The LDP shows who and what it (still) represents

...On the recent decision of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and all of his Cabinet members not to visit the shrine out of consideration for Asian victims of Japan's past militarism, Tanigaki said, "Each party has its own view." Japan Times

LDP chief Tanigaki will, of course, visit.

PM Kan's recent apology to South Korea for its colonial rule of the country further inflamed some of the right wing of the LDP:

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the LDP criticized the government's decision, describing Kan and Sengoku as "foolish" and "ignorant" about dealing with historical issues. Japan Times

One may disagree with ol' I-quit-'cause-I-gotta-sh*t Abe, the fellow with a long history of denying that the Japanese Imperial Army recruited women to serve as sex slaves during the war and who got into hot water for boldly stating same as PM, but one can not question his expertise on being "foolish and ignorant about dealing with historical issues."

Since Abe's attempt to lead Japan toward a Fujiwara Masahiko influenced Beautiful Country got nowhere, the LDP will now boldly try the same thing over and over. This is a brilliant strategy as sooner or later people will quite worrying about the 2010 economy and their future and focus on reliving the 1900s.

Edited to add: The DPJ could be accused of coming up with this because they seem to have little in the way of (visible) success for improving the economy and the future, but we will look at this as a positive for the party and not a cynical political move as the DPJ is concerned about improving Japan's relations in the region. Unlike the party of Tanigaki/Abe/Mori retrogrouches. Now, about the future...

Apologize---if you are sorry

In May, the Japanese ambassador to the US officially apologized to former POWs of the Bataan Death March.*

Now a former Australian POW and the son of another POW are in Japan seeking an apology from PM Aso. The POWs, James Coombs and the late Patrick McAnulty (represented by his son), were slave laborers at the Aso Mining company during the war. Note that this is an apology from Aso as heir of the mining company, not an official apology by the government.

Lest anyone think that this apology stuff is going to be a habit, a "lawyer" who seemingly admits that he doesn't know what he is talking about said the following in regards to the mens request:

Katsuhiko Takaike, a lawyer who has been studying the issue of postwar compensation, admitted he was not familiar with the Aso Mining case but said Aso probably would be better off not apologizing.

"I can understand that (Coombs and McAnulty's father) suffered terribly and they want an apology," Takaike said. "But Japanese POWs also suffered illegal treatment too. We would have to start talking about that, too, or else it would be one-sided."

This is an argument of a lawyer? It sounds like one from a 5-year old. Naturally, the 5-year old mind of this fellow jumps into the everybody-did-it excuse too. A lawyer? Seriously? I knew that the government tried to increase the number of lawyers, but I didn't know that they now sell licenses at 7-11.

Waseda University visiting professor, Aiko Utsumi, author of The POW Policy of the Japanese Military, has a different opinion:

"I think should Aso meet with them — it is natural for him to apologize for the past....Aso is heir to the mine..."

Aso (and the government) denied that his company used POWs for slave labor until recently. He has not replied to letters sent by the men earlier this year.

All quotes from Pair seek POW apology from Aso at The Japan Times.

And speaking of the Death March this is interesting.

*There has been some debate on whether or not it was an official apology on behalf of the Japanese government, or a personal apology from the ambassador. However, it seems to be generally accepted as official. A video link to the speech/apology is here.

Aso does an Abe

"No facts have been confirmed," the prime minister told the Upper House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense when asked whether Aso Mining used Allied POWs as forced labor during the war....

...Although Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Yukihisa Fujita stressed that records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration show that forced labor did take place, Aso repeatedly told the Diet that no factual details have been confirmed. Japan Times.

I knew MangaMan Aso was a rightist/revisionist, but up until now, I had thought he was a sharper politician than "I-quit-'cause-I-gotta-s*@t" Abe. Oops. Wrong again.

As I said, I love it when these fossils let us know exactly what they believe and where they stand. Let's hope the rest of the world is watching and listening.

Keep talkin'

I love it when the loony-birds of the right speak openly and unapologetically of their true beliefs. This will insure that the rest of the world gets the message that some of the kooks who have never accepted that Japan did anything wrong in World War 2 are still around, still in power, and still accepted by many.

Pugnaciously defending his version of Japan's role in a war that killed millions across Asia, Toshio Tamogami, 60, told parliament Tuesday that he does not see "anything wrong with what I wrote." Washington Post.

