Japan risks threat to global peace by rekindling militaristic spirit of Second World War, senior Chi
Source: Telegraph
Japan risks a serious threat to global peace by rekindling the militaristic spirit that helped cause the Second World War, a senior Chinese official has warned.
Liu Xiaoming, Chinas ambassador to London, has launched a strong criticism of the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, accusing him of deliberately raising tensions in Asia and putting the world on a perilous path.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Liu warns that under Mr Abe, Japan is seeking to rewrite the history of its role in the war and restore its status as an aggressive military power. China will not allow such plans, he said.
In unusually vivid language, Mr Liu even compares modern Japan to Lord Voldemort, the villain of the Harry Potter stories who eventually dies hard. The ambassador appealed to Britain to side with China against Japan in the escalating row between Beijing and Tokyo, invoking Britains role fighting against Japan in the war.
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Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/10546477/Japan-risks-threat-to-global-peace-by-rekindling-militaristic-spirit-of-Second-World-War-senior-Chinese-official-warns.html
bananas
(27,509 posts)Remember how Reagan wanted to "make America strong again" and "end the Vietnam Syndrome"?
He started with Grenada, worked up to Panama, paving the way for Iraq under Bush/Quayle.
Expect the same from Abe.
edit to add: I don't know if Abe will actually invade a country, but he will set the stage for future wars.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)As long as they have the pacifist language in their constitution they can't attack anyone. That may change pretty soon.
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)they need to solve fukashima and let the rest lie in the dirt. Anyone who rewrites history kills the dead all over again.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)They use one of their ambassadors to public a hit piece on Japan in a foreign paper. Really? What the fuck is this grade school? Talk about childish shit.
While I agree it was a mistake for Abe to visit the Yasukuni shrine especially given the tension between Japan and China over the "newly invented" maritime zone created by China. Both sides are to blame for fanning the flames of the fire. China will use their citizens any chance they get to smash some Toyotas in the name of nationalism. Both countries have wacked right wingers (so does South Korea incidentally as I've seen some of the stuff they've pulled in my 10 years here).
This situation isn't going to end well for all three countries (South Korea being put in the middle, but has their own issues with both countries).
psychopomp
(4,668 posts)Especially when your command of words is, well, 'diluted.'
The ultra-nationalists are making their move and think they can ride out the storm of international criticism toward Japan. They're banking on a PR-push coinciding with the 2020 Olympics to re-invent the brand. I just wonder if they are aware that there are shades of the 1936 games already.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I don't know that China is absolutely in the right about Japan. China has nukes, territorial ambitions, and a well armed navy, airforce and forces. They appear to prefer the seemingly more peaceful route of trade, which can end up in bloody conflicts, to direct military interventions. But they have been ready to do such for a long time and do war exercises.
I can't quarrel or question the Chinese outrage about Abe for honoring those convicted of war crimes. What Japan did to China rivals anything I've ever read or studied on the slaughter of human beings. It is numbing to my more sheltered life in comparison, to those there for whom the wound has not healed. Japan did change its ways, AFAIK, and I have no malice toward any Asian peoples.
But it's hard for any nation to come to terms with what they did in war as war crimes. There are so many examples history can judge American soldiers as war criminals, doing what they were ordered to do. I won't even bother with the list.
War crimes, crimes against humanity, in our modern way of thinking, have been going on for thousands of years. At one time, they were accepted as part of the cost of victory in war. If every nation, state, religion or tribe was wiped off the face of the Earth for their transgressions as seen in the eyes of their victims or future generations, there wouldn't be anyone left.
Even the Nordic nations which are now hailed as peaceful, had an era of brutal warfare inflicted on those who had done them no harm. Those people I know in Scandinavia are quite open about it, and learned to do better, or so we all believe, and I do, too.
I hope to hear more voices from Asia from all sides. No one in their right mind wants these nations to go to war.
ConcernedCanuk
(13,509 posts).
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USA is not in its right mind imo, and I hope readers understand I do NOT mean the general USAMerican public;
USA's 1 percent made up of the MIC/PNAC and other such war-mongering $$-worshiping overlords are responsible for much of the discord around the Globe.
Been relatively "quiet" since Dimson got off the throne, but not enough so.
Obama is hogtied by these one percenters.
USA's Gestapo style of policing is keeping the restless sheeples at bay - citizens fearing it's own police forces.
Children getting shot for having a toy gun, tens of thousands jailed for pot possession (pot makes ya real mean I've heard < < that's sarcasm by the way) police/national guard out in force to squash even peaceful demonstrations, "stop and frisk", "no-knock warrants" - chargeless detention for as long as the authorities feel like it, tapped communications - bombing any country they are in the mood to . . . . list goes on.
Last country that behaved like that got WW2 in motion.
USA's persecution of Iraq, eventual invasion, slaughter and withdrawal set the Middle East on fire, USA's sniffing around China's borders with dubious alliances is setting Asia on fire, and it's interference in Latin and South America hasn't done much in the way of World peace either.
Canada now, under our Harperslut is quickly becoming USA's neighborhood whore - satisfying USA's needs/wants to the extent of signing off our resources and raping our land.
This ain't gonna end well - my one wish is that I die before the lid comes off.
I see no prospect of World peace in my time.
Regretted not having my own children,
but now I'm grateful . .
sad, that.
(sigh)
CC
bossy22
(3,547 posts)I'll let you in on a little secret....even without the US there wouldn't be world peace. By our very nature we are selfish in some degree. We will always try to get an advantage when we can. No country is immune from this. Yes our meddling causes some problems but I don't think a hands off approach would make the situation any better. People just don't get along with other people sometimes.
This isn't the doing of U.S. alliances but more of Chinese nationalism. It's the oldest "trick in the book". War is good for nationalistic spirit- it is also very good for distracting the public from internal problems. Could it be that the chinese government is starting to "feel the heat"? As their population continues advance they question their government more and more. The government needs a distraction.
penultimate
(1,110 posts)FACT! Seriously... There wouldn't be any conflict/wars anywhere and everyone would get along. Also, without the US, no countries would pollute or destroy their environments to get natural resources. Can you really blame Canada for tearing up its land to get oil in the tar sands or for cutting down its trees? If it wasn't for the US, no Canadian would ever do such a thing. The same goes for all those Chinese factories and coal plants in China. If it wasn't for the US, none of those would exist and everyone in China would ride bikes instead of wanting cars.
That's just my take on it...
ConcernedCanuk
(13,509 posts).
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CC
Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)madrchsod
(58,162 posts)penultimate
(1,110 posts)conventional weapons. It's just silly and hypocritical considering China's military budget is three times that of Japan.