globallc comments

By the same token, the frequent headline news and the nasty comments on the topic here clearly reflect it is still stings Japan 120 years later.

One can never figure out the mentality of the Japanese politicians. For descendants of war criminals, the logical step is to stay low key instead of boasting or acting to attract world attention year after year. How weird!

@Crush Them. "Given a vote as to which country they want' or shall I say 'independent'? Be realistic.

Ever asked the islanders of Diego Garcia or Okinawa? You don't hear them from the powerful western media does not mean their struggles don't exist.

"In short, Japan grabbed and held the Senkakus, so Japan gets them. And now Japan turns around and won't recognize the same thing done to them by South Korea?? Shove it Japan. Just shove it. I hate hypocrites almost as much as I hate land grabbers. If Japan wants to keep the Senkakus, they need to shut their faces about Dokdo."

A taste of its own medicine and the pot calling the kettle black.

The same applies to its dispute with Russia. Shove it.

In June 2004,Japanese professor Tadayoshi Murata of Yokohama National University, published "Senkaku Islands vs the Diaoyu Islands Dispute" supports that "Since the Ming Dynasty, Chinese maps and documents of many kinds marked Diaoyu Islands, Huangwei Islands, Chiwei Islands as being lying within the territory of China". His 2nd book in 2013: "Origin of Japan's territorial issues - Official documents do not reflect the Truth".

The island did not appear in the Map of Great Japan in 1876 drew by Japan's General Staff Office of the Ministry of Army . Japan's claim of its purported "discovery in 1884" of the Diaoyu Islands contradicts with the navigation map in its own 1783 historical document Sankoku Tsuran Zusetsu published by prominent Japanese military scholar Hayashi Shihei clearly stating the island a part of China . The inconvenient Truth behind the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands . What does the view of some Japanese scholars tell us? Small islands - Big problem: Senkaku/Diaoyu

Japanese Professor Murata said, "We tend to take the opinion of the government, political parties and media as being the correct views and accept them readily; however, those opinions do not necessarily represent the truth. To us scholars, what is important is what is real, what is true, not the national interest; over this point, political parties and media have the same problem."

On July 14 2012, Sun Kawasaki, international intelligence chief of the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said Diaoyutai and its affiliated islands is not inherent territory of Japan. He further explained that the Chinese influence in the 14th century, Chinese military had been extended to the Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent waters, while the Diaoyu Islands belong to Taiwan, Taiwan is viewed as part of China, that the Diaoyutai and its affiliated islands belong to China. He believes that maintaining the status quo is the most advantageous method to Japan.

The word 'Diaoyu' means fishing, and Chinese fishermen (mainly from Taiwan) had been using these islands as resting place. These islands are not habitable, contrary to what someone has posted. To China, the importance of these islands are not the resources as the West likes to imply, more significant is their strategic location that is encircling China, whereas Japan would not have such issue (care to look at the world map).

Coming to some sort of agreements on these dispute islands are beneficial to both countries. Relying on others for protection has inherit risks, and having a huge Asian market at its door step is very beneficial to industrial Japan.

Forced labour is not the only thing Japan did. The lawsuit should also include the millions of Japanese military money which was forced upon Asians in exchange for goods and services, and the refusal of Japan to take back this valueless money after the war is another such deed.

@JohnBecker and Mitch Cohen, sensible posts with facts and info. This tells how little knowledge many of these posters are, and how biased they have become.

Customer complaints on the defective Nikon D600 camera were being ignored worldwide until a class action lawsuit was filed in California against Nikon. I understand the corrective action by Nikon is global.

I applaud consumer advocates for giving voices to common people that suffer from corporate greed and irresponsibility.

'The Chinese don't seem to have any problem intervening in Tibet'.

Using Tibet again? Ever look at a mirror? When you leave and return the land to your natives Ainu, Okinawa, Buraku people, your indigenous minorities. Set an example, would you?

http://www.hrdc.net/sahrdc/hrfeatures/HRF56.htm Japan’s minorities yet to find their place in the sun

“The Japanese seem to be of the view that whatever they do will not be enough to satisfy the Koreans, so why bother?” said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Hawaii.

The world will be more at peace without people like Ralph.

If things have been that easy, abenomics?

