(August 7, 2016 at 12:32 pm)Jello Wrote:(August 7, 2016 at 12:30 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: The Bismark was laid down in 1936, three-plus years after Hitler's appointment.
Oh, fair enough. Thanks for clearing that up, i couldn't actually remember. Still doesn't change the fact that a new bismark is not a reference back to the nazis, still just one to the guy himself.
Here is a example of a sensitive name selection whose intentions can be open debate. One could signal the acceptance of an clean break with the past and avoid names that could be controversial, or one could intentionally chose a predictably controversial name at a controversial time. The Japanese chose the later.
There is no clear and fast rule. There is only continuous shades of gray. But the general perception in East Asia is Japan has been sliding ever closer to the black side of the gray scale since the 1990s.