Descendant of last native leader of Alaska island demands Japanese reparations for 1942 invasion

Another bunch of victims from serial Axis war crimers.

Important to recognize the Empire of Japan lost its empire, which included non-home islands to the north as a result of WWII. That was the penalty agreed and endorsed with other players and now UN-recognized.

However, postwar constitutional Japan has a moral obligation for the vicious war crimes of its imperial-predecessor (but no legitimate claim to the lands of it).

JJEToday 05:16 pm JST

Another bunch of victims from serial Axis war crimers.

Important to recognize the Empire of Japan lost its empire, which included non-home islands to the north as a result of WWII.

And had islands stolen that were clearly Japanese from before any sort of war.

That was the penalty agreed and endorsed with other players and now UN-recognized.

That would be known as an unequal treaty and should be voided. UN recognized on the site no visits and highlighting several of russia's disgraces.

However, postwar constitutional Japan has a moral obligation for the vicious war crimes of its imperial-predecessor (but no legitimate claim to the lands of it).

So they have to pay reparations but don't have any territorial rights. Fascinating logic.

Precisely. The successor states of the Axis powers have a moral obligation to the victims, like the poor people featured in this article. That means monetary compensation, apologies, monuments and mentions in school textbooks.

But absolutely no rights to lands legally removed from their previous incarnations by the Allies, particularly with existing demarcated UN-borders.

This applies for all, including countries and territories ceded, not to mention victims created.

What’s driving Helen Pagano’s quest for further compensation for what happened more than eighty years ago? Is it greed or publicity stunt or both.

JJET

Precisely. The successor states of the Axis powers have a moral obligation to the victims, like the poor people featured in this article. That means monetary compensation, apologies, monuments and mentions in school textbooks.

Germany has been doing that, to an almost absurd degree (just think about the holocaust memorial next door to the parliament). Other axis countries, not so much. In Japan, it seems to be mostly higaisha ishiki.

Better late than never regarding 'damages'! Interesting WWII history, these islands are seriously in midst of nowhere, primarily salmon rich, fisherman out of Seattle risk their lives, often make serious $ doing so, though some don't make it back = tough waters to navigate!

Reparations can only be made to people who experienced an injustice firsthand, not to descendants, relatives, etc. They are the only ones who reparations can and should make whole. Once they die, the claim to reparations dies with them.

Should add, there's NO better salmon than Alaskan KING Salmon from these COLD waters, so tasty and healthy!

Now regarding WWII, that's ancient history!

Reparations can only be made to people who experienced an injustice firsthand, not to descendants, relatives, etc. They are the only ones who reparations can and should make whole. Once they die, the claim to reparations dies with them.

It's the whole "reparations for slavery" all over again. We wuz slaves!

Another nobody looking for attention

JJEDec. 11 06:04 pm JST

Precisely. The successor states of the Axis powers have a moral obligation to the victims, like the poor people featured in this article. That means monetary compensation, apologies, monuments and mentions in school textbooks.

Soon russia will have similar obligations due to its fascism.

But absolutely no rights to lands legally removed from their previous incarnations by the Allies, particularly with existing demarcated UN-borders.

You mean removed through unequal treaties and hardly UN demarcated any more than the demarcation of russia's disgraces.

This applies for all, including countries and territories ceded, not to mention victims created.

Only the russian believes in getting goodies from war.

Pukey2Dec. 11 11:30 pm JST

How are the natives doing in your own country? Mostly genocided, forced to learn English, land stolen, now one of the poorest, alcoholism and poverty rampant in the reservations.

And yet they don't need to fear joining political movements or celebrating their religion.

reparations forced on germany after the great war brought hitler to power.

long after the war, every time the u.s. brought up reparations and/or the treatment of people to other nations, their one word answer shut down the conversation.

that word? mississippi.

Peter NeilToday  02:06 am JST

reparations forced on germany after the great war brought hitler to power.

long after the war, every time the u.s. brought up reparations and/or the treatment of people to other nations, their one word answer shut down the conversation.

that word? mississippi.

And that probably made sense in the 60s before Europe developed their own sizable minorities.

Attu Island is known in Japan as a World War Two bastion where valiant IJA soldiers tried to defend it to the last soldier. We never knew that there were native Attuans who were victimized because of the war.

There are some depressingly ignorant comments here on the general question of "reparations".

"Restorative Justice" is a well established concept.

I'm not personally convinced by all of the arguments about compensating individual descendants of peoples' wronged - but the wider question deserves mature consideration.

Whether the outcomes are financial at a national or individual level, or simply a formal acknowledgement and apology, will depend on the circumstances of each case.

If we want to develop a better/safer world for the future we can hardly afford to ignore the lessons of the past.

Many of the people who claim that "historical" crimes are not important, seem to insist upon promoting self-serving versions of "history" ...

Comments which are glibly dismissive, or even mockingly racist about human suffering tell us more about the commentors than about the issue at hand ...