If you are from Japan, would you mind answering this question?

Question

I am not trying to cause any trouble here. But I once heard that the Japanese text books completely omit what the Japanese soldiers did in mainland China (i.e. Nanking Massacre, chemical testing on human beings...etc.) May I ask if this is true?

I understand this is a sensitive issue. I know that the Chinese government has been demanding for decades that these events should be taught and be talked about in Japanese schools. I am just wondering if this is actually still the case in Japan.

yozora, I understand what you mean. By asking this question, I am not suggesting that Japanese are all bad either. Just because their forefathers had done something terrible; it does not mean that ALL Japanese are that way. And to answer your question, yes, I do believe that what the Americans did to the Iraqis need to be taught in the American schools too, not so much to blame or shame all Americans though; but to admit that all these had actually happened. History, by itself, is neutral because it simply states what had acutally happened and should not contain any comments from the authors. It is the human beings who read the history who make their own judgments. So, instead of omitting the facts in text books, what we should do is to educate the people how to think.

Answer 1

yes that's true.
I'm a Japnese student and I've learned about the World War 2 and the Pacific War surficially, not in details.
In Chinese text books, you can find lots of terrible photos and read the sentences that how cruel things Japanese did again Chinese.

It won't cause any troubles and many Japanese don't feel offensed to read your question.

Answer 2

Yes Japan ARMY did. But please don't think Japan government and all Japanese hoped that kinds of tragic incidents.

Since before WW1, Japan military services was trying to get some power in the government. After the military conscription was set in 1873, the military power started being strong.
Maybe when Hideki Tojo, General in the Imperial Japanese Army, became the PM, we can say that the military power succeeded to take a control of the government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideki_Tojo


And one thing I want you to remember as well, at that moment, Korea peninsula and Manchuria, north east of China, were under controll of Japan. And there were many regional conflicts all over the land in China.
So today, there are still controversy about this issue.
And it is said that the number of 300,000 had been re-written several times. When Chinese want to exaggerate the number, they often use such as 3,000, 30,000, 300,000, etc. Chinese scholar admit this tendency.

Please see
4 Historiography and debate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre

Answer 3

Some text books are worse than others. The governor of Tokyo is famously racist, and he made sure that the worst of them were approved for use in Tokyo's schools ... BUT! That is NOT the only text book available! The governors of individual schools have to make the final choice, and only a minority of schools have selected to use the racist books.

You also have to bear in mind the age of the kids - it's not really fair to expect Japanese teachers to tell their students that Japanese people are evil bar-stewards, who go around torturing people and slaughtering Chinese and Koreans...! But that is what many people expect to happen!! What happened decades ago doesn't need to influence people NOW you know, and it wasn't ALL Japanese people who committed those 'war-crimes' either - the same as it isn't ALL Americans and Israelis who commit war-crimes NOW.

Would YOU want your kids - in 15 years time - to be taught that their race was evil, tortured Iraqis, raped women and murdered their families... etc.? Especially as it's only a minority of Americans who've COMMITTED those crimes...!??

There's a fine and delicate balance between teaching children the truth, and warping their minds. I don't suggest that Japan has got the balance right - but I don't suggest that it's actually POSSIBLE to get that balance right either!!!

Answer 4

ya,,,,it has been controversial issue among educators in Japan. but you know in Japan many school teachers have been quite leftest,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Teachers_Union
and they don't like those text books you mentioned. And a lot of Japanese students have been receiving lectures by those teachers and have been influenced.. so I m not sure what are toughed by them actually in the history classes.( I think if it is not prohibited by the school, they must be teaching more of the things such as the matter omitted from the text books in the spare time or in the history class)

Answer 5

My fiance is from Japan and she gets angry with me when I talk about this. The young Japanese people are taught that the Chinese and the rest of Asia are lying about the atrocities. They completely hide them from the reality of what they did. It's sad, because if you don't know your history, it tends to repeat itself. I am not saying Japan will go to war like that again, but they should know more about what they did. She made the mistake of going on a tour of Vietnam by herself and the tour guide made sure to take her to a museum that shows the atrocities from the war. She felt terrible about it, but she still feels to deny it happened. It's frustrating to me. It's like looking at the sky and saying it's Yellow, when it's obviously Blue.

Answer 6

I am not from Japan but I heard that the incident is not explained at length just a few lines.I think this is the norm not the exception. It is what mos countries do, forget the painful past.. I have never heard of country chanting the "mea culpa" in their own textbooks.
Have you ?

Answer 7

Yeah, but on the other hand, the number of victims in the Rape of Nanking has grown over the years from 25,000 to what now, 300,000? The Chinese government just keeps escalating it.

Answer 8

i am not from japan but...

it is true, the japanese government does censor the atrocities not only towards the chinese,but also towards philipinos and others. the things they did were on par with what the nazis were doing during that time.

Answer 9

Hi,sorry to jump in your lucky to not be affected by yahoo mail.
Now to your question it would not surprise me if the Japanese
have not got it in text books.They would not say sorry to the allied
forces who they took prisoners & tortured my dad was one of those it haunted him untill the day he died.

Answer 10

It is true