KevininHawaii comments

Japan is getting bullied, and there is not a thing it can/will do...

How long until the Korean right again makes claims on the 'disputed' island between Japan & Korea...

Given Japan's impotence on this issue, I will expect China to push harder to intimidate Japan regarding the Senkaku's.

Life as a declining power... ain't life grand!

Oh you naive people make me laugh.

Obama did not have to actually DO anything, he just had to APPEAR to try... he wasted two years in which his party had a clear majority... as smart as he is, can this be an accident?

If, as predicted,his party losses more seats, well, great! He will be able to blame his opponents for his lack of progress.

The key here is that NOTHING WILL CHANGE (for the better, at least), and the next two years will be a power struggle, but little will change.

As often happens, Japanese 'doctors' are not very smart.

It is not BEGINNING to fall apart - it is BEGINNING to be noticed...that is all. With insane work schedules (mostly for men), peer pressure (got to keep up with trends!)women who want to enjoy their lives, and grandparents living farther away, there is very little keeping the Japanese family together.

Old people: *Most of the cases where the elderly parent has 'disappeared' - the parent died 10,20, even 30 years ago, but the family wanted to continue getting pension checks each month, so they don't report the death. This is being discovered now, but it happened, and has been happening for quite some time now. Child abuse: Along with ijime, it has been going on for a while, but is being reported more now.

Sorry 'doctor' - you should have spent more time in class, and less time in 'circles' - then, MAYBE you would have a clue.

done.

Read the article:

According to police, two of the three men have denied the charges, claiming that sex was consensual...

So ONE of them admitted that the sex was NOT consensual... he probably ratted on the other two - i.e. - THEY ARE GUILTY!

How many of you who live in Japan could express any opinion about the emperor (out loud). If you did, and some crazies said they were going to kill you, would you apologize to get them to stop trying to kill you?

What if you said "the emperor is not a god, not divine, he is just a mortal" - that is what the mayor of Nagasaki said several decades ago, and it got him stabbed by a right wing self-proclaimed "aikokusha".

How many people in Japan are really free to express themselves?

As for the muslim world hating Americans: What if you were black and a slave in the United States 150 years ago? It really would not matter what you did, the whites would still hate you.

I suspect American policies do play a role in some of the muslim/non-muslim friction, but I think western society is so different, and prosperous, that it makes muslims even more resentful. Even if the U.S. stopped supporting Israel, pulled all troops out of the middle east, and stopped influencing their politics, the majority of muslims would still hate the west / America / Christians / Israel, etc. We are just too different, and value totally different things - like freedom and individual rights.

*Most muslims are the extreme kind. Moderates are the minority.

Japan really did not have any other option. It had to do what it did. China is really blowing this out of proportion.

I think we will see more of this as China continues to flex its muscles on its neighbors int he future.

Change is good.

The tea party is new - give them a chance.

Bush pimped us out for 8 years, now Obama is giving it to us in the rear... trust me, ANY CHANGE WILL BE GOOD!

So much for religious understanding....

Most Americans are just becoming aware of the totalitarian nature of Islam. A cartoon will get you killed in this brave new world!

Hopefully it is not as bad in Japan, yet...

It is indeed sad that in the first nation founded on religious freedom (the U.S.A.), we find a religion (Islam) that is totally unwilling to recognize/respect the rights and views of others (non-Muslims).

The hardcore Muslim is not the exception - rather, he is the rule, and the watered-down practitioners (moderates) are the exceptions. Islam, as Muslims freely declare, is based on the word of God - so how can any human question the word of God? Based on this one sentence, all non-Muslims are just wrong.

It is hard to be understanding toward the practitioners of a religion that do not believe any other religion has the right to exist.

Accepting the unacceptable is not acceptable to me.

