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.
I do not disagree. But it seems to me that many in the world want something very different. ESPECIALLY in Korea. They want eternal punishment. And that will lead to a remilitarized Japan eventually when they tire of being a doormat for the sins of the father.
We beat up Germany left and right, but anyone who’s been to the Air Force Museaum at Wright-Pat can tell you where a downed pilot would have preferred:
Germany: Until near the end, not only well-fed, but health care and dental care. Near the end things started to break down somewhat. Nearly all made it home.
Japan: 50% chance of survival, at best. Torture. Geneva Convention did not exist to them.
Few alive today have any personal, adult memory of the Pacific war. Few living Korean suffered the atrocities the writer cites, and few, if any, living Japanese has any true moral guilt for those same atrocities.
The decision and the act of exploding atomic bombs and essentially destroying Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or the fire-bombing of Tokyo (which killed more than both atomic explosions combined) were just and right in the context of total war. But I can take no credit nor experience anything other than imagined guilt for those decisions or acts. These events happened more than a decade before I was born, and I can guess the imperialist period of Japan's history happened an even longer period before the birth, let alone the adulthood, of the writer.
It's like African slavery, or the massacre of Washita Creek. Should I feel remorse for that institution?
Ridiculous. And I had ancestors who owned human slaves.
I suppose, because I also have ancestors who were among the Creek tribes in Oklahoma, I should also hate myself...
There is a place for the study of these things, even for a study of the emotional reactions of those who will eternally carry guilt of innocence before God for their actions or thoughts. There is great learning and knowledge to benefit we who survive. But not for the purpose of political correctness or misdirected and improper guilt.
We live and die before God for our own actions, no those of the Dead (may they rest in peace).
Bushido is the code they played by. Surrender was dishonorable.
Holocaust denial is illegal in Germany, as is National Socialism. There are no laws against denial of Japanese atrocities, nor was there a distinctive ideology to be banned following the war (as Nazism in Germany and Fascism in Italy). Most of the Japanese right wing is pro-American, but not all of it is. There are anti-Americans and apologists for Imperial Japan as well.
Another reason for the double standard is that Japan now benefits from political correctness as a non-Western, non-white power (though the Old Left hated Japan with a passion).
A final reason for going easy on Japan (despite the occupation) was because of the developing Cold War. Many Japanese who had been influential in the World War II government were pressed into service against Communism, just as East and West Germany were armed to the teeth by the Soviets and the West respectively.
I know that Communist China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos are more recent enemies and we have valid concerns about them (Red China most of all). But as much as I sympathize with Japan being pushed around simply because it isn't Communist (Commies never seem to do anything wrong), the fact remains that Japan was never de-"nazified" as were Germany and Italy and has never completely come clean.
A newly militarized Japan would indeed push back against our Communist enemies in Asia, but I'm afraid that things could get out of control very quickly. We could be facing the one remaining Axis power that was never ideologically purified.
I wish Japan well in its persecution by the Communists, but they must come clean and forswear once and for all their wartime ideology. Until they do, the danger will exist.
What you say is true, and I have no wish to impose self-hatred on anyone (especially considering that America has suffered from a fanatical self-hatred for decades). However, I wish to point out that every Communist regime in history (with the sole exception of America under Obama) has in fact practiced totalitarian patriotism. Outside the United States and Israel, the Left presents itself as super-patriotic and in favor of "true sovereignty" (as opposed to being an alleged patsy for the US). In fact, all through the Cold War Communist propaganda referred to all Communist terrorists as "patriots."
I can assure you that neither Red China nor North Korea are practicing any self-hatred.
Japan has a ways to go before a Japanese military uniform is observed anywhere but on one of their military bases.
I remember reading about a high ranking officer who took the train every day from his house to his base job. He wore civilian clothes on the way in...
I tried to make the same point at post #42.
An enemy must be defeated, that is to say enough of them must be killed or personally effected for them to say enough, lay down their arms, and make the conscious decision to study war no more.
How many is enough for them to say ‘enough!’ is a number only they can determine.
For the Japanese, no number of souls lost to bullets of fire was enough until two entire cities vanished in a flash of nuclear fire, and they understood that ceasing resistance was their only viable option, Bushido code or no Bushido code.
Civilization’s current opponents need to reach a similar point in their thought processes, or we, as a civilization will simply cease to exist.
With our current attitude we can only hope for slavery or slaughter.
Perhaps Japan can prevail, perhaps not.
The Japanese are The Japanese!They got their ears pinned back in WWII and now they want to be their old selves once again!!All of this while we allow Jimmy Cawtah II “Gut”our military???????????????????????
Respectfully, in 1981 my company offered me a large subsidy to room with a Technician on loan, from Japan. He was a great guy, I treasured the experience.
