Mr. Tom might want to look into what the Asian reaction was when Hiroshima & Nagasaki went up in smoke —there was open celebrating and joyous laughter throughout almost every capital the Japanese Army occupied.
The Japanese see things in hierarchical & racial terms, and they (correctly) believed they were the top dogs of Asia —they acted that way, too. In Japan, this means that the most powerful person behaves and speaks in a way that confirms that person’s position, and the lower ranked person also behaves and speaks in a manner befitting their low rank —this happens nearly 100 times every day to the average Japanese person. It’s so completely natural that it is not even contemplated. Didn’t bow low enough? Your mother or father (but later more forcefully your Judo coach) will help you out with that, yes.
Ever wonder why the US occupation of Japan went pretty smoothly...? It wasn’t only because their Emperor ended things, no. It was also because we had demonstrated that WE, instead, were the top dogs.
Nothing about Japan then or now really changed —there was just corrective action taken that brought perceptions into line with realities, that’s all.
It will happen again, although I’m not sure with the same happy effects as last time.
The only country that has similar racial/hierarchical views of things is probably Korea, in particular North Korea.
I forgot — Mr. Tom Hanks might also want to check into who in Nanking was comparitively merciful to the Chinese people butchered there.
The man was a NAZI. I’m completely serious —the Third Reich had a consulate there, and in order to see what was really going on there, the staff simply had to peer out of their office windows.
Legally speaking, the consulate land IS Germany, and so they were able to take into German protection several hundred Chinese peasants, and save them from rape, bayonetting, or 100 other bad things that went on in Nanking every minute for weeks.
The Nazi diplomat’s name was John something or other, and as punishement he was recalled back to Germany —the Japanese troops were Nazi allies, legally, right?
But much as it sounds like I’m lifting up Nazis, my objective is to give a comparitive insight over who was NICER —nazis or Japanese soldiers, and the answer was NAZIS.
Which SHOULD BE highly instructive to Tom Hanks. BUT I DOUBT IT.