So, Mr. O'Barry believes in his cause, but not enough to actually confront someone about what they are doing? It all sounds rather convenient - "I want to protest dolphins being murdered, but I might get a bruise or two..."

neogreenjapan: get over yourself already. Your assertions: 1) The Cove is racist, and 2)"know it all hysteric westerners" show that YOUR world view are inherently racist. Not all Japanese people are whale & dolphin murderers, and not all westerners (you mean white people, right?) know it all (or think they do). I for one am against all whaling, by all countries, and find the "research" b.s. excuse used by the Japanese government especially offensive. I do not presume to typecast all of Japan over the actions of a few. At the same time, I do not like being labelled a "hysteric westerner" because of the actions of a vocal few.

There are idiots among us, don't be one.

Why do so many people keep insisting that the Tea Party people are racists? They held their rally on MLK day. They invited Alveda King, MLK's niece, to speak. Other people related to MLK said it was a good thing. Beck called MLK an American Hero - not a black hero.

The fact they got so many people to show up is a sign that their message (lower taxes, smaller government, less federal intervention in states rights) has a broad following.

Will they succeed? good question. I would not have chosen Palin or Beck as good leaders...but they showed up.

I have trouble reconciling these two ideas: A tea party rally,(primarily white) is somehow racist. A NAACP rally, (primarily black) is somehow NOT racist. Which is it?

What I have seen in Hawaii: Mixed kids and the children of 2 Japanese parents go to school in English, and speak to their parents in Japanese. Typically, this only works so well. Most of the kids doing just this do not read Japanese well. The summer in Japan program helps, but summer is not enough time to keep up Japanese reading skills.

In Eugene, Oregon there are immersion schools that teach half a day in Japanese, and half a day in English - I have heard the results are good.

Is there no school in Japan trying this technique? Honestly, what better way to be totally bilingual, than to start early, and learn in the language?

gogogo: Who DOESN'T pay yakuza???

Klein2: When you use the verb "jump", it becomes akin to rape. I doubt any woman of any age wants to be 'jumped'. Maybe you are the one who has never had a healthy relationship with a woman?

IF a woman/girl consents, who are you to question her judgment? What is it that really bothers you about this topic? MOST of these teenage prostitutes will grow up to become wives and mothers - very normal, if you ask me.

I also do not eat Whale or Dolphin, but I do not presume to tell Japanese people NOT to eat it if they want to.

sojherde: JAPANESE people call this normal. Maybe you should start your education campaign there first.

dolphingirl: So change the law. Arrest the girl offering sex AND the client buying it. Maybe arrest the child's parents too?

chotto: Japanese morality is different than western morality. I seriously doubt that these girls feel 'used up'. They are not emotionally invested in their encounters, so they typically would focus on the things they can buy with the money they make.

Japan is the global HQ for kiddieporn, and you people are worried about consenting teenage girls??? MY rage starts with exploitation of NON-CONSENTING kids under the age of 10!!! THAT is a crime!

THIS WILL CONTINUE!!! Older Japanese men have the money, so their needs will be met! Companies keep their employees working horrid hours, stress is high, so 'he who can pay for it, does' is the law of the land.

This is the country that invented eating sushi off of a young, naked girl... you really have to adjust your radar when you discuss morals and Japan in the same sentence.

who pays the $700,000 fine? Will there be a penalty for early release?

Where will the silliness end? Now, NK will get another propaganda photo with another former U.S. President...

I say keep 'em both!

He is not being charged with forcing any of the young ladies... he was really like a coordinator, taking a fee for being the intermediary.

Don't bring your overbearing morals to Japan - let them figure it out. Apparently, many of these girls refer to their prostitution activities as an "abunai shumi" (dangerous hobby), that happens to pay very well.

If the girls were not complaining, and were saving up with a goal (designer bags and plastic surgery), who are we to question/criticize them???

c'mon people! Japanese people SERIOUSLY think that your blood type determines your personality!!! Given this starting point, being mixed race in a supposedly homogeneous society is a BIG DEAL!!! There is also serious paranoia about being overrun by Chinese and Korean minorities, what do you think they will expect from hafu's?

jamal2609: excellent point. the answer, of course, is that in daily interaction, the majority of Japanese people feel it is important to lable others. So if someone is hafu, then they will mention this as an important detail in conversations. Most times, the just cannot let it slide.

