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Why is it that they feel that they are not to blame for American involvement in WWII, an involvement that (right or wrong) led to the conquer of their nation? I find it highly interesting, because while I know that there has been a cultural scar on the nation (any perusal of their available cinema over here paints a picture of a people marked indelibly by the violence of the mass bombing of Japan in the later war years), I had never really heard that it was believed they there were not party to the hurt caused to their nation.
What are some of the explanations that you’ve heard for why Japan was the aggressor in the start of the Pacific theater of the war? Or do they even believe they were the aggressors? Does Pearl Harbor strike them as a defensive act and, if so, what were they defending against?
Like Az said, “Pearl Harbor is also little more than a fleeting thought.” If you mention it in an argument, the reply is usually something along the lines of “Oh, hm. Yeah, I’ve heard something about that” and not much more.
They do not believe they were the aggressors. In all my years here, I’ve only met ONE guy who would admit that they were wrong in WW2. For years, he has been part of a group that was trying to tell people about what actually happened, but the general attitude is denial and wilful ignorance. All kinds of people either deny what happened or play it down and say that Americans (or Chinese or Koreans or Filipinos) exaggerated the details of atrocities to justify themselves and make Japanese look bad because the Japanese lost the war … again making themselves the victims. It’s unbelievable, especially when you see it on a national level. To be fair to the masses, they have not been taught what happened. People outside of Japan usually know what Japan did during the war WAY better than the average Japanese person.
Take a look at this. Is it well-documented and indisputable what happened? Yep. Are they denying it happened? Yep.
When there’s anything bad or unpleasant, Japanese pretend that it didn’t and keep going … or if they can’t pretend, they throw themselves off the nearest building or in front of a train. That’s the Japanese way.
Those who hate God love lies. Very frustrating and hard to witness to.
That’s just. Wow.
I knew of the denial of Nanking and just attributed that to a cultural sort of racism (kinda like the Americans who don’t really realize how horrible America has been over the years to its own non-Caucasian citizens and residents). But the whole senility over their culpability in WWII is amazing.
I suppose it’s like you said: they have not been taught. Kinda like how no twenty-year-olds in China know who Tank Man is. Sad. Kinda makes you wonder if most cultures don’t do this – and what unpleasantries my own culture has covered up (I’ve certainly uncovered a few in the realm of Evangelical Christianity over the last few years). I wonder what else is out there.
My husband didn’t know about the American internment/concentration camps for Japanese Americans until he met me.
I’ve heard that Japanese young people are unaware of the atrocities performed in Korea just a few generations ago.
And did you all know that Italian Americans were interned secretly during WWII?
My best to the little mouse in So. Ca.
I knew all about the Japanese internments (we pass Manzanar every time we ddrive up to the back side of Yosemite), but until yesterday I was completely unaware that we also had camps for Filipino residents as well. And that little mouse will be happy to hear.