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Japan apologises for razing Manila
Herald Sun ^
| 18 February 2006
Posted on 02/18/2006 2:45:31 AM PST by Aussie Dasher
JAPAN'S ambassador to the Philippines today apologized to the nation for the destruction of Manila towards the closing stages of the World War II.
Ryuichiro Yamazaki spoke at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 61st anniversary of the Battle for Manila that left over 100,000 Filipinos dead and destroyed the city once known as the Pearl of the Orient.
"The terror that each Filipino man, woman and child must have experienced in Manila 61 years ago is beyond the imagination of any sane human being," he said at a memorial to the dead in the Intramuros part of the city.
"With this historical fact in mind, I would like to express my heartfelt apologies and deep sense of remorse over the tragic fate of Manila," the ambassador said in an emotional speech.
"About 100,000 Filipino civilians were killed, many of whom suffered atrocities by the Japanese military," he said.
The Battle for Manila began on February 3, 1945 and lasted 28 days
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: apology; japan; manilla; philippines; warcrimes; wwii
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To: bill1952
I read Mr. Bradley's other book, "Flags of Our Fathers" and choked up more than once. I just finished "Fly Boys", and was not as impressed. Its still a good read. I thought Mr. Bradley spent a lot of time trying to establish moral equivalancy between what the Japanese did to defenseless POWs and Chinese civilians, and the alleged crimes of the US and Europe against Mexicans, Indians, and others.
21
posted on
02/18/2006 3:44:00 AM PST
by
RushLake
(The Democratic party--Mary Jo Kopechne is unavailable for comment.)
To: Pikachu_Dad
yes, but are they gonna pay reparations???
22
posted on
02/18/2006 3:47:42 AM PST
by
Recovering_Democrat
((I am SO glad to no longer be associated with the party of Dependence on Government!))
To: Aussie Dasher
I am unaware of what happened in Singapore or the Kokoda.
23
posted on
02/18/2006 3:55:20 AM PST
by
bill1952
("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
To: Recovering_Democrat
"yes, but are they gonna pay reparations???"
I knew someone was going to post what I was thinking. And I bet we both know the answer. Not that if they were rebuilding Manila to replacement value circa 1945 it'd cost them much, anyway.
24
posted on
02/18/2006 3:56:10 AM PST
by
LibertarianInExile
(Freedom isn't free--no, there's a hefty f'in fee--and if you don't throw in your buck-o-5, who will?)
To: bill1952
You name it, the Japs did it! Total barbarians!
25
posted on
02/18/2006 3:56:38 AM PST
by
Aussie Dasher
(The Great Ronald Reagan & John Paul II - Heaven's Dream Team!)
To: Aussie Dasher
They were barbarians. Although they were during WW2 they "saw the light" aug 1945 and have become righteously a prosperous technical peaceful country I must admit.
Kinda makes you think, if a couple of cities in Iran were to be like Hiroshima and Nagasaki could Iran eventually submit, surrender unconditionally? Or continue to defy until all are dead?
To: RushLake
I didn't quite understand why he did all of that either.
You can read any one of 10,000,000 books on how bad America was/is concerning anything that has ever happened or will happen, in the World.
What I found most interesting was the documentation on the measures that Japan was willing to go to to prosecute the war until the bomb dropped. (the Ketsu-Go battle plan)
Seems they had no problem with 50,000,000+ Japanese dead.
27
posted on
02/18/2006 4:08:26 AM PST
by
bill1952
("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
To: Eye of Unk
"Kinda makes you think, if a couple of cities in Iran were to be like Hiroshima and Nagasaki could Iran eventually submit, surrender unconditionally? Or continue to defy until all are dead?"
Who cares...either way, we win!
28
posted on
02/18/2006 4:18:51 AM PST
by
Aussie Dasher
(The Great Ronald Reagan & John Paul II - Heaven's Dream Team!)
To: ansel12
I saw those pictures in my childhood. My enemy is not the (modern) Japanese it is the twisted, incorrect writing of history the MSM and Hollywood do.I know what you mean - "Pearl Harbour" sucked, didn't it. As did U571 and several other modern war films & high profile TV series that don't deserve to be named...
29
posted on
02/18/2006 4:36:46 AM PST
by
Androcles
(All your typos are belong to us)
To: Aussie Dasher
Japan was a seriously sick culture, I think as a result of its isolation.
30
posted on
02/18/2006 5:06:52 AM PST
by
bkepley
To: bkepley
Australia is more isolated, and we've always done pretty well.
31
posted on
02/18/2006 5:08:54 AM PST
by
Aussie Dasher
(The Great Ronald Reagan & John Paul II - Heaven's Dream Team!)
Comment #32 Removed by Moderator
To: Aussie Dasher
--Australia is more isolated, and we've always done pretty well.
You're isolated geographically.
33
posted on
02/18/2006 5:11:08 AM PST
by
bkepley
To: RushLake; bill1952
Agree - you have to ignore the editorial comments to get to the meat. But overall a good account.
34
posted on
02/18/2006 5:11:56 AM PST
by
bwteim
(Begin With The End In Mind)
To: Aussie Dasher
Aussie, Can you give me and details on Fuzzy-Wuzzy Day. It seems to have been a day to raise money to support the Papuan Natives the helped rescue Austrailians on the Kokoda Trail in 1942. The Day was celebrated in Austrailia from at least 1950-53.
To: Androcles
Pearl Harbour sucked. but the special effects were okay
U571 was a joke.
36
posted on
02/18/2006 5:35:15 AM PST
by
bill1952
("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
To: Aussie Dasher
Add in Christianity and that explains the lack of barbarism in your country.
37
posted on
02/18/2006 5:37:34 AM PST
by
B4Ranch
(No expiration date is on the Oath to protect America from all enemies, foreign and domestic.)
To: Aussie Dasher
One of the major atrocities that can't be laid at the feet of the Japanese Imperial Army.It was done by Imperial Navy troops and marines under command of an admiral who disobeyed Yamashita's order that Manila was to be an open city [Yamashita was at the northern end of Luzon in a gully at the time].
Don't know what happened to the admiral, but MacArthur had Yamashita stretch hemp after the war in war crimes trials held in Manila [he hanged Homma as well], despite evidence of Yamashita's order to leave Manila to the naval troops, and his inability to control them from his own HQ.Big Mac's court used the rationale that Yamashita was responsible for all his troops did, or failed to do, whether contrary to his orders or not. The USSC refused to intervene despite gross irregularities in the trial [triple hearsay comes to mind]. Came back to bite us in the '60s when some of our lefties [the scum that never sleeps] tried to use that as precedent to force the Army to court martial Westmoreland for the My Lai massacre.
38
posted on
02/18/2006 5:47:05 AM PST
by
PzLdr
("The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" - Darth Vader)
To: Aussie Dasher
Talk is cheap. The question is have they truly repented?
To: Fishing-guy
Talk is cheap. The question is have they truly repented?
Probably in their twisted viewpoint they have. After all, what's more glorious than a warrior slaughtering the Empire's enemies?
They probably think "apologizing" means saying words the "weaker" peoples will understand, but not actually retracting anything the "higher" people understand.
40
posted on
02/18/2006 6:34:57 AM PST
by
starbase
(Understanding Written Propaganda (click "starbase" to learn 22 manipulating tricks!!))
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