Also, despite many positive examples, I think MOST hafu's get treated differently (not saying good or bad), in school, sports, work and socially.

Does anyone have data/statistics on the total number of mixed race kids in Japan?

I have read that many farmers/fishermen in the countryside marry south or s.e. asians. Their children are half, but as neither parent comes from an English speaking country, I wonder how they will be treated, vs. the city dwelling halfs. I really am asking about how they are treated, accepted or not accepted. Any ideas?

limbo, branded: Thank you for educating me. I stand corrected.

Some of you missed my point.

If you don't want your (mixed race) child to have an equal future in Japan, well, more power to you! If however, your child wants a future in Japan, like attending the best schools, or working for the company of their choice (and not just serving tea...), then many of the obstacles that zainichi face are the same as those that 'half' must deal with.

As for the comment about halfs who blend in have no problem - sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes if the person looks more foreign, they get treated like a foreigner - in their own language, in their own country. And it does not matter how hard they try to fit in.

Did anyone check the last link on my previous post? It is a real eye opener.

limboinjapan: Your example of Canada bears one striking difference: Canadian schools offer a different route to enter THE SAME COLLEGE!!! Contrast that to Japan, where you are just out of luck.

cleo: 1) Renho, the half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese politician, is often accused of not being a 'real' Japanese, and thus, not loyal and not trustworthy.... same rights? MAYBE legally, but socially, there sure seem to be differences in treatment.

2) The Koreans in Japan who go to a school to learn Korean have NO access to the same Universities. See my comment to limboinjapan above. If anyone can pass a standardized entrance exam, then the process is fair. If certain groups are not given the chance to even take the exam, then the process is not fair.

3) Number of 'halfs' - I said the only number I have is zero. I said PROVE ME WRONG. Don't just say "you're wrong" and be done. PROVE IT. Also, most ASIAN mixes between Japanese and Chinese, Korean, etc. can pass as Japanese. What I meant was visible halfs - the kind that make Japanese people notice them.

Patrick Smash: I believe the biggest difference is that once on a non-Japan DOE accredited track, there is almost no chance to attend a Japanese Uni. If everyone entering Uni took the same test, then it would not be Japan as we know it today.

***** The underlying problem is not just the 'integration' of higher (& lower) education. The problem is, that even now, in 2010, Japan still has old mechanisms in place to 'manage' its minorities and 'undesirables'. The people I am referring to are Ainu, Burakumin, ethnic Chinese and Koreans and Yakuza, among others. For a very long time now, Japan has had a 'fit in or get out' attitude, and in its own way, it has worked. A few examples; a) Don't want a Yakuza buying a condo in your building? Japan has a way of making sure that does not happen! Don't let just anyone with money buy in your building! Have a vague 'application' based on nothing. North Americans and Europeans find this process discriminatory, but it has worked so far. b) Don't want a (North) Korean student in your Uni? Tell them they have to get a Japanese education, and do not offer an equivalency exam. At the same time, a (zainichi) Japanese citizen of Korean descent, who attends Japanese schools, will have a much better chance at J-Uni. c) As we all know, foreigners cannot establish a household registry (koseki). So if you want to block foreigners from participation in anything, just require a copy of their koseki.... because they don't have one, and can't get one.

***** Discussion of racism in Japan often leads to the topic 'cultural differences'... a few links: http://www.japanfocus.org/-Eriko-ARITA/2137 http://gsti.miis.edu/CEAS-PUB/200206Mervio.pdf page 5, page 20. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a713999881~frm=abslink " This article focuses mainly on some 630,000 Japan-born Koreans who have been permanent alien residents in Japan. In-depth information on the historical and socio-political background of discrimination against Japan-born Koreans in the sport scene is introduced. Total exclusion and the formal quota system have been common discriminatory practices in the Japanese sport world. Total exclusion based on citizenship and school affiliation was employed to prohibit Japan-born Koreans in ethnic schools from participating in official inter-high school and inter-collegiate competitions until 1990s. Formal quota system on the basis of citizenship has been common against foreign nationals in most Japanese sports leagues.

