Posted on 05/11/2013 4:17:50 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
From time to time Japan’s political leaders visit the Yasukuni Shrine where Class A war criminals are included on the list of remembrance, then make controversial remarks that deny or gloss over the acts of aggression that Japan committed in the first half of the 20th century.
By so doing, they give legitimacy to a self-centered and distorted interpretation of Japan’s ignoble history that many Japanese harbor, as illustrated below.
After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan embarked on an ambitious modernization program, modeling itself on advanced European countries such as Britain, France and Germany. To emulate those countries which had overseas colonies, Japan wanted to colonize its neighboring country, Korea.
To gain hegemony on the Korean peninsula, Japan fought wars successively against China and Russia. From the Sino-Japanese war and the Russo-Japanese war, Japan emerged victorious. And Korea fell into the hands of Japan among the spoils of war.
When it comes to Japan’s colonization of Korea, many Japanese people argue that Koreans wanted it. Then, how can they explain the widespread popular uprising by Koreans in March 1919?
Many Japanese blame the United States for the eruption of the Pacific War. They take the view that the United States left Japan no choice but go to war after placing embargos on oil and steel exports to Japan and demanding that Japan withdraw troops from China.
Some even argue that Japan was the real victim of the Pacific War on the grounds that numerous innocent Japanese citizens died when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Just because Japan fell victim to this horrendous bombing many Japanese people naively believe that their nation was absolved of the guilt associated with the atrocities that Japanese troops committed against other Asians during the war.
While waging the Pacific War the Japanese government proclaimed that its purpose was to liberate Asians from the yoke of Western imperialism and many Japanese still believe this to be the case. It is true that Japan kicked Western powers out of many parts of Asia during the war.
However, what Japan really wanted was to secure procurement of vital raw materials such as oil, iron ore and rubber by controlling the countries which produced them. Contrary to its proclamation, Japan ruled the conquered Asian countries more ruthlessly than did the Western powers it replaced. To this undeniable historical fact, many Japanese people turn a blind eye.
At the turn of the 20th century, Japan emerged as the most powerful country in Asia. Overly self-confident, Japan attempted to conquer the whole of Asia by force. However, Japan was defeated soundly in the Pacific War and suffered the shame of being occupied by American forces. Many Japanese people lament over their country’s defeat but feel no remorse for starting and waging the horrible war.
In a nutshell, Japan’s political leaders and public do not fully acknowledge their country’s past aggression. Instead, they try to justify or make excuses for Japan’s wrongdoing.
As long as they continue to do so, they will have themselves to blame if Japan is regarded with distrust and is unable to play a leading political role commensurate with its economic strength in the international community.
Koreans want Japan to clean the slate in the same way Germany did and start afresh as a trustful neighbor. However, this seems to be wishful thinking on our part. To us Japan is a country which is close geographically yet remote emotionally.
Not only are they not remorseful, there seems to be a movement towards scrapping their pacifist constitution, and building up their military. Some of that may be prudent in light of China’s buildup, but I do not want to be tied by treaty to an aggressor in WWIII. If they want to build up a war with China, leave us out of it.
How did Japan deal with getting its ass kicked all the way to hell and back?
Simple.
1. “We were the good guys.”
2. “We were just minding our own business.”
3. “All the stuff people say we did is just lies.”
4. “We’re the only people in the world who’ve ever had a nuclear weapon used on them.”
5. “Sniff. Poor, poor, pitiful us. Sniff.”
To hell with Communist China. A strong Japan is a good thing.
I know the history of Japan in depth. Long story on how I ended up with a degree in Japanese history and politics from a Japanese college.
I can’t find much fault, if any at all, with Lee Hyon-soo’s article.
When I lived in Yokohama, I knew generations of Koreans that were still Korean, by Japanese law, and were threatened with deportation for the slightest offense. Never mind that the person may have been second or third generation, spoke NO Korean and had no relatives in Korea.
I don’t know if that has changed, but when I was on a 3 year torokusho, I had to stand behind loooonnng lines of Koreans to get it renewed.
Japan really does have a reckoning to do with how it treated its neighbors in the past.
To date, they have done a pretty bad job of it.
I don’t think it is healthy for a country to beat itself up too much over ignominious aspects of its past. If you do that, its citizens become less patriotic and more cynical, and thus prone to adopting the wackiest of liberal ideas that do great damage to their societies. Like people, societies and nations need a health measure of self-belief and pride to keep them going in a positive way. Just my humble opinion.
It’s not entirely a bad idea.
The following was posted on another thread on Sat May 11 04:18:32 2013 by ronnie raygun:
Have you ever come across news that the Ayatollah of Iran or the King of Saudi Arabia or even a Saudi Prince has visited Japan ?
Japan is a country keeping Islam at bay. Japan has put strict restrictions on Islam and ALL Muslims.
