The Japanese taking over other nations, and trying to destroy people's identity and kill their children is about as bad. The Japanese forced Koreans to take Japanese names abandon their Korean ones speak JApanese instead of Korean, and gave fruits and other treats laced with poison to Korean children. That's in addition to all the others that they killed. I believe they did similar things to other nations they occupied. That is about the same as Mao killing people, and wiping out culture. The difference is that Mao was an inside job, done by someone who had some internal support. Japan were outsiders imposing their will which is always a harder pill to swallow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_marquis_de_Lafayette
Hmmmm Visiting a shrine about spirits and deities vs. Visiting a shrine about war criminals who actually existed in history.... You're right, I can't tell the difference either, they're totally the same thing.
If you're willing to embark on trying to compare the relative suffering under Mao, and that under the Japanese, which is in my mind a somewhat irreverent, irrelevant, and futile goal, researching things like Unit 731 might---enlighten you.
Keep in mind Mao is enshrined by the PRC and the PRC is not all of Asia or even all Chinese. My family has good reason to be bitter at Mao since they were driven out by the CCP, but that doesn't mean that the Japanese didn't do horrific things. Since you brought up Nanjing consider that when the Rape happened Nanjing was the capital of the Nationalist Government not the ones who have enshrined Mao.
So in other words you are saying those of us offended by the Japanese paying respects to war criminals should be expected to give up our own cultural imperative to express our offense at such actions.
Do you see people defending ahmadinejad when he said holocaust did not happen? He is not even a German. That is all you need to know about this topic on this bbs.
If it was a monument to war criminals, it might make sense. As it is, it is like being pissed at the Vatican for praying for Hitler when they pray for the souls of all mankind. Say there was a big uproar because someone thought the Vatican prayers included Osama bin Laden. Do you think the pope would include a special clause in his prayers excluding bin Laden? Or do you think he would continue to his beliefs, perhaps especially so in the face of protestations?
It is always about China isn't it, So you would be upset with Japanese government if Koreans get outraged?
Don't know why everyone is so stressed out over WW2 Japan. It was a militaristic country dangerous to its neighbors back in the days. But that was the past, now the Japanese are just kind of pervy p*rn people.
I don't particularly care about who's complaining about it, whether Chinese, Koreans, or Americans. The fact is that I don't really care if the rest of Asia complains about it, they don't have the right to get in the way of our rituals, especially one like praying for the dead. People just extrapolate way too far from a prayer and are acting like we are trying to redo everything again, which is simply a ridiculous claim.
I'm not seeing the connection. Unless you're arguing that going to Yasukuni = not believing we ran amok 70 years ago. Which is a pretty impressive strawman.
It is about China because of the way they act. If the Korans acted in a like fashion - if people arrested for vandalism of publuc monuments were forced out of jail and hailed as public heroes, I would feel the same about them. I feel the same way about Americans who chose impuginity for hatred of black people over the rule of law in the 1960's.
Is it just the shrine? What about the history books? What about the Japanese government do formal apology like the German government have done? If it is just shrine, I do not think people would be nearly as upset around Asia. They still prosecute old Nazis around the world, how many Japanese war criminals were prosecuted vs how many Nazis were prosecuted?
If Japan ever decide to follow the old path again, it is way more dangerous than Iran could ever hope to be, that is why we should remind them of the history so they do not repeat it.
You are missing my point. I think the Japanese have all right to pray for the souls, honor, celebrate whatever war criminals. As someone whose people and family though suffered from the actions of those war criminals I have a right to express my dissaproval of the Japanese for doing so. You are basically saying we shouldn't express our offense at what the Japanese are doing out of deference to their cultural beliefs. In other words you are asking us to subsume our rights.
So in other words you are using the actions of some hotheaded Chinese to deflect attention from Japan's actions.