Japan has no influence or power to force its currency on others through the control of the ME oil cartel, mainly Saudi Arabia, hence Japanese Yen will never be like US$, the world currency that others must hold to buy oil. The impact of inflation should have been well known if Abe would spent more time on economy 101.

With zero interest rate, an aging population, an ever increasing huge country debt load mainly carried by Japanese today, the grass roots will no doubt continue to lose their shirts with inflation while the corporate elites will get richer.

The working on currency swap by Japan, Korea, and China would have been good for the three countries, but now it is dead in the water thanks to Abe's abenomics and his hawkish behaviour towards his neighbours. You reap what you sow.

Brainless question. What else would you expect the answer to be from the wannabes here?

Another reinforcement that Japan is right and all others are wrong. LOL.

Well, no one did better on bad publicity than Abe himself and his right wing, such as visiting the shrine knowing well the negative view by most countries, denials of comfort woman and territorial dispute, well publicized intention to revise history book, prominently posted public photo in Japan military plane with 731 logo, solicit UNESCO, etc.,etc.

Only a hawkish and demented leader would use past atrocities to stir up nationalism for power and popularity. And what does that tell about the people?

Petty dance after the Snowden scandal.

As if the control of the world through military and economic powers are not enough for the Empire, here we are fed daily of mostly biased information flowing though the most powerful western media and the internet (controlled by its military/industrial complex) to fool people of the world under the banner of freedom and democracy, and lately the use of 'security' to hide wrongdoings. The Empire will certainly not give up the control of current world internet networks to any world governing body.

Only countries that are foolish would not think the need of information independence and security. Information means power and control, and would sink politicians as desired by the Empire. In most Asian countries, whether so called democratic or not, they are mostly run by powerful political families with corruptions, financial underhand and/or personal secrets are the norm. And when a foreign country gets hold of this information, obedience or exposure is the choice. That is why any past Japanese governments with independent thinking or having some tendency for a better relationship with neighbour China were quickly brought down with scandals to ensure the Empire's world domination with Japan serving its interest, and that a single party was in charged and continues to be in charge in Japanese politics. So happy voting!

The Empire would not give a damn to communist or dictatorship as long as they serve the interest of the Empire. The fact China is seeking its independence and out of total control remains unacceptable by the Empire and hence a rogue nation to be bashed in spite of the significant progress made in that country for its huge population in the shortest period of time.

Ask Abe what he intends to do with the Snowden incidence.

Security Act on media control or finger-print sharing? What a joke.

Why, a constant reminder to others of past atrocities? Or an encouragement to the Japanese youth to die in military conquer dictated by the militants and the political cronies for power and ambition? The path to inflamed nationalism, the lack of remorse of past atrocities, and the controlled history will one day bring Japan into conflicts again. Is this what Japanese people want?

Stop buying in the 'fear' as the use of fear is a normal practice by Right Wing to instigate wars and to stay in power.

The tactics of saying something and later retreating to insincere apology citing I don't mean this, or I am being misinterpreted by translation, etc., etc. are nothing new. Korea is just learning from Japan politicians, the very best in contradictions without remorse branding the nonsense spilled as freedom of speech. One should also understand the differences when given by politicians or leaders that represent the country or from a magazine. So why the outcry by the posters? You reap what you sow.

At least the Koreans have the conscience of seeing wrong and are the ones bringing up the issue. Hope Japanese people will learn something from this incidence.

A peaceful Eastern Asia will be good for all the countries. Hawkish behaviour should subside and the media should help in calming instead of instigating discourse. .

Use of sport events to politicize has become a norm conducted by the West.

Don't do the deed if one can't stand criticism.

Endless denials just make things worse.

Only the brainless and delusional Abe and his Right Wing would continue reminding the world of their past atrocities.

"Russia took the islands almost 70 years ago. It's time Japan moved on".

Isn't what Japan tell the world when it comes to islands it took from other?

Learning 'do as I say, not as I do'? Forget Japan is not America?

"So, the Russians have admitted they have something that doesn't belong to them."

No different from Japan who decided to cancel an agreement with China to leave the "territorial dispute" for future generation and then claimed there is no dispute at all.

If Japan can keep war loots, so as Russia. You reap what you sow.

