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Anti-Cove

32 Comments

An activist protesting against screening of the movie "The Cove" holds a Japanese Imperial flag as police officers try to keep order in front of a theater in Tokyo on Saturday.

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Wow!.....

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No such thing as a "Japanese Imperial Flag". Thats the JMSDF flag.

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Same Yasukuni bunch I think?

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Kind of hypocritical, isn't it? How about protesting the hunt itself instead. But I understand. It's not the hunt they don't like, it's the bad press.

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hokkaidoguy - technically sure, but it's clearly used here because of it's use for the Imperial Japanese Navy and it's symbolic association with the Japanese imperial project.

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No such thing as a "Japanese Imperial Flag". Thats the JMSDF flag.

No, you are wrong. Why dont you do a Google check and type in "Japanese Imperial Flag" and see what you get. Looong before it was a JMSDF flag it was an Imperial Japanese Flag and its still referred to as a Imperial Japanese Flag.

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unbelievable.....

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Looks like Traffic Police.

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outdated flag + keystones = LOL!

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Google check results don't mean something is true. Before it was the JMSDF flag, it used to be the Imperial Japanese Navy flag. The same kind of pattern of a rising sun flag exist for other uses too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_Sun_Flag

It is still considered a sign of militarist and imperialist Japan in most neighboring countries, though, and used to be forbidden during the American occupation.

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Thanks for the information on the flag, I thought it was the Japanese Imperial Navy first, but it was also used by the Japanese Imperial Army some twenty years before that.

Thanks for the link you provided as well.

Cheers!

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Regardless of whether the flag is Imperial, Naval, or Retarded, what exactly was the intended significance of bearing it outside a cinema screening an American movie about a hidden Japanese 'tradition' of dolphin slaughter? Is it supposed to remind the Japanese seeing the film that Japan lost the war and was then occupied by the US?

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i have always thought it was one of the coolest flags..to bad it represents some BULL$hiT!!

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The flag is just sad, but the bloke hiding his face behind it is also carrying some kind of stick. What's that for?

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" Is it supposed to remind the Japanese seeing the film that Japan lost the war and was then occupied by the US?"

Hopefully. Seems like they need reminded of that once in a while! Right wing yakuza backed morons they are.

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what sad little men.

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Yes, I'm SURE the man carrying the flag is doing so to represent the JMSDF in his protest of The Cove! haha. No, it is without a doubt one of the ultra-right who drives around blaring old Imperial Japanese tunes, with 'The Emperor is God' and other such crap stenciled onto his black truck in gold letters, just below the Imperial symbol.

An above poster is right: these guys don't care one iota about what the movie represents, they're just upset that it gives Japan a bad rep.

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I guess the imperial flag is the equivalent of the Confederate flag in the States. Meaning it's probably only waved around by losers in pick-ups (or Japan's case black) trucks. Funny how every culture has it's own flavor of redneck.

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Jam, I think that Zenny may have meant Martial Arts when he said MA.

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I'm really hoping the film makes it up here, and I'm REALLY hoping some of these sad little men try and stop this big gaijin from seeing it! Do your best, little fellas!

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How much has The Cove made, as opposed to, say, Avatar?

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Is there any real logic to a bunch of foreigners criticising a Japanese for defending the image of his own country? Don’t we all have the right to do that? It doesn’t matter how he goes about it he is in his own country doing what he is entitled to do.

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@grafton: There is a lot of reason for that: 1) you claim that the right wing conservatives are the japanese people - that is said on its own 2) the right wing tried (and nearly succeeded) to pressure theatres from showing the movie - which is against anything freedom of speach stands for - even sadder 3) no right winger can even have seen the movie, but still they don't want it to be shown - which is stupid 4) they even assume that their countryman can't make the right conclusion (whatever that is in their opinion) on their own - which is arrogant to the square 5) the movie itself can't influence the image of Japan for the negative - it has been shown internationally already 6) in fact NOT showing the movie drags down the image and puts Japan on a level with China, regarding their capability to take criticism 7) People not realizing any of the above, makes make anybody look rather dumb

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Such a load of gunk. I've heard Americans complain about Michael moor's documentaries, but they don't try to blockade cinemas to 'defend their country's reputation'. These are he same clowns who insist on editing children's history textbooks with propaganda. If anyone is marring Japan's reputation as a forward-looking, responsible country, it's them.

Perhaps if CNN et all reports on these 'protests' more will see the movie and dolphin's lives may be saved?

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@develin....i totally agree with you...especially with number #4."they even assume that their countryman can't make the right conclusion (whatever that is in their opinion) on their own" - also with

6.."in fact NOT showing the movie drags down the image and puts Japan on a level with China, regarding their capability to take criticism"

I need say nothing more.. well said!

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Japanese rednecks ...

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Presumably these flag wavers and the guys that went and harrassed the mother of the theatre owner are paid to do it. The tradition of slaughtering dolphins is pretty recent and there is no money in it. There is however a lot of money in capturing and selling cute live dolphins. The "tradition" of this is very recent, so recent in fact that they could hardly call it a tradition. Without the live capturing there would be no slaughtering

So where does the flag come into all this??

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develin at 12:40 PM JST - 4th July

A very well reasoned post but nothing at all to do with what I wrote, so why is my name at the beginning of it? I do in fact agree with most everything you wrote, however I still have no idea what makes any foreigner believe they have the right to say this man should not be doing what he is doing in his own country and we can hardly ask for free speech for the film while at the same time saying that we don’t want this man doing what he is doing. And like it or not (and I think we agree not) he is Japanese and therefore a member of the Japanese people. I understand why you attacked me but really you put thoughts behind my post that are simply not there.

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grafton, your post is too lucidly thought out and doesn't fall into the black and white mentality that many people bring to the table when it comes to the issues of dolphin hunting or Japanese nationalism.

It's like Flavor Flav said: "Freedom of speech; just watch what you say!"

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what sad little men

Do your best, little fellas!

What a condescending attitude we have towards our host? Rather sad.

Foreigners spiting and instigating the locals to fight among each other. This is the other purpose behind the Cove. What are they going to do with the revenues they get fom this documentary? Just curious.

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What are they going to do with the revenues they get fom this documentary? Just curious.

They did offer to donate all revenues generated in Japan to Taiji on condition that the hunt stopped. Their offer was turned down.

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Yes, you mentioned that earlier in another thread. Let the people behind this venture use transparency and declare what they did with the monies. Now that they are experts in doing things secretively and breaking a few rules here and there.

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