At least he has the guts to continue to defend what he truly believes, unlike Abe who expressed what he believes then claimed he didn't really say what he meant, or mean what he said, or that what he said didn't mean what it meant. Or whatever he mumbled before he retired because of bowel trouble.

Of course Tamogomi is able to stay in the news and publicize his beliefs and perhaps gain a few new believers or put some doubt about WW2 in the minds of others. Others may have a less kind reaction and take it out on Aso.

Is there something missing here?

Reiji Yoshida and Jun Hongo of the Japan Times take on Gen. Tamogami's view of Japan in Asia during WW2 and interview a few historians to get a more informed, accurate version of what Japan did during the war.

Interestingly, they wrote the following:

Japan's colonial policy, however, was largely aimed to help the economy at home, and Japan later further exploited the colonies' economies to help it continue the fight in China and against the Allies.

In Korea, Japan forced locals to adopt Japanese family names and worship Shinto, while limiting Korean-language education, which all gave rise to strong anti-Japanese sentiment.

Japan in addition inflicted devastating economic damage on China and other parts of Asia in the 1930s and '40s.

Economic damage? Didn't the damage inflicted---especially on China---include a bit more than economic damage? Wasn't there a huge cost in human lives?

Perhaps I'm being too picky by noticing this omission.

Democracy in action

"Yes, of course we are competing," said Mr Aso, the LDP's present number two. "This is how we mature and grow as politicians. An election such as this is a training ground for politicians."

If a 67 year old man who has been an LDP politician for 43 decades isn't trained by now, you have to wonder if he ever will be.

"Even though they are going through this drama, I'm sure all the candidates already know who is going to win on Monday," said Pema Gyalpo, a professor of law at Yokohama University. "They are only going through this process to get the attention of the media and the public before the general election.

...responding to questions from the foreign press, but one was focused squarely at Mr Aso, whose family operated coal mines on the southern Japan island of Kyushu during the war, using Allied POWs, including British military personnel, as slave labourers.

"I was five years old at the end of the war and have no recollection of these events," said Mr Aso, who has steadfastly refused to apologise to POW groups for the actions of his family's company.

"I recognise these incidents as fact and I have worked solidly so that Japan can advance as a member of the international society." Telegraph.co.uk

More bowel trouble for ex-PM Abe

The Women's Active Museum on War and Peace in Tokyo has published a booklet on sex slavery in WW2 detailing how the women were recruited and what happened to them.

During the war, the Imperial army set up "comfort stations" to prevent soldiers from raping local women and from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The military also tried to boost morale by "assigning" women to the troops.

Thousands of women and girls in Japanese colonies or occupied areas were either recruited by force or coaxed into becoming comfort women, and beaten if they tried to escape from the stations. Military doctors surgically enlarged the vaginas of those victims who were not yet fully matured.

Let's hope ex-PM Abe and his fellow right-wing nutjobs do not get too upset and lose control over this. After all, they claim that there is no evidence (that is acceptable to them) that the Japanese Imperial Army was much more than an innocent bystander. It was all contractors...

Nutjob Watch: Mixed reactions for Yasukuni

A special preview of the film Yasukuni was provided yesterday for groups of rightwingers in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Some of the fine fellows were miffed and wanted the film banned:

... the movie should not be shown in Japan because it would give the impression that the war Japan waged was an act of aggression.

My god no! Everyone knows that it was a war of compassion. Even the recent beating of young Japanese protesters by rightwingers at Yasukuni as shown in the film was an act of kindness.

Others were less enthusiastic about censoring free speech:

"Let many people see this film. . . . We need to let people know such an anti-Japanese film was produced with their tax money said an executive of a rightwing group.

We do not know (yet) if any LDP politicians were there to stir things up.

Article by Takahiro Fukuda at at The Japan Times Online.

The Bataan Death March

which I am sure the nutty right and their apologists will claim never occurred or is exaggerated:

And they immediately started beating guys if they didn’t stand right or if they were sitting down. We didn’t know where we were going... And all our possessions were taken away from us. Some of them had rings that they just cut the fingers off, and take the rings. They poured the water out of my canteen to be sure that I didn’t have any, any water. I saw them buried alive. When a guy was bayoneted or shot, laying in the road and the convoys were coming along, I saw trucks that would just go out of their way to run over the guy in the middle of the road. And when by the time you have fifteen or twenty trucks run over you, look like a smashed tomato or something. And I saw people that had their throats cut because they would take their bayonets and stick it out through the corner of the truck at night and it would just be high enough to cut their throats. And beating with a rifle butt until there just was no more life in them.