Loud mouth before brain to project greatness. Did the act. Pushed by the master and the world's opinion to back off. Blamed the translator to save face. What a joke!

How many times a leader can do this without losing total credibility?

Abe is on his daily rant that China should do this or should do that? What a joke!

Why daily headline news on China? Is China so important to Japan now? And the comedian Abe continues to play his game with irrelevancy in the world stage. It is mainly for local audiences to show he is a big guy, and that Japan is being brought back to its old glorious state with his leadership. Whom is he kidding?

Stir up nationalism is Abe’s strategy. It will help him to buy votes and to smooth out unwanted security legislation so that he and his party can continue their BS to fool the public.

The 3-parties (Japan/Korea/China) talk will soon become the 2-parties talk excluding Japan. It is much easier to replace Japan with Korea but it is not as easy to replace China with other developing countries as the developing countries still have a long way to catch up on a low-cost, hardworking and intelligent workforce with logistics and infrastructure in place to facilitate trade. The getting out of China’s manufacturing will make many Japanese products non-competitive in addition to losing a huge market. That is why Abe still wants to talk nonsense while ranting. Leadership and vision, hardly!

Video games are addictive especially to young ones, and they are not much different from addictions to cigarette, drug and alcohol, and that society pays dearly at a later time.

The violence in many of these games is detrimental to the well being of our kids, and they should be banned outright. Age advice put on game packaging is truly delusional. Corporate greed is above social responsibilities.

Government should impose heavy taxes on these games and put the taxes aside as reserve to help the mentally sick ones, consequence of playing these games for years.

How come no one has complained about the 'cultural genocide' of our young generation? .

@senseiman

I guess you don't understand the word 'dispute' as in 'disputed islands'? No?

Japanese land territory? Every country claims 'disputed islands' as its territory, as in Japan, China, Philippines, Vietnam, etc.

Well, well, insane? China is learning from Japan.

One should look at the map posted by Guardian - the blue tint zone that Japan has claimed as its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and how far reach it is towards China and Korea, and how big it is.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/27/japan-new-nationalism-imperialism-shinzo-abe#=

On May 10, 1972, Japan unilaterally established the Yonaguni ADIZ, covering the disputed Diaoyu Islands. In June 2010, Japan unilaterally extended the ADIZ line westwards by 22 kilometers, resulting in an overlap with the Taiwanese ADIZ. The closest distance from the western side of Japan's zone to China's mainland is just 130 kilometers. Did Japan consult any country on the initial declaration or the expansion? NONE.

No doubt Schraven was courageous and a hero.

As usual, the spin continues saying (it was not me) or (not so many victims, we couldn't be that inhuman). .

International cooperation? It is funny. China was prohibited to join the international space program for decades.

LOL. Abe must be thinking it has the world under his arm.

Japan can claim whatever, so as Korea, China and countries in the world.

Jeff, thank you, says China.

Except a few on the upper end, those consumers will likely end up buying inexpensive Chinese products because that is what they can afford.

May be Japan can send its people over there to work after the taxes go up and the local consumptions fade.

So misguided by so many !

If only things were that simple. Quote from Bloomberg:

"Visitors say they have every right to honor the 2.5 million other Japanese war dead celebrated at Yasukuni; they compare the shrine to the U.S. war cemetery at Arlington.

This is dangerous nonsense. Yasukuni is ground zero for an unrepentant view of Japan’s wartime aggression. During World War II, the shrine served as the “command headquarters” of State Shinto, a religion that deified the emperor and mobilized Japanese subjects to fight a holy war at his behest. The private foundation that runs Yasukuni only added the 14 most controversial “souls” -- surreptitiously -- in 1978.

The shrine’s political mission is on blatant display at the adjacent Yushukan museum, run by the same foundation. There, the Class A war criminals are portrayed as martyrs. Japan’s war in China is supposed to have suppressed banditry and terrorism, while its invasion of the rest of Asia is represented as a war of liberation from Western colonialism. Missing from the extensive exhibits are any mentions of the Rape of Nanjing, the awful experiments conducted by Unit 731 on prisoners of war, or the suffering endured by tens of thousands of “comfort women.”

