Why do China and Korea have such a problem with Koizumi-san visiting a war memorial? Every year the Australian Prime Minister attends a war memorial on Anzac Day, yet I don’t hear the Turks complaining. In 2005, he even attended a memorial for Australian soldiers in Turkey itself. I assume that the Turkish leader does the same on some day meaningful to them, and I completely respect that right.
Some Japanese may have committed ‘war crimes’ according to our view of right, but they’re only considered war crimes because Japan lost the last war. Crimes are defined by the winners, just as history is written by the winners. I’m ignorant of such things, but if there is a global agreement to the ‘honourable’ conduct of war, I can’t imagine that the Japanese signed it before they invaded China or Korea. Their culture was different and they valued life in a different way.
Does China do better now in Tibet?
Does China forget that they tried to invade Japan in the past?
Aren’t Hiroshima and Nagasaki prime examples of war crimes made against the Japanese?
Japan as a nation has moved on. They embrace peace. They shout louder than anyone against nuclear weapons. Their people take to the streets to object to the visit themselves – not because they don’t respect their own war heroes, but because they don’t want to upset China and Korea. That more than anything shows how the Japanese have changed and I for one regret the loss of pride, even as I respect their courage.
I would call for Japan to update their history books to reflect their own actions in war truthfully, which I believe is already happening, but I don’t see how supressing memories of the war and their own losses amounts to anything other than further oppression.
Japanese leaders owe it to their own people to remember the people their predecessors sent to death.
Do the Chinese and Korean leaders not mourn their own losses in war? If not, aren’t they the real criminals?
MAG,
I have to disagree with you on this one. Although I believe a Nation has the right to honor their war dead, independently of the result of the war… Although I believe that Korea and China are not interested by the truth and will continue to find any kind of excuse to get Japan to repent for the past, I think you are missing the bigger issue here. For the past 20 years, certain fascists in Japan have been engaged in a continuing effort to change history. It started with the enshrinment of class-A war criminal in Yasukuni in the 80s, under heavy pressure from far-right elements of Japanese politics and religion… The Showa Emperor himself disaproved of such an act, which was only taken in order to blur the line between honoring the war dead and rehabilitating some of the most hateful war criminals the world has ever seen. Since then, the ruling SPD has been highly infiltrated by Japan’s neo-fascists, and in the person of Koizumi, have started revising textbooks, erasing mentions of Japan war atrocities, but also enacted xenophobic policies against foregneirs in Japan (starting with the surpression of international drivers licenses, followed by mandatory fingerprinting and teh obligation to carry and ID at all times, all policies actually illegal according to international laws and human right standards). Koizumi has breached the Japanese constitution by sending troops in Iraq, and has opened the door to remilitarization. He has refused to consider revising the law to allow Princess Aiko to be elligible to the Throne, and has given his blessing to the revisionist exhibitions made in the Yasukuni was museum, which have been characterized as scandalous by every other Western Nation. He also made mandatory the salute to the Japanese flag and the singing of “Kimigayo” in many schools, sacking dozens of teachers who refused to do this….
I am sorry, but Japan is fast descending into fascism, and as the Japanese people are apparently not really interested in freedom, they are letting it happen. Unless something changes, I see history repeating itself, and the same Japanese will pay the price for their lack of viligance.
I must have missed some news items, which is hardly surprising, but I am surprised that I didn’t hear or see any of this while I was there. In fact, I remember having mandatory IDs and fingerprints from as early as 1990. I was happy to see that the old customs line for ‘Aliens’ was changed to ‘Foreigners’ in the last 5 years. During my years in Kobe, I was only ever disturbed by the mochi, sweet potato vans and, during election time, politians blaring their advertisements through the streets, whereas in 1990 and 1987, there were many military trucks shouting propoganda to the unwilling masses. Where have they all gone? As to international driving licenses, I know of no international law that requires they be accepted (many countries don’t) and can think of a few reasons they’d not want to. eg. Many countries drive on the right and it’s confusing to someone coming from a left hand country. It would be worse in Japanese traffic.
I’ll take your word for the rest, and assume that the ID came in 20 years ago, just before my first visit. And as to Koizumi’s own actions, that has to be balanced against what he’s done for the economy. We have the same situation in Australia. Howard sent our troops to Iraq against majority opinion, but on the positive side, he’s kept the Australian economy strong through global recessions. The issue of whether to forgive the one for the gain of the other is for Australians to decide. I say the same for the Japanese. I know the Japanese don’t want to be the nail that sticks out, but I’m sure that if it goes far enough, they’ll stand up.
I really hope the Japanese will stand up, but I am afraid it is more wishfull thinking… As you know, I have some close relationships with some Japanese people among the kindest and most decent folks I have ever met in my life. But everytime we talk about Japan’s past, I get the same reaction: “Why should we care about the past, it is the past and we wish the Chinese and Korean would stop bugging us.” I get the same reaction when I ask them about Politics: “Of course, we don’t like the SPD and most of the right-wing politicians, but as long as the economy is doing fine, why would we vote otherwise or even vote at all?”
I am just very worried about the future of Japan….
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” T. Jefferson
And how do you feel about France?
No, I know it doesn’t change your perspective on the topic at hand, but I think that what you say is a global problem. I’ve only ever voted (a valid vote) once in my life and I had no idea what I was voting for. I’m as guilty of ambivalence as anyone you describe.
As to the signs you describe, they all seem pretty minor. Where I live now, I need to apply to the government for a one-time permit to visit the next town 60km away.