So, the Hankyoreh is worried about Japan’s supposed right-wing lurch.
So worried that they’re dropping f-bombs (“fascism”) and the wartime Imperial Rule Assistance Association in this morning’s editorial.
While I was reading said editorial, however, one part in particular struck me. It’s the introductory paragraph, in fact:
Japanese rightwingers shaking Japan’s peace constitution is nothing new. It has been the long cherished dream of rightwingers to create a “normal country” that can have a military and wage war since the peace constitution, with Article 9 forsaking war, banning a military and renouncing the right of belligerency at its heart, was enacted under the leadership of occupation commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1947. This ambition has repeated itself in words and actions like the beautification and praise of Japan’s past aggression and prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine, where the memorial tablets of Class A war criminals are enshrined, while denials are made of the legitimacy of the Tokyo war crime tribunals. The fact that that the ambition has yet to be realized, however, is due to strong anti-war and pro-peace opinion within Japan and neighboring countries like Korea and China keeping Japan in check.
No doubt that beautifying war criminals and denying the legitimacy of Class A war criminals is nasty, dangerous stuff. In fact, I distinctly remembered reading somebody sticking up for convicted war criminals and thinking to myself, boy, that was some disgusting shit. I wondered: where was it that I read that? And then I remembered—it was the Hankyoreh (see also here).
And as for delegitimizing the Tokyo tribunals, you don’t need a Japanese right-winger for that—not when you’ve got a Roo Moo-hyun-era Korean “truth commission” quite willing to do the dirty work itself.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Korean historical revisionists – having their cake and eating it too since 1890, because you must understand korea is a special case
nvm
Japornophile racists would safely say in their home that:”African American historical revisionists – having their cake and eating it too since 1775, because you must understand African Americans are a special case.”
Robert, you’ll note there’s no ‘f bomb’ on the english site- I removed it ^^
I believe the term is “beatifying”.
Unless, of course, they’re giving manicures and hair treatments to the war criminals
Um, did anyone see where my “beatifying” comment went? I see it on the side column, but no longer in the comments section.
Oh, there it is again. Nevermind.
You must log in to post a comment.