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kiva

(4,373 posts)
19. It's not just about not repeating apologies -
Sat Aug 15, 2015, 04:34 PM
Aug 2015

which were inadequate in the first place - it's also about revisionist history:

Seventy years after the end of World War Two, the voices of revisionism in Japan are growing stronger and moving into the mainstream, particularly on the issue of comfort women, who were women forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during the war.

-snip-

Mr Tamogami is well-educated, knowledgeable and, when I meet him, exquisitely polite. The former chief of staff of Japan's air force believes in a version of Japanese history that is deeply at odds with much of the rest of the world. But it is increasingly popular among young Japanese, tired of being told they must keep apologising to China and Korea.

Last year Mr Tamogami ran for governor of Tokyo. He came fourth, with 600,000 votes. Most strikingly, among young voters aged 20 to 30 he got nearly a quarter of the votes cast.

"As a defeated nation we only teach the history forced on us by the victors," he says. "To be an independent nation again we must move away from the history imposed on us. We should take back our true history that we can be proud of."


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33754932

My biggest concern is that this new version of the past is so popular with young people in Japan.
Yeah I don't see the point in the continuous apologies LittleBlue Aug 2015 #1
I don't know where this is going. Civil War analogy, perhaps? nt Xipe Totec Aug 2015 #2
That was not my intention, but in hindsight I see how that analogy is there GummyBearz Aug 2015 #3
Subtle. AtheistCrusader Aug 2015 #4
Eh... GummyBearz Aug 2015 #5
The dropping of two atomic weapons on Japan is a contentious issue around here. AtheistCrusader Aug 2015 #8
I agree with you 100% GummyBearz Aug 2015 #9
Given that there exist people now who did then, I do not think the world is "over it" or should be. WinkyDink Aug 2015 #6
Keep apologizing? Codeine Aug 2015 #7
I'm with you GummyBearz Aug 2015 #10
I was about 35 before I even discovered that Japan killed over a million civilians in India. AtheistCrusader Aug 2015 #11
Thanks for the information GummyBearz Aug 2015 #12
When one thinks one can judge the value of lives... Shandris Aug 2015 #13
I disagree. AtheistCrusader Aug 2015 #14
It doesn't matter how hard one tries sometimes, a word or two... Shandris Aug 2015 #16
When I used it, I considered DU as a whole. AtheistCrusader Aug 2015 #17
I think to clarify my overall position on it... Shandris Aug 2015 #18
Particularly disgusting was the behavior of the Japanese medical community aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2015 #15
+1000 smirkymonkey Aug 2015 #20
I agree. /nt Marr Aug 2015 #29
It's not just about not repeating apologies - kiva Aug 2015 #19
The revisionist history really pisses off Koreans davidpdx Aug 2015 #22
Ditto for the Chinese. kiva Aug 2015 #25
I don't think the younger generation in Korea buys into quite a much davidpdx Aug 2015 #28
I agree. Snobblevitch Aug 2015 #21
I think there are two separate issues davidpdx Aug 2015 #24
We are allies now... DemocratSinceBirth Aug 2015 #23
While the young have nothing to apologize about, Warpy Aug 2015 #26
We can't be taught that though, and neither can they. Shandris Aug 2015 #27
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