http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22519384

What a vile human being, it's a pity he didn't live in Hiroshima or Nagasaki in 1945.

He could be a republicunt!

Quote:In his latest comments, quoted by Japanese media, he said: "In the circumstances in which bullets are flying like rain and wind, the soldiers are running around at the risk of losing their lives,"

"If you want them to have a rest in such a situation, a comfort women system is necessary. Anyone can understand that."

No love for the gay soldiers?

Yeah, the same guy also said only an absolute dictator can save Japan.

The rise of right wing nationalists such as this guy, and the current Japanese prime minister and deputy prime minister, is the outcome of Japan's slow motion existential crisis. Her international influence is negligible for a country which until recently had the world's second largest economy. Her economic growth has been stagnant for 20 years. She is coming up on a demographic crisis which would squelch any realistic prospect of major economic growth for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile China has overtaken Japan big time economically and in international power and prestige. Worse still, China is expected to continue to rapidly outpace Japan and thus further diminishing Japan's relative importance, while at the same time the Chinese has shown every sign of having never put WWII behind them, and would seek to extract some major retribution/indemnity for Japan's role in WWII in the future, when Chinese power in East Asia would be expected to eclipse the moderating influence of America. So Japan is anxious, and against this backdrop extreme nationalists who would claim Japan never did anything wrong and would championing extra-constitutional authority to "save Japan" would be the natural social and political outcome.

In some way, Japan is right now similar to the weimar republic, except in slow motion and without the street brawls.

(May 14, 2013 at 9:34 am)Faith No More Wrote:

Quote:In his latest comments, quoted by Japanese media, he said: "In the circumstances in which bullets are flying like rain and wind, the soldiers are running around at the risk of losing their lives,"

"If you want them to have a rest in such a situation, a comfort women system is necessary. Anyone can understand that."

No love for the gay soldiers?

There are no gays in the military just like there are no gays living in Iran.

The crimes of the Japanese during WW2 were at least on a par with those of Nazi Germany, if not worse.

It is a disgrace how they have been allowed to casually airbrush this conduct from their history, especially in comparison with the very lengthy penance the Germans have endured for the crimes of their ancestors. I think they have been "gone easy on" as they were atom-bombed after all, whereas the Germans were not (though Germany was still completely wrecked and many civilians suffered).

Its not saying much, but at least the Germans could be relied upon to uphold the Geneva convention with captured Allied (though not with Soviet) troops. In contrast, the Japanese treated POWs with the same level of callous inhumanity as they did civilian populations.

Its no surprise why the Japanese are fiercely disliked in most parts of Asia, including China. Probably the one thing that the North and South Koreans can agree on, is that they both hate the Japanese.

(May 14, 2013 at 1:39 pm)Gabriel Syme Wrote: The crimes of the Japanese during WW2 were at least on a par with those of Nazi Germany, if not worse.

It is a disgrace how they have been allowed to casually airbrush this conduct from their history, especially in comparison with the very lengthy penance the Germans have endured for the crimes of their ancestors. I think they have been "gone easy on" as they were atom-bombed after all, whereas the Germans were not (though Germany was still completely wrecked and many civilians suffered).

Its not saying much, but at least the Germans could be relied upon to uphold the Geneva convention with captured Allied (though not with Soviet) troops. In contrast, the Japanese treated POWs with the same level of callous inhumanity as they did civilian populations.

Its no surprise why the Japanese are fiercely disliked in most parts of Asia, including China. Probably the one thing that the North and South Koreans can agree on, is that they both hate the Japanese.

Well they were atom bombed as you said, so that was punishment enough in my opinion. If you include all the earthquakes and tsunamis as well, they took a beating.

(May 14, 2013 at 1:55 pm)mo66 Wrote:

(May 14, 2013 at 1:39 pm)Gabriel Syme Wrote: The crimes of the Japanese during WW2 were at least on a par with those of Nazi Germany, if not worse.

It is a disgrace how they have been allowed to casually airbrush this conduct from their history, especially in comparison with the very lengthy penance the Germans have endured for the crimes of their ancestors. I think they have been "gone easy on" as they were atom-bombed after all, whereas the Germans were not (though Germany was still completely wrecked and many civilians suffered).

Its not saying much, but at least the Germans could be relied upon to uphold the Geneva convention with captured Allied (though not with Soviet) troops. In contrast, the Japanese treated POWs with the same level of callous inhumanity as they did civilian populations.

Its no surprise why the Japanese are fiercely disliked in most parts of Asia, including China. Probably the one thing that the North and South Koreans can agree on, is that they both hate the Japanese.

Well they were atom bombed as you said, so that was punishment enough in my opinion. If you include all the earthquakes and tsunamis as well, they took a beating.

They were punished much more lightly than the Germans.

They kept all their traditional territory plus some they took from others in the late 19th century, they were never occupied by a pillaging power like Germany was by the Soviet Union, they actually lost far fewer civilians to allie bombing than Germany did, despite the 2 atom bombs and a large population overall. Unlike the Germans, the Japanese never did publically own up to their reponsibilities for genocide the way Germany did for the holocaust, even though the total number kills by the Japanese didn't far far short of the tally of the Nazis. Nor did they ever apologize for large scale biological experiments on POWs and civilians of occupied territory, far larger than anything undertaken by the Germans in concentration camps, only offering vague "regrets" for "unfortunate" things that was done.

Consequently, their public officials still tries to score political points each year by publically venerating the souls of class A war criminals like prime minister Tojo.

Imaging if what would happen if German public offical venerated the souls of Hitler or Goering.

The Japanese are right to be concerned that a rising china will eventually seek retribution for WWII, especially if Japanese public officials chooses to remind the Chinese every year that the Japanese war criminals responsible for the war with china are still venerated in Japan.

Quote:If you include all the earthquakes and tsunamis as well, they took a beating.

Um...those would have happened even if they had won the war. Earthquakes and tsunamis are not punishments from some stupid-ass god.

(May 14, 2013 at 2:42 pm)Chuck Wrote:

(May 14, 2013 at 1:55 pm)mo66 Wrote: Well they were atom bombed as you said, so that was punishment enough in my opinion. If you include all the earthquakes and tsunamis as well, they took a beating.

They were punished much more lightly than the Germans.

They kept all their traditional territory plus some they took from others in the late 19th century, they were never occupied by a pillaging power like Germany was by the Soviet Union, they actually lost far fewer civilians to allie bombing than Germany did, despite the 2 atom bombs and a large population overall. Unlike the Germans, the Japanese never did publically own up to their reponsibilities for genocide the way Germany did for the holocaust, even though the total number kills by the Japanese didn't far far short of the tally of the Nazis. Nor did they ever apologize for large scale biological experiments on POWs and civilians of occupied territory, far larger than anything undertaken by the Germans in concentration camps, only offering vague "regrets" for "unfortunate" things that was done.

Consequently, their public officials still tries to score political points each year by publically venerating the souls of class A war criminals like prime minister Tojo.

Imaging if what would happen if German public offical venerated the souls of Hitler or Goering.

The Japanese are right to be concerned that a rising china will eventually seek retribution for WWII, especially if Japanese public officials chooses to remind the Chinese every year that the Japanese war criminals responsible for the war with china are still venerated in Japan.

I understand and I agree with you. It's despicable the veneration of war criminals. But look at what happened to them in 2011 when the tsunami hit, they were destroyed without China needing to lift a finger.