Japan has no future

[Randy W]

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Chinese thoughts on Japan, from the Global Times

 

Insisting on wrong road, Japan has no future

The essence of visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A criminals of World War II, is crystal clear. Worshiping the war criminals is to revive militarism. It seriously harms the feelings of the people of Asian countries, and defies the current international order. Whether he visits the shrine in person or just makes donations to it, and whether it is a private visit or a visit in capacity as a cabinet member, it cannot change the nature of the act.

 

. . .

 

Only when Japan faces up to its aggressive past, can it embrace the future. If it continues to slide down the wrong road, it has no future.

 

[warpedbored]

I guess every country has to have a bogey man or two. It keeps the masses distracted from their own issues. WW-2 was 70 years ago. Very few of the old soldiers are still alive. Japan isn't even close to the same country it was then. It has a totally different constitution. If they want to honor their war dead I don't have a problem with it. However misguided they believed they were fighting for their country.

[PandaMaker]

As a child in China, my father witnessed, firsthand, the atrocities committed by many of the Japanese soldiers. All through his life, he had tremendous hatred for Japan, and was never shy to express these feelings.

 

As much as I wished he would forgive them, I never blamed him for his hatred. In the end, I always told myself that these feelings would not live on through me. This is not my fight.

 

Warpedbored is spot on that Japan is now a different country. Many of the soldiers that fought, then, were merely fighting for their country and absent of committing war crimes.

 

One thing I admire about the US is that we are able to learn and move on from many of the dark events in our history. I wish that China can do the same and prosper, rather than point fingers at others merely because their feelings are hurt. They do this all too often.

[PandaMaker]

I just realized that by injecting the US into my post, I might have implied some US vs China comparisons, which is not my intention at all.

[Fu Lai]

"The essence of visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A criminals of World War II, is crystal clear. Worshiping the war criminals is to revive militarism." There is no doubt in the truth of this statement.

 

Japan has become a hated country among all its neighbors once again because of this. Everyone knows it is because Japan's economy is dismal and their hawks, backed by only the USA are reviving fervent nationalism again to push their aggressive agenda. If Germany had a shrine to their WWII criminals and continued to deny that what they did was untrue, I wonder how many Jews would like it... or how many German politicians would hold it so gloriously?

 

1,068 convicted war criminals, among them executed wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo and 13 other Class A war criminals are enshrined there.

 

The shrine's authorities are reluctant to accept the verdict of war crimes tribunals, and history. "War is a really tragic thing to happen, but it was necessary in order for us to protect the independence of Japan and to prosper together with Asian neighbors," explains a pamphlet published by the shrine, aimed at children. "Some 1,068 people, who were wrongly accused as war criminals by the Allied court are enshrined here."

[warpedbored]

[Dan R]

It isn't about militarism for the Japanese. They spent decades in shame for what they did and their total defeat. It is about national pride. It is also about traditional honoring of the dead which honors self. Issues are not as simple as many would have them.

[Fu Lai]

Not sure what part below there is to disagree with but ask Japan's neighbors, all of whom filed protests. In my opinion I agree, Japan is on the wrong path.

 

... If Germany had a shrine to their WWII criminals and continued to deny that what they did was untrue, I wonder how many Jews would like it... or how many German politicians would hold it so gloriously?

 

1,068 convicted war criminals, among them executed wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo and 13 other Class A war criminals are enshrined there.

 

The shrine's authorities are reluctant to accept the verdict of war crimes tribunals, and history. "War is a really tragic thing to happen, but it was necessary in order for us to protect the independence of Japan and to prosper together with Asian neighbors," explains a pamphlet published by the shrine, aimed at children. "Some 1,068 people, who were wrongly accused as war criminals by the Allied court are enshrined here."

 

They just never admitted they did anything wrong.

[warpedbored]

For Christ's sake it was 70 years ago. Way past time to get on with the world instead of digging up dead horses to beat. I have yet to hear China appologize for the millions of their own citizens killed during the cultural revolution and the great leap forward. Or the Red Guard running around the country destroying priceless artifacts because they were old, rounding up teen age children and forcing them to go work like slaves in the countryside. Before they start pointing fingers at the Japanese maybe they should take a good close look at their own sins.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

For Christ's sake it was 70 years ago. Way past time to get on with the world instead of digging up dead horses to beat. I have yet to hear China appologize for the millions of their own citizens killed during the cultural revolution and the great leap forward. Or the Red Guard running around the country destroying priceless artifacts because they were old, rounding up teen age children and forcing them to go work like slaves in the countryside. Before they start pointing fingers at the Japanese maybe they should take a good close look at their own sins.

 

Are you now a self-appointed sin pointer outer? Your glass house is about to cave in, so it would be better for you avoid throwing stones. The issues between China and Japan run really, really deep, and your views would be very different if your mother, father, cousins and uncles were able to tell you the stories of what really happened in China in 1937 and 1938.

Edited April 27, 2013 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)

[Dan R]

For Christ's sake it was 70 years ago. Way past time to get on with the world instead of digging up dead horses to beat. I have yet to hear China appologize for the millions of their own citizens killed during the cultural revolution and the great leap forward. Or the Red Guard running around the country destroying priceless artifacts because they were old, rounding up teen age children and forcing them to go work like slaves in the countryside. Before they start pointing fingers at the Japanese maybe they should take a good close look at their own sins.

It is always better/easier to hate an outsider than to engage in critical self appraisal. It also makes ruling politicians feel much more secure. What country doesn't engage in it? Certainly America is no stranger to this. While the question of Japan having no future is hardly an issue. The future is yet to see but I am sure Japan will be in it.

[warpedbored]

That's me Jesse. The official sin pointer outer of CFL. Perhaps I may feel different if I lost a relative to the Japanese in 1938 in China, or perhaps a relative at Pearl Harbor or perhaps a relative at Auschwitz in Germany. Wars are hideous things and hideous things happen when people engage in them. Japan lost the war, changed their constitution and has evolved into a totally different entity than it was then. Is the world supposed to go on hating them throughout eternity even though very few of the people who caused that war are even still alive? Hate is an ugly thing and even uglier when a government helps foster it.

[Fu Lai]

That's me Jesse. The official sin pointer outer of CFL. Perhaps I may feel different if I lost a relative to the Japanese in 1938 in China, or perhaps a relative at Pearl Harbor or perhaps a relative at Auschwitz in Germany. Wars are hideous things and hideous things happen when people engage in them. Japan lost the war, changed their constitution and has evolved into a totally different entity than it was then. Is the world supposed to go on hating them throughout eternity even though very few of the people who caused that war are even still alive? Hate is an ugly thing and even uglier when a government helps foster it.

 

You mean like the way Japanese deny they ever did anything wrong? Those who deny or forget history are bound to repeat it. They could start by removing the criminals from the shrine which was built in the 1800s and probably not meant for convicts. Then issue the apologies formally for all the wrongs done.The way they are going now is just pissing off ALL their neighbors.

[warpedbored]

Japanese are Asians too and dislike losing face as much as the Chinese. If they were exhorting the virtues of the war criminals and praising their deeds you might have a point. The shrine is to war dead in general. There is no good that can come out of perpetuating a grudge.

[Fu Lai]

... If they were exhorting the virtues of the war criminals and praising their deeds you might have a point....

 

The Japanese do not admit they have war criminals. That's the point.