...when a Japanese officer came up, looked us over, and selected a rather tall, good-looking soldier, who was just in front of me, out of the line. The officer, for no apparent reason, turned over this man to a group of soldiers who took him across the road, tied to a tree and used him for bayonet practice. From my place in line, I saw the whole thing. After he was dead they took his body and threw it into a large bamboo clump. Then, just as I got to the hydrant, the Japanese soldiers pushed me aside and washed the blood off of their bayonets.
Japan Focus.

Bushido?

Perhaps these guys are liars or old and confused like the nutjobs (Abe et. al.) claim the former sex slaves are.

Should one's memory need refreshed on just a small portion of the Imperial Japanese Army's atrocities in WW2, the Japan Focus article is a good start. Just in case one is beginning to be swayed by the revisionist fantasies of the LDP loonies and their buddies...

The extreme right and its LDP enablers

Japan Focus has an article expanding on the Japan Times version's coverage of right-wing atrocity deniers in the LDP and their connection with the most extreme right groups and thugs in Japan. Most recently, they have tried to shut down the screening of the film Yasukuni while at the same time denying that they want to shut it down:

In a now familiar pattern, ultra-nationalists who follow in the shadow of establishment politicians, threatened retribution against anyone who handled the movie. Anonymous bloggers posted contact details for the distribution company, the Japan Arts Council and every theatre showing it. Anonymous death threats have been issued against Dragon Films, the company that produced "Yasukuni."

The burying of Li’s film follows a string of similar incidents. In February, Tokyo’s Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa cancelled a conference by the Japan Teacher’s Union – a popular ultra-right target -- after learning that 100 right-wing sound trucks turned up to last year’s conference venue. The hotel’s decision has been bitterly attacked by union officials. Fear of intimidation ensures that there are still no Japan screenings planned for any of the dozen or so foreign movies made to commemorate the anniversary of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre by the Imperial Japanese Army. (And remember former PM Abe's role in quashing a NHK program concerning "comfort women.")

“My sense is that we have entered a very dangerous period for freedom of expression and press freedom in this country,” says Tajima Yasuhiko, a professor of journalism in Tokyo’s Sophia University. “That is the background to these cases. The idea that people are entitled to express different opinions and views is withering."

...we felt we had no choice after considering the safety of our customers,” explains...a spokesman for Q-AX Cinema in Shibuya. But Director Li rejects these claims and says only political pressure explains the sudden decision by all four Tokyo cinemas to pull the plug. Full article here.

Noooooooooooo. This can't be. It's alarmist. Everyone knows that Japan is a different country than it was before WW2. OK, that is obviously true, but how different? How deep does that go? Have these nutjobs of the right-wing changed? How committed to democracy is a country in which the democratic form of government was imposed on it? Yes, there was a short period of the beginnings of democracy before the war--the Taisho Democracy---but it did only lasted a short 5 years.

If the far right and its LDP allies continue to gain influence, what kind of government will Japan have? We keep hearing that the days of the LDP are numbered. Of course we have heard that for 20 years. Let's hope this time that the beginning of a real two party system in Japan is not just another fantasy like it has been in the past.

And I thought Edwin Reischauer was long gone

until I read this from 2002 CFR article:

...China and Korea in particular have taken great exception to the textbooks’ handling of Japan’s atrocities in Nanking and the treatment of the issue of “comfort women” from Korea, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is important, however, to keep this issue in perspective: historical accounts are subjective, and every country teaches revisionist history to some extent...

...Sounds like words right out of the mouths of some of the extreme rightwing here---many push this very view. Everyone does it, so if Japan pretends it did no wrongs in the war it's all just fine, just a different interpretation of history.

Prime Minister Koizumi’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine have also raised concerns that Japan is becoming too nationalistic. It is important to bear in mind that while Yasukuni Shrine houses class-A war criminals; it also holds the remains of Japanese citizens who have died in the service of their country since the 19th century, much like Arlington National Cemetery...

Yea, it's just another Arlington. The Japanese rightwing argument again.

Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, has been regarded as a staunch nationalist because of his strong, offensive remarks concerning immigrants. However, Ishihara does favor a U.S. alliance because he recognizes that Japan cannot defend itself alone right now...

That ain't all Blinky has said, but our author couldn't be bothered with anything too controversial. And Ishihara is considered a nationalist "because of his...remarks concerning immigrants"? Was that a joke?

...The nationalist movement in Japan does not have to gain widespread popularity for it to gain widespread influence. If some of the views put forth by this movement become popular enough, they could garner enough backing to influence the Japanese government...

Has it not had widespread influence for years? Does it not hold the LDP by the gonads? It did in 2002 when this article was written and it does now.

Japan currently does not have any fascist leaders poised to come to power, but there are some politicians with nationalist tendencies who are popular enough to warrant U.S. attention. A study of political history suggests that the United States should be concerned and should definitely keep this movement on its radar screen.

Ahh, a strong, decisive conclusion. Who would have thunk of that if the author, Eugene A. Matthews, hadn't told us. Perhaps this was a briefing for Little Bush.

This reminds me of Reischauer's 1977 (?) "classic": The Japanese. You read it and couldn't always say that this or that was entirely wrong or untrue, but you knew it was pure sugar-coating---anything less than attractive being sweetened up and explained/excused away.

The full Council of Foreign Relations 2002 article is here.

Rightwing nutter victory. Part II

Unfortunately, the April 1 story was not an April Fool's joke:

A campaign of harassment by nationalists has led several cinemas to cancel screenings of an award-winning movie about Yasukuni Shrine, the controversial memorial that venerates Japan's war dead and war criminals alike.

..."We had to give up [on showing the film] because we could not guarantee the safety of our staff."

... many here say officials contributed to the backlash against the film. In March, a group of lawmakers demanded an advance screening of "Yasukuni," ostensibly to determine whether its production was an appropriate use of public finds. LA Times.

The thugs win again. Former PM Abe's "Beautiful Country" fellow travelers are still hard at work. Yes, the crowd that Abe courted with his absurd claims of Japanese military innocence in recruiting and forcing women into sexual slavery during WW2. These groups seem to have an awful lot of power for people who supposedly represent a minority view. Of course the right-wing has been in bed with the LDP since the party's creation. Without the extreme right-wing, would there even be an LDP? By extreme right, I mean the emperor worshiping, war crime deniers.

Why America needs a change

I used to consider myself a Republican. I was, and am, more of a Libertarian than conservative, because conservatives want to restrict and control those people and ideas that they don't agree with as much as liberals do. However, to make a slight modification to something Ronald Reagan once said, "I didn't leave the Republican party, it left me."

And that is exactly what has happened with the new big government, intrusive, religious zealot-based Republican Party. I thought George Bush The Daddy was a poor president who seemed to get his jollies from invading foreign countries---although I think the first Gulf War was justified---but Little George is so bad that even Jimmy Carter said something along the lines that Little-Tiny was the worst president in history. Jimmy should know something about being one of the worst, but at least he did not start an unjustified war, and although he was and is a religious man, he let it cloud his judgment, whatever one thinks of his judgment.

Anyway, this primary election I am supporting Barack Obama. My choice on the Republican side is John McCain and although it may be hard to choose in a general election between the two, right now I am leaning strongly toward Obama. It would be the first time that I have ever voted for a Democrat for president, but I believe that he represents the best chance we have for a new direction in the US and hopefully can help put an end to the extreme looniness on both the left and the right. Perhaps I am dreaming. At any rate, both he and McCain seem to be honest, straightforward men. The nightmare would be a Billary (anywhere on the ticket) and "Leave-the-US-if-you-ain't religious" Romney. I wouldn't vote for either.

(No, I did not vote for Tiny George as I had learned my lesson from his Daddy. I did not vote for a major party candidate in the last two elections and I actually voted for the crazy-man, Ross Perot, in 1992).

I received the following e-mail forwarded from someone whom I fortunately do not know. These kinds of "thoughts" are way beyond what I believe---or I want to believe---the US should stand for. Unfortunately, I am sure plenty share these views. This is from the "religious" side, I suppose the religious right. I have no doubt that there are such nutjobs with mirroring views on the left. How embarrassing such stuff is:

Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds
like it! This is one ticked off lady.

Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it
or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on
September 11, 2001?

Were people from all over the world,
mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across
the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die
a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was
"desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it
wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the
Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a
crime in Saudi Arabia

I'll care when these thugs tell the
world they are sorry for chopping off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed
through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in
Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots
who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children
within range of their suicide .

I'll care when the American media stops pretending
that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law
instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave
marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't
care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi
prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident,
rest assured: I don't care.***

When I see a wounded terrorist get
shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped,
you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran
and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is
complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe
in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's
spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran" Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed
it-I don't care !!

If you agree with this viewpoint,
pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the
people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more
atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And
may I add: Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for
you:

1. Jesus Christ

2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,

AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.

AMEN!

This person actually believes that she is supporting the military by accepting the crimes of a few poorly disciplined perverts as justified, or at least not worthy of her concern. She views the war as a religious war in which the US may disregard any and all treaties, laws, and morals and put its own troops at risk to make her ass feel better as she sits on it in her cozy apartment in New Jersey. By the way, as a military veteran, I find her misplaced and ignorant attempt to defend the criminal actions of the perverted guards and their superiors at Abu Ghraib prison offensive. Those actions were illegal under the UCMJ and no trained, disciplined, professional soldier would tolerate that. She is what a Christian is supposed to be?

A President Obama probably can't do much about this kind of person, but hopefully he can help bring a sense of what the US can be, instead of a US hiding under the covers in fear of faceless terrorists and of other religions and people. Christ, we don't want to be like another country that I know.

I write this knowing that the left in the US is not any better than the extreme right. I will never forget 3 wonderful Democrats whom I worked with talking about how they hoped that Saddam Hussein would not be captured (well after Tiny invaded) so that Lord John Kerry could get an advantage in the election, no matter whether or not it could shorten the war and prevent more deaths.The loony left is just as dangerous and nutty as the loony right.

***I believe the "college hazing" reference is straight from the Republican Elite's chief apologist, Rush Limbaugh. So perhaps this person is a dildo-head. Sorry, I meant ditto-head. See here.

The Rape of Nanjing

that never happened according to the more extreme (and dangerous) nutjob right-wingers in Japan. From the Independent UK:

...."I really, really hate the Japanese. I was raped when I was 11 years old. I tried to commit suicide three times afterwards," said Zhang Xiuhong, 81. She was recalling the six-week-long Rape of Nanking....her face flushes as she recalls the events of that grim December 70 years ago.

A sign of Japanese ambiguity about the issue came in the respected Yomiuri Shimbun...."Recently, even some Chinese scholars say scholarly debate should be deepened on the number of victims. Such a flexible stance has started to be aired....

....While the editorial has a balanced and seemingly rational tone, it is in sharp contrast to the kind of debate that one sees in Germany on any issues relating to the Holocaust. What would happen if a German historian were to accuse a Jewish historian of inflexibility on the number of people who died at Auschwitz, or if someone were to write that the number of Jews who died in Europe was only 600,000 and that only a fraction of those deaths were murders that violated international law? Read more.

That there are many in the government and other elite who subscribe to the view that Nanjing was either blown entirely out of proportion or completely false ought to send a warning to the rest of the world of what certain elements would do were they able to get their way. Abe, although not publicly going so far as saying Nanjing never happened, perhaps gave us some clues. Aso is another. Fujiwara Masahiko appears to be another who believes Japan did nothing especially or exceptionally wrong in WW2. What is this group's view of the world in the future? What world goals/views do they have in common with the US, Australian, or European views?

Fukuda seems like a huge improvement over Abe, mainly because he is one of the old-style politicians who sort of blend into the background. He has not been out trying to relive WW2 and offend every other country in the region and world with stories of Japan's innocence. But the nutjobs have not gone away. They have been in government at least since the reversal under SCAP after WW2. I understand why one of the past commanders of US forces in Japan said (I am paraphrasing from memory) one of the reasons for keeping forces here is to keep an eye on Japan.

Trans-Pacific Radio has a good article on Nanjing from last year here.

A tale of 2 Japans

Many courageous Japanese World War II veterans, historians, teachers, and others of moral conscience are frustrated and penalized when they attempt to inform an apathetic Japanese public....