The museum presents a selective and sly reinterpretation of Japan’s shared history with Asia -- one that is antithetical to reconciliation, convinces few Japanese, and offends neighboring nations that endured the brunt of Japan’s imperial aggression.

Politicians who insist that they are only paying tribute to those who died for their country when they visit Yasukuni are not telling the truth. If that’s all they wanted to do, they could walk five minutes down the road to Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, which is, like Arlington, Japan’s officially designated war cemetery."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-12/abe-should-end-the-war-over-yasukuni-shrine.html

(ODA)? another silly one trying too hard! ODA is not a war reparation with regret. ODA are usually given by developed countries to developing countries with many conditions attached. China is a giver and a taker. US 6,000 billions??? Some figure from the air? LOL.

Japan's ODA had indeed helped China after the war but it paled in comparisons to the destructions in property that the Japanese invasion of China had caused. The Chinese allowed millions of the Japanese invasion army and Japanese nationals to be repatriated to Japan safely after Japanese surrender, without reprisals. Don't you agree that China had been magnanimous in this respect?

Official apologies? Frequent actions by Japanese officials, government and politicians to defy and negate apologies only demonstrate slyness, insincerity and ill intent. Abe is a good example.

Learn to live peacefully. It is truly stupid to continue reminding others of your own past atrocities.

Quote from Bloomberg:

(Visitors say they have every right to honor the 2.5 million other Japanese war dead celebrated at Yasukuni; they compare the shrine to the U.S. war cemetery at Arlington.

This is dangerous nonsense. Yasukuni is ground zero for an unrepentant view of Japan’s wartime aggression. During World War II, the shrine served as the “command headquarters” of State Shinto, a religion that deified the emperor and mobilized Japanese subjects to fight a holy war at his behest. The private foundation that runs Yasukuni only added the 14 most controversial “souls” -- surreptitiously -- in 1978.

The shrine’s political mission is on blatant display at the adjacent Yushukan museum, run by the same foundation. There, the Class A war criminals are portrayed as martyrs. Japan’s war in China is supposed to have suppressed banditry and terrorism, while its invasion of the rest of Asia is represented as a war of liberation from Western colonialism. Missing from the extensive exhibits are any mentions of the Rape of Nanjing, the awful experiments conducted by Unit 731 on prisoners of war, or the suffering endured by tens of thousands of comfort women.

The museum presents a selective and sly reinterpretation of Japan’s shared history with Asia -- one that is antithetical to reconciliation, convinces few Japanese, and offends neighboring nations that endured the brunt of Japan’s imperial aggression.

Politicians who insist that they are only paying tribute to those who died for their country when they visit Yasukuni are not telling the truth. If that’s all they wanted to do, they could walk five minutes down the road to Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, which is, like Arlington, Japan’s officially designated war cemetery.)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-12/abe-should-end-the-war-over-yasukuni-shrine.html

Need to understand 'ACT' and 'REACT'. They are quite different.

Such as: after Japan ACTED to break off the decade long 'set islands (war loot) aside' agreement with China, then nationalized the islands and declared there is no dispute, China REACTED by sending more patrol ships and setting up its own ADIZ to cover the war loot (islands). Chinese REACTED by protests.

Such as: When Abe ACTED on public eye the famous Abe's 731 military jet photo to proudly remind Asians of Japan Unit 731 atrocities and when Abe ACTED to pay tribute at Yasukuni where 14 class A war criminals were enshrined, China, Chinese and people in some part of the world REACTED by condemning such actions.

@OssanAmerica, are you suggesting China should play dead and not REACT so as not to "creating the perfect environment for Abe"? LOL.

@ludit "They (China) have zero combat experience to date. They lost. They know this."

Isn't it a good thing to have zero combat experience? Or maybe not when you have opponent such as the revisionist Abe. Why would anyone then blame China to start learning it with military drills and stronger defence? Well, Ossan called it 'serve as fuel for Xi's nationalism and military increase'. On the other hand, what should one call Japan's nationalism and military increase when Japan already had vast combat experiences and under the protection of the world Empire?

@strangerland ' either of these leaders would happily step on the West given the chance'. If they are, they are just learning from the very best and you know who. Long way to go though and not in our lifetime unless the Empire is mounting on self-decay.

Misplaced support by foreigners? Who's talking? Does misplaced support also include protection agreement?