200 protest in Tokyo against APA Group over Nanjing Massacre book in hotels

Ask Germany how it treats its deniers if you want to pull the freedom of speech card. Well done protesters.

"Motoya told Reuters in an email last month that Chinese made up only 5% of the guests at his hotels in Japan and he was not worried about the impact of any potential boycott."

Doubtful many foreign residents are rushing to book rooms in this nutter's hotels. His war-crime apologia was widely reported in Western media as well.

The counter protesters have a point.

What point? The fact that China doesn't have free speech means nothing happened in Nanjing? OK, I see your point - nothing happened in Nanjing - the japanese soldiers were there to play happy families.

This is why Asia won't trust the Japanese. It's because they refuse to accept their past acts. China, Korea,Guam,Saipan,Singapore, Malaysia etc never requested Japanese military intervention did they? Shanghai was never bombed by Japan to advance the lives of the Chinese, it was to suppress them!

Motoya is an ignorant individual spreading revisionist claptrap to the detriment of Japan's public image.......

Ask these Chinese if they can do this in their home country. Well done the police who protected them from the right wingers harassment.

Different issue. Few people in the world claim that the people of China (PR) have as many rights as first world countries (which Japan is one). Why even make the comparison ?

If Japan wants to boom tourism and make 2020 olympics work, then they have no choice but to trash their homophobic ideologies and learn to embrace the true lessons of history.

Homophobic ideologies! What are you talking about? What does the Nanking Massacre, or its denile, have to do with homophobic ideologies?

As for learning to embrace the true lessons of history, this can only happen if open discussion is encouraged. Most here just want to shut down opposing views. They want the Japanese to shut up and accept all accusations from the victors.

Not much of a protest. Almost surprised it made it into the news.

“Japan is a country with freedom of speech"

Hence, the protesters.

"and you should change China into the country that has the right of free speech as well.”

Ah yes, the ol' "Well, well, my mom is prettier than your mom" attempt to divert the issue.

Strangely, Tripadvisor and similar sites (Booking.com, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Expedia) have barely a blip on them about this issue. That's where you go for the knockout punch.

Still, even a significant drop in foreign guests will hardly hurt the chain.

Unfortunately nothing new under the Nippon Kaigi sun. APA owner was already the sponsor behind the book contest won by notorious ex-ASDF Chief of Staff General Toshio Tamogami. He won by writting some similar revisionnist/pro-WWII bullshit, and got promptly ousted from the Air Self Defence Forces chief of staff for expressing those views in public back in 2008.

China was quiet because they were in a very bad shape and they needed help. And Japan was the most generous country to them. you don't bite the hands that feed you, right?

About the war atrocity, its established through the Tokyo Trials, I think the Japanese goverments, diplomatically, never denied that, but you also can't stop people from having different opinions, this shouldn't be a foreign concept unless you grew up in country like china, where government dictates everything, or you have some other agenda.

noypikantokuFEB. 06, 2017 - 03:31PM JST

Give me a ciscumstance when Japan encouraged these discussions?

Japan does not prohibit publishing. If you are against the idea of what is written in the APA book, do it through academic discussion, rather than prohibiting the book.

they even want to remove the statue of that little girl in Korea and australia that symbolizes the comfort women?

What was agreed between the governments of South Korea and Japan was to make efforts to relocate the statue from in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to somewhere else. The agreement does not ban the freedom of expression.

noypikantokuFEB. 06, 2017 - 05:34PM JST

When is Japan became open for an academic discussion over the Nanking Massacre and Comfor Women? as i said above, give me a circumstance!

By just googling, you can find a lot of symposiums on the topics.

Nanjing

http://iwj.co.jp/wj/open/archives/238968

http://iccs.aichi-u.ac.jp/topics/event/entry-2572.html

http://ameblo.jp/nankinkokumin/theme-10052118110.html

Ianfu

http://www.restoringhonor1000.info/2016/04/blog-post.html

https://www.asnet.u-tokyo.ac.jp/node/8180

http://www.sankei.com/world/news/161124/wor1611240036-n1.html

Why would you on purposely place such a book in your own business in the first place, why shoot yourself in the foot. The fact that Motoya allowed this means she also doesnt care about her customers or believes in that book..

Motoya obviously doesn't care as the book has been there for years. I don't agree with him but i'm amused that everyone is only just enraged about it and i'm sure Motoya is too.

The best argument for the counter-protesters and their supporters (here) is that "at least Japan had free speech and China doesn't" aka strawmanning /deflecting. Well, I guess it's harder and harder to find no evidence of the massacre, isn't it?

We surely live in very peaceful times, at least here in the Far East.... if you slap someone in the street you're going to jail, you will ruin your life, the slightest act of violence is totally unacceptable in today's age. Now, try to imagine the anger of the people from those ages that experienced total strangers coming to your village and all sudden started beating you, stealing your belongings, burning your house down, raping your wife, killing your kids in front of you, burying you alive, all these horrible things committed by total strangers for absolutely no reason. And then somebody comes to your face and say: well, that actually never really happened.... No apologies, fine, you're just a proud little country hoping so hard that everyone would just forget your past and be accepted as a civilized, international law-abiding country by your Western masters... but DENYING it?

Has the Japan National Tourism Organization commented on this?

About 200 protesters marched through the streets of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district on Sunday carrying banners to protest...They were met by counter-protesters carrying signs...

Good for Japan.

"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing" (Thomas Jefferson)

Indeed, but how can it be done when Japan is not really open to talk about it, I think everyone is willing to discuss this except for Japan, it's Japan who is discouraging her people to talk about it.

