History disputes prompt launch of Japan House for global communication

Before wasting money on this BS why not print factual history books and educate your people first specially the politicians

but all the BS about Japan emancipating their fellow Asians from the white colonialists

Depends on the country. I dabbled in South East Asian history when I was in graduate school. Indonesians who were old enough to remember the Dutch colonial occupation were very explicit in saying they welcomed the Japanese.

Secondly, there will be no exhibits linking Japans history with territory - for now. Hardly balanced.

These Japan House places are best left as cultural embassies, not ways of presenting alternative views of history.

The local audience will not be much interested in the history exhibits but their presence will enrage certain Asian countries.

So are the resident neto uyoku that come in to downvote anyone with what they view as ' anti Japan ' comments on any article related to WW2. Its plain to see from the number of downvotes vs comments above.

Yes, minus 10 to minus 15 seems to be an average.

Aegis weapon systems, lavish wasteful propaganda,vast sums given to other countries to ‘counter China’ and still public schools can’t afford to heat classrooms in the winter?

What a slippery slope.....

You can promote J-Pop, anime and washoku all you like, but all the BS about Japan emancipating their fellow Asians from the white colonialists for their old good, Nanjing being a hoax, women willingly prostituting themselves and no live-experiments being performed on people won't wash abroad. People aren't stupid.

By the way, will anyone working in these facilities also go to textbook publishers and demand they make changes to whitewash Japanese atrocities, like they tried to do in Hawaii?

ThePBot:

Exactly. The Japanese version of wumaos.

I call them the five-yenners. As bad as each other.

So are the resident neto uyoku that come in to downvote anyone with what they view as ' anti Japan ' comments on any article related to WW2. Its plain to see from the number of downvotes vs comments above.

Exactly. The Japanese version of wumaos.

I get the sense that over the last 15-20 years, the overall relevance of Japan in the world stage has been greatly diminished, whether on the business, cultural or other ends. I guess this is an attempt (although a very weak one) to scream for attention in an increasingly short attention-spanned world.

to better communicate with the world on sensitive issues such as Japan's perception of wartime history and its position on territorial disputes with China, South Korea and Russia.

"Oh just stop living in the past, would ya?!"

I really fail to see the point of this. Firstly, most educated people already know of Japan's brutal behaviour during WW2. It may not be written in Japanese textbooks, but it is known elsewhere. Plenty of books and films.

Secondly, there will be no exhibits linking Japans history with territory - for now. Hardly balanced.

Are the Japanese trying to insult the intellegence of the Brazilian, British and American people along with everybody else.

So, the Japanese whitewash brush has a very long handle. I’d be very interested to know the extent of propaganda spouted in relation to the Chinese massacre and the comfort women, just for starters.

Good luck with Japan providing a balanced accurate view of its wartime history, Japan has been glossing over & BS'ing that history for 70+years & counting in Japan, that crap wont go over well overseas...……...

"Together with a role of familiarizing foreigners with Japan, Abe's government plans to use the facilities in Sao Paulo, London and Los Angeles to better communicate with the world on sensitive issues such as Japan's perception of wartime history and its position on territorial disputes with China, South Korea and Russia."

It's called propaganda and white-washing, not "better communicating". What a crock. And people here will act angrily when the response is for Asian nations to erect more statues to commemorate victims of Japan's atrocities, which ACTUALLY ask people to remember and not repeat the past, instead of Japan's, "Hey, ignore what everyone else is saying and listen to us and us alone!"

A Japan house each in the north and south of what used to be the new world and in insular Britain should not be seen as teaching the others about the views of the land but rather as a source of reflection to learn what is so strange to others about local interpretation of history.

The Yasukuni point mentioned in the article is really difficult to translate not only to the closest neighbors.

Oros backed Japan's decision to base Japan House in Los Angeles because "there already is a lot of outreach by the Japanese government to Americans on the East Coast, Washington and New York in particular."

Not surprisingly, the vaste area between America's coasts is overlooked.