Anyone with half-Japanese kids read these articles! http://www.discriminations.us/2010/02/reverse_discrimination_against.html http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/24464605-41/rogers-department-jury-damages-professor.csp

Good discussion people! Japanese views toward half-Japanese, and ethnic minorities are not unrelated.

People please! The term 'hafu' is totally Japanese. NOT English! It originated as a word by which Japanese people could tell that you are HALF Japanese, and (presumably) half something else. The point is that to most Japanese people, the 'something else' half is not important, thus not mentioned.

I see it as a social place marker. You are half, so you should have more say then a 100% foreigner, but still less than a 100% Japanese (blood) person. It also has a racist element. Anyone who thinks that it is not racist, do some research, and tell me how many "hafu" are in the Japanese government: police, fire, military (er, 'self-defense forces), ambulance, elected/appointed positions. The answer, last time I checked, was ZERO!!! Reason? Here goes: Japanese people like to have very specific words to describe everything, and people are no exception. In calling people 'hafu', we are seeing what is important to Japanese people. If you are mixed race in Japan, most likely your job prospects are limited.

As for the term, it will take time to change the usage/meaning of the word. When I lived in Japan in the early 1990's, 'okama' meant all gay people. Now, okama is a type of gay, but there are several specific words to describe varieties of gay people. I imagine the word 'hafu' will be reduced or replaced as a more accurate word becomes mroe familiar to Japanese speakers. It will take time.

nigelboy: well formed argument. I concur.

MistWizard: I compared English & Japanese wiki pages on things like Pearl Harbor, and found huge differences. The J Wiki immediately goes off on a tangent about how Japan was baited into the attack. So while I generally like wiki, I do not always trust the different language versions - they are too vulnerable to editing.

SamuraiB: Did Japan do ANYTHING wrong, in your eyes?

The link you cite "Japan's war reparations and war compensation" page told me a lot. Thank you. The graph "Compensation for the Allies occupied" was very informative.

As for the 29 Billion yen to be paid to Singapore, the following description: "Singapore and the "blood debt" agreement" ... means nothing to you? YOU SEE THIS AS AID? ACCORDING TO JAPAN AND THE OTHER NATIONS THAT SIGNED, this is exactly what it says - BLOOD DEBT/WAR REPARATION. Japan invaded Singapore, stole, raped and killed lots of people, and after the war, agreed to pay BLOOD DEBT. Japans ODA IS WAR REPARATIONS!!! Stop lying!!!

Did you think you could pull this sh** off??? Did you think I would not check your links??? Does your mother know you tell lies like this?

There are NO convicted war criminals at Arlington National Cemetery. Your comparison to Yasukuni is totally wrong. CHECK YOUR FACTS. Ever since the CONVICTED WAR CRIMINALS' (TOJO, and team) remains were moved to Yasukuni, THE EMPEROR STOPPED GOING!!!! The problem is not the Japanese war dead - it is the war criminals.

You get sick when hearing people not understand what they are talking about? So STOP SPREADING lies... YOU ARE MAKING YOURSELF SICK (and me too - you are so wrong, you are not worthy for me to debate with further).

I sent you many links, and you have not bothered to answer any of my questions, OR prove me wrong. I PROVED the emperor is a fake - no answer. Are you afraid to face the truth? I PROVED the emperor set up a special division (with a Prince in charge!) within the army to steal gold, jewels and art from Asian countries, and send this loot back to Japan - no answer.

You do not want to discuss the truth - so spin your fantasies elsewhere.

Japan and the U.S.A. have been jointly fixated on the 2 nukes, and their influence in ending the war. It is highly probable that as was stated earlier, it was the cumulative affect of the nukes, the Soviets, and maybe more details I am overlooking, that made Japan's surrender more palpable.

Through WW2, didn't Japan have an embassy in Moscow? If so, they would have had daily access to Soviet accounts of progress on the eastern front.

