Unfortunately, even fewer know about the Rape of Nanking, the Bataan Death March, Unit 731, the Burma Railway, and so many other atrocities, a few of which are listed here.
Maybe if the Japanese were to ever hear the truth, they would quit making stupid remarks like American and Japanese soldiers were fighting with the same emotion. Both wanted to return to their homelands.
Good job Zakeet.
Not quite. The Japanese were butchers. We weren't.
Semper fi.
I think Clint should make a film about members the Waffen SS who only wanted to save Europe from the Communists and then return home to their loved ones.
I simply do not understand how any of the Vets can forgive them. I would never own a Japanese made car.
Japanese soldiers were trained to kill without emotion and destroy without remorse.
Big time Jap denial in their role during WW2... the hate for them is still there in China and both Korea's.
I wonder how much flak Aeschylus got when he wrote the Persians.
True, but there was more to the emotions on our side than just the one emotion of returning home.
They initiated attack -- we defended freedom.
If the movie glosses that over, then it isn't worth seeing.
That is one island that should have NEVER been given back to the Japanese. It cost us too much in blood.
We needed them in the fight against Communism and US leaders did their job in cutting off lingering bitterness for the sake of progress.
Another US success story.
Saw the movie. Liked the first half. The second half devolved into some kind of blurry message...still don't know what it is.
I never go to a movie theater, so am anxiously awaiting the release of the DVD.
"How should I express it? It was the same for both sides, for them and us. Everyone was a victim."
****
Tojo as victim! What a great idea for a t-shirt! /sarc
I won't see either of Eastwood's movies which are nothing more than sob stories about the plight of poor Indians and misunderstood Japanese.
One of the results of this "coming to grips" is that the public education system does little to expose the atrocities committed by Japanese troops during WWII. Not unlike some of the stupid things that come out of the mouths of 17 year olds in this country, the student quoted in this article is a product of his education.
I was stationed in Japan for three years, traveled the country quite a bit, had many Japanese friends, both civilian and in the JSDF. In a majority of the people there is a conflicted sense of guilt over WWII. They tend to know Japan was in the wrong, even if their worst atrocities are suppressed in the public conscience.
My impression was that the grinning Japanese at the Arizona memorial and those visiting the shrine to the war criminals in Tokyo were in the minority. I only had one face to face encounter with one of these people and he was immediately confronted by complete strangers who happened to be walking by.
One exception to this is the "why us" mentality that still prevails in Hiroshima. If you were to have no knowledge of WWII (public education) and visited the "Peace" Museum you would come away with the following impression. Japan and the U.S. had conflicting interests in Asia, and somehow a war broke out, and then America nuked us, now look at the pictures of the victims and devastation. Even after a serious revamping of the exhibits, this mentality still prevails. It turns out that the army garrison from Hiroshima was responsible for Nanking. When referring to Nanking the exhibits say that some historians have asserted that some atrocities may have been committed by the Japanese troops.
Overall, I wouldn't make too much of this article. One statement by a 17 year old does not reflect the feelings of a whole society. Japan is one of our strongest allies and its issues with the truth of WWII won't hurt its relationship with the U.S. as much as it continues to hurt its relationships with its Asian neighbors.
If this review is even remotely accurate, it's just one more reason NOT to see Eastwood's films about Iwo Jima. I'll save my money and use it to buy a real history of that battle. I'm not interested in sentimental journeys that attempt to rationalize the evil of the Japanese Empire.
The Japanese wanted to return to their homelands - sure "after" they conquered all of Asia.
What's the line from the book 'Flags of our fathers'
Something to the effect of "The Japanese fought for the Emperor and that made them formidable, the Marines fought for each other, and that made them invincible."
God Bless Ira Hayes
Semper Fi