The people of China whom Obama is now visiting have hardly forgotten the invasion during the 1930’s of the Japanese Imperial Army and the resulting horrific atrocities by that Army against the Chinese people.
The infamous Rape of Nanking, the capital city, from 1937-1938 resulted in the rabid butchery by the Imperial Japanese Army of literally every resident—man, woman, and child—except those in a small, 2 1/2 mile square area declared off-limits to the Japanese by a tiny group of Americans whose bravery is legend and survival was miraculous.
Some 300,000 Nanking Chinese were murdered in the most barbaric ways—little girls to women in their 70’s after being raped and bayoneted.
This was the precursor to Pearl Harbor, but Americans took little notice of Nanking because they thought the reports about were so horrific that they could not possibly be true—and because America was focused on the growing Nazi menace in Europe at this time.
The Chinese have not forgotten Nanking. The Japanese murderous incursions are living history today to the Chinese.
To give a fawning, seemingly drooling bow, to the son of the Japanese Emperor of the 1930’s, no matter how much he, the current Emperor, may be an enlightened man, is just shameful in a really profound sense with repercussions not restricted to the U. S. public
Perhaps ironically, the Safety Zone was organized and led by a German business man and Nazi party member, John Rabe. Of course, other foreigners were involved as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Safety_Zone