Also, as part of the axis, they had close ties with Germany, so one can assume Japanese diplomats in Berlin were sending reports of Germany's downfall through 1944 & 1945.

Given this access to information, I think the Japanese high command had a really good idea of what to expect from the Soviets. And it must have scared them.

*Japan had fought for years with their North and West flank protected. Perhaps the prospect of a total war on all fronts, combined with the Soviets impending invasion of Hokkaido, loss of future war materials from Manchuria, AND the 2 nukes all combined to make Japan want to surrender to the U.S., more than fighting it out, losing, and having their nation divided?

MOST muslims will view this as just another mosque. If they live or work nearby, it will be very convenient.

SOME muslims will view it as "the victory mosque" and over time, this may become the site for more radical elements...

MOST people against the mosque being built at this location don't want to give radical muslims more ammo.

Get it?

Expect to see the GOJ trying to placate their up and coming neighbors: Korea, China. With the surging yen, and Japan's shrinking economy and population, Japan needs its neighbors markets now more than ever!

Its going to be a great show!

Q: Now that Japan is #3, any ideas on when it will reach #4 or #5?

SamuraiBlue: 1) I don't hate. Whatever gave you that idea? 2) My college professor, Ralph Falconeri, was an officer during the occupation. I learned a lot from his classes. 3) You suggest that I do not have all the facts because I was not there - but neither were you. You seem awfully certain that the emperor just stamped what his handlers told him to... but, I suspect you were not there either. What evidence do you have that the emperor was used? 4) The emperor told his staff WHY he wanted to meet with General MacCarthur, and each time, MacCarthur refused the meeting - thus NOT allowing hirohito to resign to him. He still could have abdicated the throne. 5) How old are you? At the end of WW2, Japan was a basket case - i.e. VERY poor!!! Japan had no money or resources to help anyone but themselves for several decades. Asia is not rich BECAUSE of Japan, it is rich In SPITE OF Japan. 6) The ONLY countries where the locals received a "Japanese education" BEFORE the war were Taiwan and Korea - because they were occupied! The local languages were outlawed, and ONLY Japanese was taught. You cannot seriously think that you can take credit for the accomplishments of other nations BECAUSE your country occupied them? Using that logic, Japan owes all progress since WW2 to the Americans - because we "guided" you.

7) I firmly believe that post-war Japan would not have been able to achieve such prosperity w/o the U.S.'s protection, guidance, and markets. Further, why did the entire Japanese cabinet refuse to go to Yasukuni this year? Could it be with Japan's shrinking economy, suddenly the feelings of your Asian 'friends' has become important? I anticipate seeing many more apologies from Japan - not just to Korea, but to China and others. GET USED TO IT.

JAPAN IS A GREAT NATION. But NOT for the erroneous reasons you mentioned. OPEN YOUR MIND.

SamuraiBlue:

I agree, this is getting tiresome. You seem to only want to make your point, and concede nothing. Japan was the aggressor, committing horrible atrocities, and was also trying to develop nukes to use against the U.S. The U.S. developed a usable bomb first, and we are all alive today because Japan did not prevail.

The head/leader/figurehead of the Japanese 'team' was the emperor. Seen by all Japanese at the time (and still now by many) as the ultimate authority - you know, the 'living god' - who could abject to any direct order from a living god? OR any order with his seal on it???

Allied occupation records show that the emperor attempted to abdicate several times as a way to apologize for all the damage Japan caused - but each time MacCarthur would not meet with him. He was useful in the postwar occupation, because Japanese people would never go against the emperor.

The emperor knew the blood was on his hands. As the leader, knowing (as I say) or not knowing (as you insist), it was his DUTY to step aside. This is Japanese culture 101 - if you do not get it, you must not know much about Japan. He should have done the right thing. Your argument that he was a figurehead is irrelevant.

The lack of even a gesture toward recognition/reconciliation, even after all these years, has angered Japan's neighbors, and kept long-festering wounds open.

