What's your opinion about the Japanese Government wanting to rewrite Okinawan History?

Question

In Yahoo news, there is a story about the Japanese Government wanting to revise history textbooks regarding WW2. "Education Minister Kisaburo Tokai has said overturning them [not revising the textbooks] would be difficult and could alienate powerful nationalists in his Liberal Democratic Party." What's your opinion on this rewriting of history textbooks just for politics? The Jews rant and rave about the Holocaust, so here's my input on another part of history's atrocities. Check out the story on Yahoo at news dot yahoo dot com "Japan revises history texts". Worth sharing with the WW2 Generation.

Answer 1

To rewrite it is an autrocity and a slap in the face to those they forced to committ suicide. I'm angered by the situation. Children need to learn the facts, so they are not repeated.

It makes me extremely leery of the Japanese Government that wants to do this. I'm glad my Great Uncle who was a POW during the Batan death march did not live to see this. He had forgiven Japan for what they did even though every day of his life was spent in pain due to the long term damage they did to him, including torture. He even started a non profit organization for Japanese American Veterans. But once they start covering one thing up they will add to it how long before they try to cover up Batan?

Answer 2

It's a bit scary. The Japanese government is desperately trying to sweep the bad image under the rug. This is the first step to forgetting history. It has the potential to lead to greater revisions, and possibly even a return to an aggressive world view. Not quickly of course, probably at least two generations. But the potential is there.

Answer 3

I read this story this afternoon, long before I encountered your query. I think it's interesting that Japan is trying to rehabilitate its image in the minds of its citizens - especially at a time when the people who survived the times in question are dying off in large numbers. It seems quite a re-writing of history.
Governments tend towards a re-writing of history anyway. This is no different. The problem is that we are all aware of the discrepancy between what really happened and what will be recorded in the history books. Our real power lay in our ability to record dissent in public records: it is only in the gaps between what is argued by one's government and those who disagree that scholars of the future will find their foothold on reality.