[colderwater]

I have spent my share of time in Japan and I largely concur with your opinion. I recall one guy who was arrested for assault. His excuse was that he thought the other guy was a Korean (he wasn't). And never mind the attitude towards foreigners; they can be extremely cold, to each other. I would add that with very low birth rate they are raising a generation of spoiled brats.

There is something we should contemplate about their national character. Why did it take two nuclear bombs and not just one to get them to surrender? Even then it was a close run thing, a gang of militarists attempted to stop the emperor's surrender address. Victory may have required 3 bombs, not two.

C.W.

[gandalftb]

My take is that their military/government high-command was unimpressed with the effects of the first bomb. Remember that LeMay had already fire-bombed Tokyo and other cities with much greater devastation and loss of life. Finally they were convinced that we only had one bomb.

My wife's orthodontist is a visiting intern from Tokyo. When asked if he was considering relocating to America, he replied: "Oh no, I would never raise my children around Blacks." In my other experiences with Japanese businessmen I have found them to be absolutely racist and unapologetic about their feelings, although they rarely express them.