For several decades, Japan has had the larger economy, the upper hand. Asians were 'nice' to Japan, because they needed Japanese money. Now, as Prime Minister Kan is aware, the shoe is on the other foot. From now on, more Japanese will be working for rich Asians (overseas and in Japan) than ever before. They will be the targets of spiteful Asians, who still bear a grudge, because Japan NEVER acknowledged it wartime atrocities.

The U.S. helped in the cover up, but it is Japan that will pay the price. Japan should have done the right thing when it had the power. Now, as a declining power with a declining population, Japan is increasingly less important everywhere.

How is it that 65 years after the war, so many Asians are still angry at Japan? Why do Japanese people say "they" (China, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, etc.) hate Japanese people? That so many unique cultures/countries have museums showing the atrocities committed by the Japanese military is no coincidence. Japan has refused to talk about its wartime crimes, so these other nation are doing so. And now, they have the growing economy, growing population - i.e. the power.

Enjoy the ride.

SamuraiBlue: One sided argument? I see you DID NOT review many of the links.

-The purpose of including the Time article was to highlight that while we are looking BACK on completed history, the people at that time were looking forward - and often NOT getting it right.

you "..firmly believe that the emperor knew, and his seal was on it..." So you are agreeing with me! He was in a position to stop atrocities, the use of chemical/germ warfare, unwarranted massacres, etc. and he did not. While you say the emperor was a puppet, answer me this: Who could say "no" to the emperor??? Or, put another way, if the emperor said "do X", who would be able to counter his order??? The answer to both is no one.

*** In Japan, honor is said to be very important. In most (if not all) cases, if a Japanese company inadvertently causes death or injury, the CEO will most often resign. EVEN if he did not cause the problem directly. HE IS THE LEADER, so HE MUST RESIGN! The emperor was the leader. Many things were done in his name. Period. He should have resigned, abdicated, and/or suicide.

I have nothing to add regarding Shumei Okawa. I believe the whole issue of class A war criminals is a joke, since they were all following orders, and their leader (Hirohito) was not prosecuted. *** You are aware that Hirohito, who let others take the blame for HIS crimes, STOPPED visiting Yasukuni when the first class A war criminals' remains were moved there? What a hypocrite.

I was not aware that you wanted information on the number of Japanese POW's. But, as most Japanese Imperial soldiers fought to the death, all data agree that there were VERY few Japanese soldiers captured alive - until the end of the war, when THE EMPEROR ORDERED ALL JAPANESE FORCES OVERSEAS TO CEASE HOSTILITIES.

cheers

SamuraiBlue:

I looked for details on the Emperor's letter to the Soviets, telling them to keep pow's - could not find any. I read them in the Japan Times in the early 90's while living in Tokyo. Take my word for it, or don't. In searching, I found quite a few interesting links exposing the emperor's complicity, and many interesting details of WW2. I hope many of the contributors to this thread will learn more about the situation leading up to Pearl Harbor, the 2 atomic bombs, and the post-war cover-up of the emperor's involvement in WW2 - I know I did!

Some good reading for you: http://www.ww2pacific.com/prewar.html starts in 1926 -Japan and the Way of the Japanese, Shumei Okawa, "Japan's divine mission to rule the world." and 1927 July 25. Tanaka Memorial : "in order to conquer the world, we must first conquer China."

http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19360224,00.htmlTime Magazine, Feb. 24, 1936 - under the cover, click the link: "Read the cover story" FASCINATING ARTICLE - you see the situation from 1936 eyes - BEFORE global hostilities erupted. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20100704a1.html - DEMYSTIFYING PEARL HARBOR: A New Perspective From Japan, by Iguchi Takeo. I-House Press, 2010, 343 pp., ¥3,000 (hardcover) Reviewed by Stephen Mansfield - a book written by a pre-WW2 diplomats son http://www.ww2pacific.com/whypearl.html - reasons leading up to WW2 http://www.ww2pacific.com/whypearl2.html - " " http://www.chinamarines.com/ver3/pow.htm Japanese abuse of POW's http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/unit731.html emperor knew, got away with it. http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n22/chalmers-johnson/the-looting-of-asia A MUST READ FOR ANYONE SERIOUSLY INTERESTED IN WW2 HISTORY http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=526&catid=16&subcatid=110 So losing the war was GOOD for Japan...

