Posted on 10/06/2006 7:07:08 PM PDT by blam
Abe risks China fury over war comments
By Colin Joyce in Tokyo
(Filed: 07/10/2006)
The new prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, risked outrage yesterday when he stated that Japanese war criminals were not guilty under domestic law and should have been pardoned when Tokyo regained self-government.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe: revisionist
Mr Abe's comments were a direct reference to 28 Japanese "Class A" Second World War criminals at the trial staged by the Americans in Tokyo from 1946 to 1948.
They were deemed to bear the most responsibility for starting the war in the Pacific and for atrocities. Seven were executed, including prime minister Hideki Tojo.
Responding to questions in parliament, Mr Abe said: "The people who are said to be so-called Class A criminals were tried and convicted as war criminals at the Tokyo trial but they were not war criminals under domestic laws."
He was speaking on the eve of his visits to China and South Korea to try to find common ground on the North Korean nuclear crisis and to repair damaged relations caused by former leader Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni war shrine where the souls of 14 Class A war criminals are honoured.
His comments serve to cement his reputation as a revisionist who believes that the Japanese have little to apologise for over the war. In the past, China and South Korea have reacted angrily to signs that Japan lacks remorse for its wartime aggression.
Abe reminds me a little of Jack Soo (Barney Miller).
This kind of talk angers more than the Chinese. It scares Indonesians, South Koreans, Filipinos, etc., even Taiwanese, into China's corner. Japan has few friends in the region. Does it want fewer?
Not exactly "Honest Abe" now is he?
He sounds just the right sort of bloke to have around when North Korea are acting up.
I think the world delves too much in the past to be able to deal with the present and even look into the future. This shit happened 60+ years ago. Yes its important that we don't forget. But how much do we really gain from self-victimizing ourselves. The idea behind not forgetting it is to ensure that we don't commit such errors in the future. But I think in today's circumstances, if the JApanese don't forget, they will be sitting ducks when N. Korea or China bombs the hell out of Japan and the Japanese will still be blaming their crimes rom 60 years ago for what may happen now.
JApan has apologised enough, it i behaving itself and it is the last country in the region in a war-mongering role. I don't see why they need to whip up more shame given the situation they are faced with.
The chains are coming of Japan.
Oh crap.....
One of our favorite, always watched, shows - miss it dearly.
The Chicom's sainted leader Mao Tse Tung murdered more people than Imperial Japan. The Japanese have a right to move on and if necessary re-arm given their toxic neighborhood.
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