...Does the Japanese Government intend to deny the documented war crimes until the last victims and witnesses finally die off? Yes, because the Japanese view themselves as innocent victims of WWII. Culturally, Japan believes that its victimhood is more relevant than the unpublicized evils inflicted upon millions who suffered under its cruel military rule.

Japan's response to the outraged cries of survivors and astonished historians echoes the comic’s retort when caught in the act: "Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?" But no laughs are found in this insult to truth. Full article here.

From Ron Wulkan, the author of a new novel about Japan. What distinguishes this writer from most is that he was a military policeman during the Occupation and he worked with Japanese who had witnessed or participated in war crimes. Because he was interested in Japan, some fellow soldiers called him a "gook lover," which he took as the title of the book. His interest in Japan appears not to have become a mindless acceptance of everything Japanese like so often seems to happen. Instead his book is "a pro-Japanese, pro-Asian, but anti-Imperial Japan novel."

On the other hand, Ms. LaVel Daily, an ikebana expert, was recently awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan. In a newspaper interview with the Houston Chronical she was asked:

Q: We did fight a war with Japan. How does that square with the civility of the people you describe?

A: I must say, I was young enough that I didn't know very much personally about that war, but I was in Japan about three or four days after 9/11. When they learned I was from the United States, they expressed extreme grief. I was in Japan when the newspapers and television showed Japanese military boarding transport aircraft to go to Afghanistan (for a support role). I've always felt the Japanese were our friends and supported the United States, totally.

From this answer and others during the interview, one can guess that she is a very deep thinker. Forgot to answer the question though. Didn't personally know about the war, you see. Never read a history book either, I suppose. And certainly does not want to say anything that she thinks might offend certain folks (Abe, Aso, and assorted LDP et al nutjobs and emperor worshippers) in Japan. Something implying some kind of guilt on Japan would do that.

Which person do you think is more honest, accurate, knowledgeable, and thoughtful when it comes to Japan, the WW2 vet or the ikebana teacher? Which person do you think really has the best interests of Japan---and the rest of the world---at heart?

Mean Canadians pick on Japan

Yes, now even Canada has entered the sex slave issue. Months after the evil US did (when I-quit-cause-I-gotta-sh*t Abe was still PM), the Canadian Parliament has asked Japan to apologize over something that Abe and his rightwing loony birds claim never happened. Or at least if it did happen, the Imperial Japanese Army was not responsible for it.

Apparently, Canada does not understand that although Abe denied Japanese government responsibility for coercing women into sexual slavery, he later (under evil US pressure) claimed that he stood by the 1993 unofficial apology in which responsibility was accepted by the government. Why would anyone be confused by that? Even George Bush accepted Abe's apology although most did not know that little George had been a sex slave in WW2.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Abe and his ilk in Japan for the continued misunderstanding and harassment of poor Japan. I deeply regret that some things happened to Japan concerning some things which may have occurred in WW2 (although everybody did it) which caused foreigners to misunderstand the pure intentions of Tojo, the wartime government, Emperor Showa, and the the Imperial Japanese Army. We non-Yamato-types are all so stupid.

The Reuters article is here---while it lasts.

The Japan Times, the only newspaper in Japan meant primarily for a foreign readership, and therefore freer to be bluntly critical of the establishment, has printed a few good articles recently. (It would be a mistake to believe that the news in the JT is reported in the same way, or has the same contents, as news meant for Japanese readers.)

One, which discusses the real results of blind "bushidoism" (like ol' Barcode Fujiwara goes orgasmic over" is When the way of the samurai was pointless self-anniliation. by Philip Brasor.

He discusses a few instances---of which there are many more---of this wonderful disregard of the value of life (which Fujiwara considers beautiful thing) during WW2 and how the government would exaggerate incidents for propaganda purposes.

Another, which would not be a big surprise to find in a normal Japanese newspaper concerns Akira Kimura's theory---based on research and evidence, unlike a lot of the nihonjinron nonsense---that the US obstructed Japan's surrender in WW2 to enable it to use nuclear bombs before the war ended as a way to put the USSR on notice. Kimura is not some sort of "Japan was an innocent victim" nut either, as he acknowledges that Japan was trying to develop a nuclear bomb during the war and would likely have used it had they been successful. (Few I have spoken to know, or believe that fact. I doubt many non-Japanese know it either. I read a book by one of the Japanese scientists involved over 15 years ago, but can no longer find the book in print.) You can read this article at The U.S. obstructed Japan's surrender to test nukes: claim by Michael Hoffman.