The reasons are :
1) Japan is the only nation that does not give citizenship to Muslims.
2) In Japan permanent residency is not given to Muslims.
3) There is a strong ban on the propagation of Islam in Japan .
4) In the University of Japan , Arabic or any Islamic language is not taught.
5) One cannot import a ‘Koran’ published in the Arabic language.
6) According to data published by the Japanese government, it has given temporary residency to only 2 lakhs, Muslims, who must follow the Japanese Law of the Land. These Muslims should speak Japanese and carry their religious rituals in their homes.
7) Japan is the only country in the world that has a negligible number of embassies in Islamic countries.
8) Japanese people are not attracted to Islam at all.
9) Muslims residing in Japan are the employees of foreign companies.
10) Even today, visas are not granted to Muslim doctors, engineers or managers sent by foreign companies.
11) In the majority of companies it is stated in their regulations that no Muslims should apply for a job.
12) The Japanese government is of the opinion that Muslims are fundamental ist and even in the era of globalization they are not willing to change their Muslim laws.
13) Muslims cannot even think about renting a house in Japan .
14) If anyone comes to know that his neighbour is a Muslim then the whole neighbourhood stays alert.
15) No one can start an Islamic cell or Arabic ‘Madrasa’ in Japan .
There is no Sharia law in Japan .
16) If a Japanese woman marries a Muslim then she is considered an outcast forever.
17) According to Mr. Kumiko Yagi, Professor of Arab/Islamic Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies , “There is a mind frame in Japan that Islam is a very narrow minded religion and one should stay away from it.”
It would be ironic if Japan is the last, and the successful, bastion against islam.
That history is shameful, true, and it’s even deeper than most people think.
But you know what? Asian security is NOT AT ALL helped by dwelling on this at just this juncture —China is loudly knocking on the door of all it’s neighbors right now, and this just plays right into their hands.
This is time-warp stuff —it’s like the dolts screaming, “Uncle Joe is our ally...!” as our cargo planes have to take off for the Berlin Airlift.
The average age of FR is high —the memories are real, and I respect that.
But with 100 million angry Chinese guys with NO hope of getting married, and a Chinese economy built even more on easy paper and lies, and ever-growing Chinese defense budgets:
Are we really HELPED by this?
No. It’s like we’re in some weird time-warp, blind to what is in front of us, in the here and now.
There are millions of Filipinas looking for suitable mates, I wonder why they’re not marrying Chinese males?
I have to agree with that. I don’t think a re-armed Japan would go down the same path as they did in the past. They really did get some sense knocked into them.
Just my opinion, but with China looking to exact revenge for past wrongs, (trust me, they REALLY ARE HUNGRY for revenge, and not only on Japan) I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Japan, Taiwan, South Korean and Anzac alliance which may include countries like Viet Nam and the Philippines.
You are exactly correct in everything you wrote.
I HAVE seen a Japanese woman married to a Muslim, and it is truly pitiful.
She was dressed in the niqab (or pretty close) and she was treated like she was a leaper —surrounded by bustling people, and a complete social outcast.
It is extremely difficult to imagine a country less hospitable to Islam than Japan, although Korea comes close.
In the mid-90’s many Iranians came to Japan to do 3k work (hard, dangerous, or dirty) and later they were almost all thrown out —one of the only really successful campaigns against illegal immigrants that I’m aware of.
(Actually after the Aum Shinrikyo difficulties I think almost any foreign-derived religious activity came under much higher scrutiny)
Those two bombs were richly deserved.
Ironically, by forcing a Japanese surrender, they saved the lives of TENS OF MILLIONS of Japanese.
All great ideas. Wished they’d take hold here.
Considering the people who committed the atrocities are dead or nearly so, and none in power, would you say that people who had nothing to do with it should be forever held responsible?
How about White people in America?
Tradition is big in Japan. If a Japanese politician wants to spend an hour, once a year at a shrine, it's no other country's business.
Gaijin-san,
I have to agree with you a lot. Japan learned a lot of hard lessons. Whipping them for things in the past is counter productive.
The “Trail of Tears” is one of our most ignoble moments in history and I don’t see a lot of folks rushing to dredge it back up.
Moving on into the future, the Dragon is real and has a dark mindset.
Looking to that future and dealing with it is paramount.
So WWII was Bush's fault? Ok...
Imagine 100,000 muslim jihadis here on H-1B, L-1, refugee and expired student visas working in power plants, fertilizer factories, refineries, chemical manufacturers, hospitals, utilities, dams, pharmaceutical formulators, web hub server farms, municipal water supply facilities, sewage treatment plants, meat packing and food processing plants, driving HazMat trucks...
The main thing preventing another world war is free trade. The fact that countries like Japan and Germany are able to obtain goods and resources through peaceful trade has so far prevented the spectre of WW3.
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