Let's Japan.org Debunking Eikaiwa and Ramblings in Japan

That Bloomberg article is absolutely terrible! Does Bloomberg have any editors on staff because it looks like the author just put a bunch stuff together without trying to arrange them into a coherent argument.

I liked the article by the Military Guy, who got sacked. Japan has been blamed, and militarily hamstrung, fine. But, as he mentions, countires like Britain, by always choosing the winning side have never had to answer for their Imperialist atrocities, e.g. the Opium Wars, Amritsar, the Boer concentration camps. As the general said, two wrongs don't make a right, but sole blame lies with Japan?

Lost me there. I think we hear plenty about historical atrocities by the western powers. I would venture most of the west takes more responsibilities for its atrocities than Japan does of its WW2. If a high-ranking German officer had wrote an essay denying German atrocities in WW2, imagine the stink that would have caused!

Regardless, Japan committed horrible atrocities in WW2. Tens of millions died in China alone, mass enslavement, experiments on live people etc.. Regardless of what any nation does, Japan should admit to its crimes. I do not think people today should feel guilt about it because that is just the nature of the human beast but not learning from your past.......

What official channels do you want to hear apologize? Speaking for myself, Western atrocities were very well covered in my history lessons.

Japan's apologies have been very halfhearted. Nothing like Germany's and many still deny it. That is what pisses many off I think.

So, 19 year old female university students in Tokyo should feel personally responsible for Japan's War Crimes? Get real.

WHO exactly is left, to apologize?

Hirohito made some conciliatory remarks and efforts. Hitler died unrepentant

I do not think that any Japanese not personally responsible for any of Japan's war crimes should feel personally guilty just as I do not believe any person from any nation should feel personally guilty for anything that happened before they were even born. That is not the point. The point is this that Japan has been honest about its past. Unlike countries like Germany, its apology have been halfhearted at best any references to its atrocities are being taken out of history textbooks etc.

If history had taught us anything, it should be that we should be honest about it or we will repeat the same mistakes again. People everywhere should be very wary of nationalism and know the kinds of atrocities it causes. Extreme nationalism can bring out the very worst in human nature. The far-right nutjobs (and some who are not so far right) who want to deny dark side of Japanese history are trying to take the nation down a very dangerous path.

You cannot change the past, but everyone should be very aware of it-both the good AND ESPECIALLY THE BAD!!

Japan did some uniquely terrible things, like butchering people, looting, dealing opium, on the Chinese mainland, that were completely unprecedented. The Opium Wars never happened, and the Western Powers only ever treated China benevolently. The Opium Wars do not appear in British History text books, so are obviously untrue. China gave Hong Kong away, because heck, they didn't need it anyway.

Therefore, because the Western rape of China NEVER happened, Japan had NO justification, whatsoever, in doing what it did. Nobody ever set a bad example, Japan invented imperialism. Nobody arrived from America, in the 1850s, threatening Japanese sovereignty and independence, Japan was, before then NOT an inward looking country, with little interest in the outside world, but was just waiting to pounce on Asian neighbours. The Non existent threat that America and the West did NOT pose, in the 1850s, mean that Japan had NO reason, to militarise.

It was ALL Japan's fault! Everything! Pollution. My periods. My parents's unhappy marriage. EVERYTHING.

I don't think anyone is arguing that 'the west' has not committeed equally horrendous acts.
The original thread was related to the the essay written by that SDF dude hence the discussion. Japanophiles........relax......... Japan and the Japanese will weather these postings. It is stil a rockin country but it aint perfect.

I think its reasonable that the living survivors of war time atrocities receive an apology whichever side they happened to be on.

You ever thought about entering an essay contest? That post has the makings of a great essay! I think if you push the "Japan was a peace loving country till the yanks turned up" angle you should do well!

Ganbatte!

The guy who owns the Eikaiwa I work for also owns some Juku's too. Up until recently I used to teach at one of the Juku's every wednesday afternoon.

One day I was borrowing the (Japanese) Juku teacher's computer and printer to do some lesson prep.

Unfortunately when the paper was printing out, the paper got jammed up in the printer.

I couldn't dislodge the paper myself so I politely asked if the Juku teacher could take a quick look at it.

What he did next simply defied belief.

I thought that he might try and loosen the feeder cogs a little with a small screwdriver, then try and pull the paper out.

But no, he dived right into the printer with a massive screw driver and just went on and literally destroyed the bloody thing. (He put loads of dents into the turing rod (not sure what you call it) and literally tried to leaver the paper out)

It was as if, instead of thinking "this just needs a little adjustment to get the paper out", he was thinking "I just have to get this paper out in the fastest way possible no matter what it takes"

After he'd given the poor old printer a complete hammering, he finally managed to FORCE the paper out and we tried printing again. Now, of course, all the colours were completely out of sync. Then, he went and got the printer instruction manual and started to re-adjust the printer heads manually to try and get the colours lined up again. He tried this 5 or 6 times but couldn't do it.

In the end we just had to give up!!!

Pure Stupidity. A typical case of something has to be done now, at all cost, with no lateral thinking about any of the consequences.

Anyone else experienced a Japanese dude do something like this???

I love the way people like you pretend you're on some moral crusade, against Japanese transgessions, when in fact, what really gets you about them is that they're not white. Think about it. Why does Japan get under your skin so? Have America, Britain, France, Germany, Belgium not committed horrible atrocities? Does white inspired genocide not count. Stop Japan bashing. Everybody knows what happened. Don't use it as a stick, to beat them over their "little yellow heads" with though, you blatant racist.

Its frightening that you can be labelled a racist for criticizing the past actions of a nation. Its all getting a bit 2ch-ish here.

People are discussing Japan here cos ummmmmm........ the site is called Lets Japan and the issues discussed are being widely reported all over the world, especially that essay thing. You can still love Japan but think critically about the place. Its a very healthy thing to do.

Yes, thats right, I am a Cryptofascist (whatever that is - is it even a real word???) and a blatant racist, hating all but white people. Funny that, considering I am half Sri-Lankan (my mother was born there), and am married to a Japanese woman. And yeah, Im on a "moral crusade" and can't find any fault in anything in white history.
Wake up to yourself, Apoplectic, you are an utter idiot. Some of us are intelligent enough to form an opinion, have lived here in Japan for a while and know a little about Japanese and world history. Others, like you, know nothing, though pretend to know it all, but if anyone else states an opinion you don't agree with, you want to cut them to shreds. GROW UP, you sad, juvenile moron.

Not sure what enequal trading agreements you are referring to. There were some when Japan first started to open up, but Japan was on the giving end once it started to modernize and become more powerful.

The US put the oil embargo on Japan because they were really starting to gobble up China.

The irony of it though is that the Japanese originally got into China mainly because they were expecting a war with the Soviets at some point.

The whole thing is quite complicated. I think it mostly boils down to delusions of grandeur in the military and patriotism running wild.

Why so huffy??!! What is the big deal?

Now, the causes or WW2 are long an complicated. There is no way I am going to go into detail here. This is a basic fact about Japans entry. The US slapped on an oil embargo and Japan in retaliation for its gobbling up bigger and bigger parts of China (committing massive atrocities in the process). However, instead of backing down, with ultra-nationalistic, right wing fanatics in charge, Japan went for empire (or, more accurately, a bigger one).

This is the view of most historians I think the accurate one. If you have another view, lets here it. No need to get your panties in a bind over history!