History: Henocide during WW2

[muxec]

Now, when German PM says, that the whole German nation is sorry for henocide during WW2, Chinese people feel twice as insulted by Japan. Would someday Japan be sorry for what happened?

[Schattenjedi]

muxec wrote:
Now, when German PM says, that the whole German nation is sorry for henocide during WW2, Chinese people feel twice as insulted by Japan. Would someday Japan be sorry for what happened?

Most Japanese I have met seemed to be sorry about what happened during World War II (as far as they even knew what happened), but its not something they feel they need to linger on and never forget in the way that the Germans feel about the Holocaust. I can understand how they would leave it in the past but as long as there are still survivers of the atrocities alive they should be a little more considerate. To give you an idea of the...differences in perceptions of history in Japan take a look at this picture from the National War History Museum in Tokyo.

By the way, credit for this picture goes to the author of Outpost Nine.

[ohemgee]

I mentioned something similar in a thread in the General Discussion. The Japanese do NOT like to admit that they are wrong, and would rather save face and stay quiet than to just swallow their pride. I theorize that this goes back to feudal times, where honor was a big thing, and dishonor usually led to ritual suicide.

[Mukade]

Actually, several Japanese Prime Ministers have apologized in the past, both abroad and at home, for their conduct during the war. Japan also sends billions of dollars a year in aid to nations it once occupied, including S. Korea, China and Taiwan.

But the situation is far more complex than that, as it centers less around acknowledgement of wartime guilt, and more on who the leading power in Asia will come to be.

China and Japan are currently vying for economic and political control of the region, and they are constantly coming to blows because of this. The entire issue of wartime guilt has become a convenient touchstone to rally the Chinese people around. This is especially important when you consider the fact that the Communist Party is constantly in fear of a domestic uprising. Having Japan around as a scapegoat helps lift some of the pressure off of the Chinese government.

I mean, the Chinese are criticizing Japan for glossing over its wartime conduct, even while Chinese textbooks fail to mention either Mao's disasterous Great Leap Forward or his Cultural Revolution (which together could possibly make him the greatest mass-murderer in history). Can we say hypocrisy anyone?

Of course, Japan doesn't come out squeaky-clean in this whole mis-adventure. Even while Japan makes public apologies and throws money around Asia, they are meanwhile trying to stoke homegrown nationalism and strengthen their military in an apparent bid to return to a pre-war state. Many Asian nations see this as the equivalent of saying "Yes, we're sorry for what we did - please forgive us....and don't mind us while we prepare to do it again."

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It all comes down to money and power, and both China and Japan are clearly very willing to say whatever is necessary (and lie/conceal the truth) to get more than their share.

[Schattenjedi]

Yeah, I totally agree. While I understand that both sides have their points, I find it really hard to sympathize with China because of their hypocrisy.

[Datadog]

Wasn't there an ancient Chinese emperor who had all texts destroyed, libraries burned, and historians killed so that history could begin with him?

[Spaztick]

Yea, I forget who though. My American textbooks touched briefly on it (we really have no big need to learn ancient eastern history, so eh).