Do the Japanese even know what they had done in the past?

Question

as in during World War 2 Nanking massacre or Rape of Nanking etc. or are they constantly kept in the dark due to the censorship in the textbooks etc.?

Answer 1

While there are many Japanese who refuse to recognize their soldiers' crimes, there are many, too, who realize the truth and would make the proper reparations. Unfortunately, that group seems to be either the minority, or the quieter of the two. It is Japan's older generation's responsibility to let the truth out. Japan's young people have a right to this knowledge, have the right to make the choice of not denying the enormity of their country's past actions.

The trick of the whole thing is to strike the right balance between living in the past and living in the present. If history weren't all that important, why do we persist in maintaining history departments and an expensive climate-controlled environment for the Constitution?

Yes, we will forgive. But never shall we forget. By all means, allow us to set aside our differences and join each other's efforts in the pursuit of happiness.

EDIT cynthia: Yes, people make mistakes. But when these mistakes hurt others, it's important to say sorry and admit you're wrong. Do I know anything about the Chinese? Yes. In fact, I AM Chinese.

Tienanmen Square was an entirely different matter, one between a government and its people. And I might add that the people were duly notified ahead of time of the punitive consequences in store for them should they refuse to leave the square. It was a DOMESTIC problem, which is only one of the many, many reasons why a comparison between Tienanmen Square and the Rape of Nanking is completely invalid. Certainly, no one was raped in Tienanmen Square. Currently China is on her way to patching things up. The journey is a long and arduous one, but it is HAPPENING, slowly but surely. Oh, China might have stumbled quite a bit, especially in recent years - but these are growth pains, no doubt, that hopefully will diminish as she matures.

rssr27: The reason that many, many people are still very, very angry at Japan is not because Japan committed those atrocities, but because in the 60-odd years since the end of the Second World War, Japan has NEVER apologized, nor openly acknowledged that her soldiers' conduct had been inexcusable. Do you realize that there are still survivors out there - people's grandmothers or great-grandmothers - still alive today? A rape doesn't end when it's over. It's never over. It's a scar one carries for life. Keep in mind Japan's refusal to admit her wrongdoing and pay indemnities.

Answer 2

You've guessed it. The population has no clue at all. Their schools do not include discussions of Japanese history after 1935. I saw a show about this once and the Japanese college students were absolutely clueless. It's not their fault, they don't know what they don't know.
A bit closer in history......Chinese students are absolutely clueless about the Tiannenmen Square massacre. If you can control the media you can control your people.
This is also largely how Hitler pulled off his massacres. If you read Mein Kampf you realize how having power over the media really lets you control what your populace knows, and even more importantly, what they don't know. In Mein Kampf Hitler doesn't make a huge deal about "The Jew Problem" nearly as much as he makes a huge deal about controlling the media. He understood that.
You and I are also controlled by the media. If you pay attention, about 99% of the domestic national news and media you see covers events that occur on states that border the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Here in "flyover country" in the midwest we don't even exist. No one I know here in the midwest gives a rat's rear what the celebrities are doing. I teach high school and it is never a point of discussion among the kids. Never. Yet the media shoves the celebrities at us constantly because they are in New York and L.A.
Have a nice day.

Answer 3

it somewhat is perhaps the main rediculous question I easily have heard for a while, im sorry yet who're you to declare their historic past books are incorrect and that they've not prevalent what they have accomplished interior the previous? a million. it replaced right into a worldwide conflict, incredibly plenty maximum worldwide places have been in touch in it battling to save their usa. 2. there are a number of aspects asserting that the jap had no different decision than to take section interior the conflict against united statesa.. 3. i could elect to show out that even with the undeniable fact that Japan did strike first, they aimed purely for the yank militia while the human beings are the 1st and so a techniques purely usa to apply a nuclear weapon that eradicated thousands of thousands of harmless civilian lives! additionally employing the term 'japs' is extremely racist.

Answer 4

I don't think so. Just today I was watching an interview with one of the pilots that attacked Pearl Harbor. He said for instance they, the pilots, were lied to even back then - not told that was a sneak attack, instead that war had been declared.

Answer 5

Really, who cares at this late date? Are you aware of the atrocities committed by the United States in the last 100 years? I hate to burst your bubble, but we have not been a country of angels.

Answer 6

Well, it is mentioned a little bit, but it's not a chapter of their history they tend to focus on.

Answer 7

okay wtf. as much as i would like to answer your question, i'm not going to. not all japanese people know what they've done in the past. and besides, you can't just criticize them just because what they've done in world war 2. everybodys done something wrong. i'm not japanese, i'm chinese. we killed a bunch of people in the tiananmen square incident. and in the united states, we've had so many wars. in china we've done a bunch of things wrong too. WE'RE LIVING IN FAST GROWING, BUT POVERTY! JEEZ! the point of wars is to forget it and move on the the future and you're supposed to forget about it and learn about it and prevent them in the future. just please.

tigertrot : do you even know anything about the chinese? the point of my answer is that all people make mistakes and a lot of people just don't know about their past. wtf i am chinese for gods sake and whatever!

Answer 8

Everyone censors. China probably leads the pack, but the US is not that far behind. Japan hides their share of misdeeds.

Answer 9

c'mon lets let it go. no one talks about u.s making slavery a habbit. Lets move on to the future and forget that ok? :)