Posted on 03/30/2007 6:02:02 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Just saw this on National live Japanese TV a few minutes ago. Our mouths dropped open in partial disbelief, but also with a cynical sense of "well, there they go again".
The Japanese Government announced tonight that they are instructing all Japanese textbook publishing companies who produce history books for school children, to specifically take out an reference to "Japanese Imperial Army forcing Okinawa civilians to commit mass suicide during the Okinawa Campaign".
This, however, is a historic truth, and well documented by the American military forces and Japanese/Okinawan survivors and eyewitnesses. It is history. But now the current Japanese Administration is going to change it. Outright delete it. New generations of Japanese will not know.
Some upset Okinawan survivors in their 80s were on Japanese TV about 30 minutes ago, shaking their heads in disbelief at this development.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe went on national TV to say that he agrees with the decision and that the procedures to carry it the deletion/revision, to revise the textbooks in this manner, was fair.
As it stands, they will leave in the fact that civilians killed themselves in caves and elsewhere, but will total absolve the Japanese Imperial Army of any hand in it.
Check it.
Ping for the usual lists.
It doesn't get much more elementary than "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."
Of course this revision is short sighted. It makes the current generation feel a little better by turning it's back on some nasty memories, but hoses over the future generations.
The lesson's already been paid for in blood, why throw away the only value created by discarding the lesson?
Excerpt from a pamphlet obtained at the Visitors Center of the Japanese Underground Naval Headquarters on Okinawa.
One asks? Who authorized this? And why? What is their motivitation? What is next on their list?
This Abe chap is sure urinating all over his friends (or at least friends he should keep): various nations around Asia over Yasukuni and very recently (denial of) the Sex Slaves conscripted into the war to service Japanese soldiers, and now this, over Okinawa--deleting references to the hand the Imperial Army had in it, insulting the Americans.
Next thing you know, they will take out any references to the attack at all on Pearl Harbor, or perhaps surmise that we did it to ourselves as pretext to go to war against the Empire. I wouldn't put it past this current crop of buzzards. This is worse than the movie "JFK" for pete's sake.
Oh wow. Thank you for the heads up.
the revisionism and death of history continues full speed. No one wants the truth anymore. It's all about FEEEELIIIINNNGGGGSSSS!!!!!!!
2000 mg Lithium to all liberals , ISlamofascists, and the elites of Japan, stat.
Yep. Lots of endorphins are being released today within the collective brain of so many Japanese elite who wish to destroy basic, immovable history and fact.
"When the American forces occupied the island, the Japanese took Okinawan clothing to avoid capture. The Okinawans came to the Americans' aid by offering a simple way to detect Japanese in hiding. Okinawan dialect differs greatly from standard Japanese. With Americans at their sides, Okinawans would give directions to people in the local dialect, and those who didn't understand were obviously Japanese in hiding who were then captured."
The next thing is that they will bitch about so many of their bombs and torpedoes being ruined by American ships at Pearl Harbor.
That is a very true fact. I knew two Japanese girls in college. One from Tokyo and one from Okinawa. They said things very differently; even I could here it. And the Okinawans are looked down on kind of like Southerners here in the states.
My uncle witnessed this first hand as he was a Marine on Okinawa. He was behind enemy lines for 60 days taking out communication centers. He had to kill several women & children whom the Japanese used as shields/decoys.
So much American blood was spilled taking Okinawa, we should have just kept it as a protectorate.
We're rewriting our history books in this country to accommodate the minorities. Remember what Adolph said, to paraphrase, give me one generation and I can change history.
And people wonder why we're still in Japan and Germany....
The pure evil there, that had to be defeated at such a tremendous cost, was enough to last for generations.
The same can be said for American history.
Japan did to the asian rim attrocities as bas as the Nazis did to europe and the Jewish people... it is unconcionable that they continue to deny their actions, and what little honesty about them their government has admitted on these issues., they now backtrack on.
The Japanese during WWII are probably the closest in terms of cultural indoctrination by an enemy, of what we face in the WOT today.
They should be roundly chastised publicly by the leader of every free nation for this and other abominations regarding their history in WWII.
The Japanese love to cover up things that are uncomfortable for them. It is part of their culture.
When will the Japanese start demanding that their textbooks say that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked without provocation?
Hey, heyyy - Ah resemble that remahk, suh!
Just where do they go after they take up lying to themselves?
Truth may be hidden or twisted for awhile but can NEVER be erased.
Well, the Japanese better be on their best behavior because if we need to fight China or North Korea, we can't afford to have them go bushido crazy again.
It seems the plot in Without Remorse and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (rogue Japanese military organization tries to take over Pacific through inciting covert wars) was a lot more realistic than I previously thought. Tom Clancy may be onto something, God forbid.
How about the military/civilian murder/suicides at Saipan?
It's no wonder we kicked their ass in WWII. They cannot face reality.
Granted, yes. But that is true in a lot of cultures as well.
I doubt there is much mention of Saipan in Japanese textbooks. I could take a look. One thing is for sure, if there are uncomfortable things in there, they will be taken out over the next 10-20 years IMHO.
Japaneeze are our friends. They are big trading partner. They love our Michael Jackson and Anna Nichole Smith. War was long, long time agro. Time to let things pass. It is best for all of us.
//sarcasm off
(I might also add that there are MANY Japanese who do not support this idea and shake their heads in dismay; I even talked to some yesterday about it.) So we should not paint all of Japan with one paintbrush.
Thanks for the input.
Japanese militarists sure accelerate their reemergence. Must be really shocking to Condi and her crowds. China must be really worried. As it stands, China has more to fear from Japan than U.S., which could make China more cooperative to U.S.
These days the only countries which carry a big stick are N. Korea and Japan. Others only carry lots of carrots, and a toothpick as a stick.
Failure to act tough when necessary has consequence. This is one example.
Shhh, you'll give Rosie (the noted historian and social critic) another "cause"!
Remove the lessons of history so evil is free to repeat itself.
This is PRECISELY what is happening!!!
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