Do the Japanese have a particularly Japanese perspective of war and peace?

Question

Win, be killed or commit suicide were the three standard option for the Japanese soldier during WWII. Officers that failed were expected to kill themselves. They had Kamakaze pilots. How were these ideas represented in Japanese popular culture. How did these ideas change after the unconditional surrender of Japan at the end of WWII. Were all Japanese soldiers expected to kill the,selves. How did this effect the Japanese culture?

Answer 1

Attitudes have changed A LOT since world war 2. Japan's constitution is still the only pacifist constitution in the world and most Japanese by and large still subscribe to the blanket idea that "War is Bad". There has been some stirring against this overly simplistic view in recent years. Many people want to revive Japanese nationalism at least to a small degree and increase the size of their military to one where they can actually really protect themselves without relying on the U.S. There have not been enough votes up to now to revise the constitution however.

In general the attitudes about Japanese soldiers in world war two tend to be more positive than negative. I think most Japanese people respect those who died. Recently a movie came out glorifying the Kaimkaze pilots that has been widely praised in Japan but widely condemned and protested in the rest of Asia. The government actively works to prevent suicide these days even though the rates are still phenominally high, especially among the 13-25 age group.

The defeat after WWII turned Japanese culture on its head. Before hand they believed that they were invincible. Afterwards they suffered a horrendous identity crisis as a people that thye are still struggling with today.

They still catagorically believe that the Atomic bomb was unjustified and harp upon the point at every level of their education system. They glorify the soldiers who died simply because the Emperor "told them too", but at the same time vigorously oppose military action around the world these days.

It will just take time to see whether they remain pacifist or become more militaristic again.

Answer 2

Yes - you wouldn't understand.