Then perhaps he should stop trying to deny the past

Tokyo - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday expressed regret at a US resolution demanding an "unambiguous apology" for Japan's use of sex slaves in World War II, saying he hoped to look to the future instead. (Story from www.iol.co.za here.)

Certain Japanese rightists keep bringing up old WW2 issues (which the rest of the planet knows the facts about) and try to deny or revise them. This is what causes the controversy. Anyway, the resolution is mute. There is absolutely no way that Japan under the LDP and rightwing elite will "unambiguously" apologize for anything it did in WW2. Why should they? They are the primary victims and besides, everyone else has done bad things too. Never, ever, will there be such an apology from the LDP. Ever. Even a vague one will be in effect retracted later by the statements of some politician.

Anyway, hopefully just a few Americans will be woken up a bit about what Japan's view of its role in WW2 really is. Eddy Reischauer's fiction may melt away just a bit more.

Rightist revisionist Aso after Abe

Foreign Minister Aso, who would be likely called a racist in Europe or North America (Remember his remarks of the dangers of a blue-eyed foreigner marrying in to the Japan Imperial family? Should be under one of the posts under the Aso label below).

I have long suspected that Aso will be the next nutjob in line for prime minister. The LDP is likely to lose the election this Sunday, which theoretically could influence Abe to resign---or perhaps quibble over the meaning of the word "loser."

Just a few other Aso "gaffes" (gaffe implies error, he is saying what he believes to constituents who have the same beliefs.):

[Aso] got Beijing's dander up last year when he described Taiwan as a "law-abiding country," a remark that came not long after he said colonial ruler Japan's compulsory education was a good thing for Taiwan....

and

...."even people with Alzheimer's disease can understand" that the price marked on Japanese rise [sic] is higher in China than in Japan...He later apologized. These are just a few minor examples. Quotes are from the Japan Times article:

STRAIGHT-, SLUR-SHOOTING BLUE-BLOOD WAITS IN WINGS:

Is blunt-speaking Aso next act after Abe? by Reiji Yoshida

I also recall him denying that his family mines used slave labor in WW2 although the folks involved have different recollections. (The article says he has "kept silent" on the issue.)

I am sure if the LDP loses the election, once aqgain we will here that it is the final nail in the LDP's coffin. It won't be even close to that. It's the sort of thing we've heard for years, even when the win in landslides. "Oh, the LDP won, but that just shows they are losing power. Their support among grannies with red shopping bags dropped by .01%---they are doomed!!!"

However, according to the Japan Times article, Aso would have to tone down his rightist rhetoric if he does get the job because of his lack of power in the party

Japan sends warning letter to US

threatening to damage relations if the US congress passes a resolution by Mike Honda asking Japan to clearly and sincerely apologize to former sex slaves. Japan, of course, denies government/military responsibility. They are threatening that they will stop cooperating on Iraq and take other unspecified (anti-US) actions. I wonder if the US will have the balls to respond in kind to Japan? Note that this is after Japanese government officials have been running around, obviously lying, and saying the resolution would have no effect on US-Japan relations. More Abe/rightwing honesty?

I have not found any reference as of yet in the major US newspapers, but the South Korean Chosun Ilbo has a story HERE.

There was and is absolutely no chance in hell that Japan will issue an official apology for this. However, one hopes that it makes news enough in the US to alert people to what the nutjobs are up to here and to make people a bit more cautious about becoming overly close to Japan as an ally in the region. The Japanese rightwing is itching for trouble with the US in order to further its nationalistic goals.

This is fantasy on my part. Most Americans are paying zero attention to this issue. It only perks up when some of the rightwingers do things like place an ad in the Washington Post denying history. But the threat by Abe and his helpers (those who have not resigned nor committed suicide yet) to somehow cause problems in Iraq might get a little mileage. If it comes to it, can we not at the very least say to Abe: "You remember the six-party talks with North Korea? Remember your little problem there? Well, we don't. And they are now five-party talks. UN Security Council seat? Good luck with that. See if you can buy it."

27 July 2007: Amazingly, I have found no reports on this anywhere else. None of the major US online newspapers carried it. Is it not accurate? Why would US newpapers not find this newsworthy?