http://www.nancho.net/nancho/otheremp.html the 'emperor' is a fake... http://www.nancho.net/arcmain.html#nanchohistory more on above http://www.nancho.net/nancho/ghqkuma1.html more... http://www.nancho.net/nancho/ghqemps1.html even more... http://www.nancho.net/nancho/ghqemps1.html you guessed, it, MORE...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_prisoners_of_war_in_World_War_II good article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Manchuria - Soviet hostilities against Japan were arranged to begin on August 8, 1945.

http://www.ww2pacific.com/attacks.html the U.S. knew Pearl Harbor was THE target...because they made it the target by moving the pacific fleet there!!! http://www.ww2pacific.com/atrocity.html just a FEW of the bad things done by Japan... http://www.rense.com/general72/jee.htm several letters discussing peace overtures by Japan from 1943 on - and a conspiracy to boot. http://www.ww2pacific.com/downfall.html http://www.ww2pacific.com/surrender.html

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20091124f1.html - 2009: recent nationalistic movements

I hope you read one or more of the linked sites. If you read only one, try this one: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n22/chalmers-johnson/the-looting-of-asia

cheers!

A little background to set the stage: The U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (i.e. mostly caucasian countries) were the only nations not subject to invasion by foreign troops in WW2. Britain got bombed a lot, but no invasion occurred. Most of the troops from these nations did not have to worry about their wives, sisters, mothers being raped, etc. at the hands of the enemy.

If battle hardened, angry Chinese and Russian soldiers had made it to Japan, there would have been an orgy of rape, brutal killing, damn near total destruction.

Japan had defeated Russia 50 years earlier, so saying the Russians had something to prove is an understatement.

Chinese had been subjugated, humiliated, raped, murdered for well over a decade - so they would not have been as nice as the U.S. was.

Was the A-bomb necessary? No. But it was a quick way to get the job done. And it worked. Only a few hundred thousand people died, Allied POW's were saved, Japan was preserved as a whole nation.

Without a doubt, the U.S. was already focusing on Russia as the next big problem. *At the beginning of WW2, Stalin split Poland with Hitler; upon the ending of hostilities, Russia stole Polish territory. Their demands at Potsdam were a sign of things to expect in the future from the Russians. To say the U.S. tested the nukes as much as a way to end the war, save lives, and scare the Russians would not be an exaggeration.

SamuraiBlue; Hate to tell you this, but you are repeating BS propoganda spread at the end of the war by the Americans, to protect their new ally in the war against communism. Hirohito ordered the use of gas warfare in specific cities in China. Also, in the early 1990's, when I lived in Japan, the Japan Times published several letters from Hirohito to Stalin. To summarize: you have many of our soldiers, but we cannot feed them, so if using them helps alleviate some of the suffering caused by our actions in WW2, please keep them" this is the emperor of Japan, telling the Russians to keep Japanese POW's and use as slave labor!!!

THE EMPEROR WAS IN CHARGE OF everything that happened!!! He ok'd attack plans, signed off on the use of chemical warfare, and let his generals take the fall for HIM!!! You need to read more, and stop believing the "emperor did not know crap"

YUMIMOTO: other means were POSSIBLE - YES. But remember, the RUSSIANS are coming!!! OUR POW's are dying, and the clock is ticking!!! You want to share a divided Japan with Russia? DON'T USE NUKES! Remember, there were commies in Japan before, during and after WW2 - but their numbers were few. Let Russia get a foothold, brainwash the locals, and the U.S. would have had a bigger problem to deal with.

All bombing raids of Tokyo were instructed NOT to bomb the imperial palace in Tokyo - the U.S. wanted the emperor alive to keep his people in line AFTER the war...