OK, I happened to be disappointed with Abe’s handling of the comfort women issue, but Jesus, someone is taking it a bit far, no? [Korea Times] Especially with the condemnations the Japanese people:
In the decades prior to WWII, the Japanese people watched as their Emperor and military began a campaign of mass killing and conquest across Asia. The Japanese people could have overthrown their government and halted this barbarism, but they chose not to. The Japanese people made a choice to support a government, which raped, tortured, and murdered thirty million other human beings.
The Japanese people today are not unlike the Japanese people in the decades prior to WWII. Due to the absence of any postwar deimperialization program, they grew up in an amoral environment free of guilt or remorse.
Their view of Japan’s WWII war criminals is not shame and revulsion; instead, they think they should be honored. Their view of Japan’s WWII sex slaves is that they deserve no apology, because they were just a bunch of whores. If they did not hold these views, they would certainly not have voted for atrocity-denying Ahmadinejads like Koizumi and Abe.
Ugly stuff, man. Ugly stuff.
15 Comments
http://www.iia-funds.com/article2.htm
Henry Seggerman is making money with his Korea Investment Fund. It is only natural for him to make Koreans happy to disseminate any anti-Japanese propaganda Koreans would like to listen to.
The Korea Times is happy to carry any story which makes the Korean readers happy. Koreans believe what they want to believe.
I think the Chosun Ilbo ran a similary poorly-written anti-Japanese rant today as well. Is today some sort of special day?
I met a woman once who said she even hated Japanese babies. Oh reptile brain, will you ever unclench your little jaws?
FYI to the author, Japan has a more ‘European’ system of democracy, one in which the people do not vote directly for the head of the state, but rather for a party which then selects their top dog.
Of course reality isn’t really what this article is about anyways, so their is no need for ‘facts’ to begin with.
Ouch, usually one hopes that people who run investment services are rational and relatively non-political people (politics and making good investments don’t necessarily mix). I wouldn’t invest in a fund by this Seggerman guy. Too much chance that he would act rashly and irrationally with my cash. No thanks.
Even though he worshipped at Yasukuni, Koizumi was much more likeable than Abe in my opinion. But as Peter has pointed out, the people here don’t elect the PM directly, or his cabinet, and the same party is always in power. Perhaps that is the reason most of the Japanese I try to talk politics with are rather apathetic. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Contrary to sentiments expressed in the article, Japanese would likely view themselves as victims of their own mlitary during the colonial era. The Mukden incident was carried out by the military without civilian approval - they never voted for military rule the way Germans elected Hitler w/ 34% of the vote. By the same logic we should blame the people of N Korea for not overthrowing Kim Jung Il. Koreans also conflate rising Japanese nationalism with Japanese militarism. Japanese blame their military for WW2, but not the right wing - opposite the German case, and do not support an active military posture, probably the most passive nation in E Asia. Yet Korean’s historical memories blind them to this reality. It’s understandable, but it’s about time both sides settled the mutual distortions.
I mistakenly assumed the writer to be Korean.. Sorry. Yeah, I agree with tocchin, Henry Seggerman wants to avoid becoming the next Lone Star by playing the nationalist card. Forcing Germany to acknowledge war guilt conformed to US goals of building a multilateral alliance in Europe to deter the Soviets. Germany had to get along with its former enemies. The US E Asian allies were too weak to contribute through a multilateral alliance, which is why Japan never faced the same pressure. On a more positive note, Korea and China are more important economic partners of Japan than ever before, so Japan may realize that it’s own interests are served by acknowledging it’s past.
you should really check out what Japanese people say about Japan-Korean issues at enjoyjapan.naver.com, before you conjecture…incorrectly.
The Japanese public have been misinformed about Korea as much as Koreans have been misinformed about Japan.
Furthermore, why is the LDP always the winner in Japan? That result and what the LDP does, that responsiblity lies with the Japanese people and their society.
Otherwise, you would have to argue that elected politicians don’t represent the real people in anyway.
Can you honestly say that? Of course not.
LDP. Japan. Responsiblity.
Accusing Japan of whatever she did to Korea and demanding apologies from her is Koreans national pastime to relieve stresses. As long as Japan apologizes, they keep demanding further apologies.
During the Korean War the Chinese Red Army killed more than a million Koreans. Koreans has never ever demanded apologies from China because they know the Chinese would never apologize. It is about time Japan neglected what Korea says.
#10: “Henry Seggerman wants to avoid becoming the next Lone Star by playing the nationalist card.”
I guess I missed Lone Star’s nationalist card playing. Can you provide any examples? However, I can see Lone Star as a victim of Korean prosecutors who have played the nationalist card big time.
#10: Oops, I think I read that wrong. I think you’re saying he’s trying to preempt Korean nationalists. Never mind.
As stated above, I first thought the writer was Korean and then imagine my surprise when I saw the name of the writer. Okay the guy maybe playing the nationalistic card for his own benefit, or he might just not like the Japanese, whatever the reason, the fact remains that we will see more of this in the near future.
So one asks the question, when will all this stop? Yes I believe it is in Japan’s best interests to come to terms with its past, at the least it won’t have to endure other Asian nations throwings barbs at it for its wartime past and as a democratic and economically powerful nation it will have the moral high ground to match its status. But,the likelihood of the Japanese political system coming to terms is very low and the more the other Asian nations heckle the more reactionary the Japanese right will get.
I might get shot by the Koreans for saying this, but let’s leave it at that. Former Pres. Park Chung Hee signed a document which effectively gave up Korean claims to Japanese wrongdoings in exchange for Japanese aid and diplomatic relations. He also used part of what little the Japanese compensated for WW2 to build the Pohang Steel Works. Pretty much Korea doesn’t have the high moral ground.
So let Abe and the LDP do what it wants. Let them make a fool out of themselves and who knows, maybe the Japanese may get sick of what Abe and the LDP is doing and maybe vote the LDP out of office. Let the Japanese come to terms on their own.
Korea shouldn’t be shooting its own foot by saying things when it itself has no moral high ground.
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