The night before Dec.7th, I warned him that the following day may result in some difficulty, for him. He had no idea why. I explained Pearl Harbor to him, and he did not really believe me. The next night, as we were watching old newsreel footage on TV, including Arizona’s sinking, he turned to me in amazement, and said that he doubted anyone he knew, back home, was aware of this event. Thank you.
“I recently listened to several reports from Americans teaching English to Japanese in Japan. They all tell a similar story: Except in larger cities such as Tokyo, Americans are generally treated poorly. They are expected to show up for work, and then disappear until the following work day. They do make friendships with a few Japanese people they come to know, but are generally shunned by the populace.”
Your opinion might be valid with the ESL English teachers in Japan. But, when I taught there in the 60’s and 70’s in Osaka, the situation was just about the opposite of what you wrote. In the 80’s I went back to the places I taught and frankly I was ashamed at what passed as English teachers, fresh out of U.S. colleges and Universities. The vast majority were fully indoctrinated in the present PC philosophy...and carried a superiority attitude toward
their students.
You could do better by asking America to forswear it role in this world where it invades and occupies relentlessly. we could simply have sunk our enemies navies, cratered their airfields, and smashed their armor. Instead we invade, occupy and set up corrupt puppet regimes. It's wicked hypocritical of you to go about demanding Japan continually hang its head in shame while your are not out in the streets hounding the American international globalists.
You could do better by asking America to forswear it role in this world where it invades and occupies relentlessly. we could simply have sunk our enemies navies, cratered their airfields, and smashed their armor. Instead we invade, occupy and set up corrupt puppet regimes. It's wicked hypocritical of you to go about demanding Japan continually hang its head in shame while your are not out in the streets hounding the American international globalists.
A FReeper actually wrote this.
I feel obliged to call your bluff:
1) Japan is the only nation that does not give citizenship to Muslims.
I have read of Muslims be granted Japanese citizenship, but I do not know any personally.
2) In Japan permanent residency is not given to Muslims.
Simply not true. I have several Muslim friends who have attained Permanent Residence after marriage to Japanese.)
3) There is a strong ban on the propagation of Islam in Japan.
Simply not true. I have been given many materials meant to persuade me to become a muslim.
4) In the University of Japan , Arabic or any Islamic language is not taught.
I am not sure what Islamic Language means, but I believe Arabic is taught in some universities.
5) One cannot import a ‘Koran’ published in the Arabic language.
The Islamic Center in Tokyo has several Arabic Korans available for sale.
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.
All residents are expected to follow Japanese Law. I knoew several Arab muslims who openly spoke Arabic and openly went to mosque.
9) Muslims residing in Japan are the employees of foreign companies.
Maybe most, but not all.
10) Even today, visas are not granted to Muslim doctors, engineers or managers sent by foreign companies.
That does not really say anything. Everyday, non-muslims are refused visas.
13) Muslims cannot even think about renting a house in Japan .
It may be difficult, but that is (or was) so for most foreigners.
16) If a Japanese woman marries a Muslim then she is considered an outcast forever.
I have known a few Japanese women who married muslims. I never had that impression.
Where do you get your erroneous information?
The majority of the young actors were modern Japanese that were recruited to play the WW2 generation. These modern Japanese knew absolutely nothing about their country's history and what it had done in the 1930s and 1940s in Asia. Moreover, they were astonished when it came to playing Japanese soldiers of the period and the beliefs they held.
The young Japanese actors were quick learners and did a credible job of acting in “Letters”, but to a man they kept repeating over and over there was so much the did not know about The Pacific War and the Iwo Jima battle. They returned home far wiser than when they came aboard to make this movie. To his credit, Eastwood honored them at a public presentation.
Wife and I visited Honolulu a few years ago as a retirement gift to ourselves.
On a tour of Pearl Harbor, we boated out to the Arizona Memorial and noted 75 percent of the folks on the boat were Japanese tourists.
I asked one young Japanese fellow why he wanted to see the sacred place. He responded that he and his wife wanted to see what their grandfathers had done; if it was really true. In so many words, they couldn’t believe it.
If you’d actually read my post, you’d find the answer to your question at the very top, where I cite my source and give him full credit for the re post of his earlier post on another thread.
Post your complaint to him.
I know. Lousy country, stolen from "indigenous pipples," built on slave labor. Never should have existed. [/sarcasm]
You know, if you don't like this country you can always go somewhere else.
It's wicked hypocritical of you to go about demanding Japan continually hang its head in shame while your are not out in the streets hounding the American international globalists.
I have never advocated Japan "continually hang its head in shame." I advocate them coming clean like Germany and Italy did so they can once again be trusted with armed forces. For them to rearm with the current attitude of historical revisionism is potentially dangerous. Once they come clean it will be over. Taken care of. Why don't they simply do what Germany and Italy did decades ago?
One reason Japan has not faced its past as the other Axis powers have done is that they are exempt from any pressure due to being a non-Western, non-white country--ie, political correctness.
For the record, despite my screen name I am not Jewish and do not sit next to Lord Rothschild in meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion.
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