt] sorry for World War 2 [or] Japanese invasion in the Philippines, lahat sila yumuko habang nakakapit sa dibdib. Kaya daw ‘The way you yawn and The Outcry of Peace.’ And hope nila sana mag-continue [‘yung] peace between JPN and PH,” wrote a different Pinoy.
Another X user claimed to be “super proud” of the band since that part of history is not allegedly taught to Japanese students.
“Super proud of them [because] my aunt who works in Japan as a teacher told me that the schools there don’t teach the students [about] what they did to the Filipinos during WW2, like, THEY HAVE NO IDEA at all. ILY [I love you] Radwimps, thanks so much,” the user wrote.
“RADWIMPS addressing the history between Philippines and Japan during WW2 and not [overlooking] it. It was the most emotional part of the night! Thank you @RADWIMPS, come back again soon,” another Pinoy commented.
“Radwimps playing with so much joy and then acknowledging WW2, the Japanese war crimes and celebrating this era of peace was healing. Lovely experience, @RADWIMPS. See you again!” exclaimed another user.
RADWIMPS rose to global popularity for scoring the music for “Your Name,” an award-winning romantic-fantasy film by Makoto Shinkai about two teenagers from different backgrounds swapping bodies despite having never met before.
Some of the famous songs from the film’s soundtrack are “Sparkle,” “Zenzenzense,” and “Nandemonaiya.”
The band was formed in 2001. They have released nine studio albums so far.
Meanwhile, the City of Manila was among the most destroyed cities in the global community during the Second World War.
The country was invaded by the Imperial Japanese forces, who turned women into sex slaves known as “comfort women,” bayoneted babies and burned Filipinos alive in convents, schools and prisons, among others.
In a 2023 report, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said concerns about Filipino comfort women, including recognition of the Imperial Japanese Army’s atrocities and reparation claims, have already been addressed by its government.