What? It's not Japan that is discouraging discussion, and trying to block the book. So you want discussion to be limited to ideas that fit with one version of history...

And how are Japan's ideologies xenophobic? Questioning history is xenophobic?

CH3CHO, thanks for the list.

I do remember over the years various people trying to set up discussion panels or symposia to discuss historical events, and the usual response was similar to the response to Motoya's book.

What I find interesting is that those who insist they know the truth, the facts, and real history are often completely unaware of these discussions! So how can they be so sure of themselves?

I just so happened to walk by in front of APA hotel nearby Shinjuku yesterday and still observed some Chinese groups coming out from the hotel. Considering the mass population of Chinese, I wonder who really gives a damn about all of this.

Bravo to the marchers.

Japan is a country with freedom of speech

And largely unchallenged revisionism.

and you should change China into the country that has the right of free speech as well

Whataboutery: the cry of those who refuse to evolve.

Ask these Chinese if they can do this in their home country

This demo? Very much.

Freedom of speech vs. pulling the wool over ones eyes about the past. The past is past and some things should never be repeated. But you should still own up to it and learn from it. Speaking out however should still be a right, regardless of how much of a place of ignorance it comes from.

Am eagerly waitin for APA to publish their new book sayin that there was really no sneak attack in Pearl Harbor .

That using the word sneak attack was just American propaganda.

Raw BeerFEB. 06, 2017 - 11:13AM JST

BTW, I haven't read Motoya's books, but I wouldn't surprised if they are accurate. Definitely more accurate than the so-called "facts" that some people are talking about.

Really? What leads you to that conclusion if you haven't actually read the book?

CH3CHO

By just googling, you can find a lot of symposiums on the topics. Nanjing

Indeed there are some symposiums about Nanking,but these are organized by the handful of people who are open mind to know the truth. Groups that are not influential enough, there are even some Japanese who wrote articles about it agreeing that the incidents did happen. But how about the mainstream media? you say that Japan is open to discuss this while LDP the party who is currently running the country now denounces it?

But the point is, the protesters have their rights to express themselves! I don't think there is something wrong in what they are doing. Motoya is too coward to not stand on his ideology and hides behind a pen name!? This shows how incompetent he is to depfend his ideology. He is influencial and wealthy, why not challenge these protesters for a public discussion covered by mainstream media instead of hiding.

"Ask Germany how it treats its deniers if you want to pull the freedom of speech card. Well done protesters"

Ask these Chinese if they can do this in their home country. Well done the police who protected them from the right wingers harassment.

Raw Beer

Sorry what I meant was xenophobic.

As for learning to embrace the true lessons of history, this can only happen if open discussion is encouraged.

Indeed, but how can it be done when Japan is not really open to talk about it, I think everyone is willing to discuss this except for Japan, it's Japan who is discouraging her people to talk about it. Why don't you apologist admit that once upon a time in the history of mankind Japan committed these horrific things?

The protesters were not Japanese people, but mostly Chinese and other foreigners. I don't see how is ''cherish peace'' and ''stop denying your history'' related. There were no signs for that. There is no free speech in Japan. If you are a college professor, and you dare teach anything about what Japan really did in ww2, there would be bomb threats against you to get fired. Media is self censoring itself, and a propaganda mouth piece for the government. Anyone who dares say something negative of Japan would get harassed, and his family will be threatened.

The counter protesters have a point.

What point?

The point is: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

BTW, I haven't read Motoya's books, but I wouldn't surprised if they are accurate. Definitely more accurate than the so-called "facts" that some people are talking about.

RAW BEER

The counter protesters have a point.

Anyway, I'm surprised such a small protest is news!

If Japan wants to boom tourism and make 2020 olympics work, then they have no choice but to trash their homophobic ideologies and learn to embrace the true lessons of history.

Raw Beer

What? It's not Japan that is discouraging discussion, and trying to block the book. So you want discussion to be limited to ideas that fit with one version of history...

Give me a ciscumstance when Japan encouraged these discussions? they even want to remove the statue of that little girl in Korea and australia that symbolizes the comfort women? you agreed above that these counter protesters are crying for freedom of speech, then they should advise their embassies in Korea to stop protesting about the statue as well.

CH3CHO

Japan does not prohibit publishing. If you are against the idea of what is written in the APA book, do it through academic discussion, rather than prohibiting the book.

When is Japan became open for an academic discussion over the Nanking Massacre and Comfor Women? as i said above, give me a circumstance!

What was agreed between the governments of South Korea and Japan was to make efforts to relocate the statue from in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to somewhere else. The agreement does not ban the freedom of expression.

Why? South Korea is not Japan, Koreans can make statue wherever they want! If Japan truly believes the "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION" why ask to move the statue somewhere else?

U cannot change history ,just because U think U are rich and famous. It is not very intelligent.

“Japan is a country with freedom of speech, and you should change China into the country that has the right of free speech as well.”

Why say this to Japanese protesters? What are they going to do to change China? Sure, there were probably a few Chinese in there as well, but I'm guessing nearly all were Japanese. This is the same deflection you always see by deniers. A Japanese could say to another, "Nanjing happened!" and the other would say, "Well... what about Mao?", or if you bring up the sex slaves it's, "Well what about the US?" and that's on top of the denial.

A messed up concept of "freedom of speech" as well. I hope everyone boycotts APA.

Ask Germany how it treats its deniers if you want to pull the freedom of speech card.

Thank God Japan doesn't have such crazy laws.

“Japan is a country with freedom of speech, and you should change China into the country that has the right of free speech as well.”

The counter protesters have a point.

Anyway, I'm surprised such a small protest is news!