Comments on: Flying Yangban on Yasukuni Shrine

By: The Marmot

The Marmot — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 01:13:11 +0000

OK, I think we’ve all said what we have to say on this issue (and more). I’m going to close the comments on this post for now.

Thanks for the lively discussion.

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TITLE: Demonstrators rally against Koizumi’s visit to war shrine
BLOG NAME: Solomonia
Boston: Demonstrators rally against Koizumi’s visit to war shrine TOKYO (AP) Demonstrators in Seoul and Tokyo protested Friday against Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to a shrine honoring Japan’s war dead the day before, saying it dam…

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TITLE: Yasukuni Shrine: A momument to Japanese revisionism
BLOG NAME: Shuxie
http://www.links.net/vita/trip.....nce.lg.jpg Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan went once again (that’s his fourth visit in four years) to visit the (Shinto) Yasukuni Shrine on 1 January. As you can read on the websit…

By: Historian

Historian — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 17:59:51 +0000

I usually lurk here but as a history lecturer in European and Asian-Pacific issues I believe that I am qualified to comment here.

It must be in the French national psyche to blame others while pretending their own transgressions never happened or at least playing them down. The debacale of May 1940 is a prime example; the defeat of the numerically superior and better equipped French Army of 150 or so conveniently blamed on the ten devision BEF. This is a widely held belief in France and the fact that the majority of French troops never fired a shot is conviently forgotten

In this case, a young Frenchman has been stating that Japan denies it’s past. It certainly does in many areas but the ironic thing is that his own country does exactly the same thing. No direct apology or compensation has ever been paid or apology issued to any former French possession. Granted, there has been a lot of “aid” but it was never in the form of reparations.

The young man claims that France has issued apologies and paid reparations and states that “French publications” contain the scources for this but he fails to quote a single one of them.

France’s imperial legacy was at least as bad as Japan’s and it went on for a lot longer. There is no doubt in my mind that Napoleon would have killed on a Nazi scale if he has possessed the technology to do so. The fact is France holds no moral high ground on anybody and saying so is yet another historical hypocracy.

France in fact denies its history more than Japan and there is a lot more to deny.

By: Dan Roberts

Dan Roberts — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 17:42:08 +0000

But once again, this is off topic>>

Interesting when the topic is Japanese war crimes, you are interested in discussion. When French war crimes are mention, you refuse to talk. Funny that.ed

By: Len Peters

Len Peters — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 17:36:38 +0000

Interesting thread but I did notice that Alexandre, while willing to point the finger at Japan, is unwilling to address the issue of Waffen SS fighting for France. Denial is not only for the Japanese.

By: Len Peters

Len Peters — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 17:35:28 +0000

By: hanin515

hanin515 — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 14:50:15 +0000

It is simply not true that Koreans supported Japan’s war on China. Koreans living in Korea had no choice but to pretend that they supported whatever the Japanese were doing in public because Korea at that time was occupied by the Japanese. But Koreans living outside Korea in China, America, Russia etc were united in condeming Japan and trying to gain Korea’s independence from Japan. For details just ask me.

By: Gerry Bevers

Gerry Bevers — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 13:28:16 +0000

Japanese prime ministers have been visiting the Yashukuni Shine since 1975, which means they were visiting the shine before the Class A war criminals were enshired in 1978. That would seem to imply that they are visiting the shire to honor Japan’s war dead, not her war criminals.

However, even ignoring that fact, though China’s indignation can be considered righteous, Korea’s cannot because Koreans supported Japan’s war in China and in the Pacific. Koreans were even convicted and executed as war criminals at the end of World War II.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 12:04:28 +0000

For some reason I couldn’t get into Empire earth. I’m a fickle strategy fan and have yet to find a game that REALLY tickels me in the thinking area. In fact I’m in search of one. So far Age of Empires (for military wise) and Total War have come close but it’s like you can’t get personalize with all the tools you have so I feel short changed by the ability to fight and build an empire.

By: shin jong il

shin jong il — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 10:22:47 +0000

listen, this is not a difficult issue. a japanese prime minister visiting a shrine that pays homage to class a war criminals is simply wrong. Just as it would be wrong for an american president to pay homage to robert e lee. just as it would be wrong for the german chancellor to pay homage to nazi war criminals. what’s so hard to understand here?

by the way, the french need to compensate and apologize to the vietnamese.

By: shin jong il

shin jong il — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 09:41:06 +0000

‘improve your english before you spout your nonsense…’ ex japan resident

if i do, will i then be as smart as you? please don’t attack my english, attack my ‘nonsense’.