Now that would appear to be a rare book in the great scheme of things. Would certainly make interesting and probably harrowing reading.
I wonder what the ordinary Japanese citizens think about those atrocities committed by their fathers/grandfather's generation. Does the current generation of children get taught about their military history or is that subject taboo? Regards Hugh
Why did the US want so much of the atrocities by Japan covered up? Especially the Rape of Nanking? Hadn't Japan signed the Geneva Convention? It makes you sick and so angry when you read about all of the atrocities that were done to all of our boys..and then just to cover it all up...
America had a strange relationship with post-war Japan - unlike in Europe, there wasn't really any screening of Japanese society for those committed crimes (except a few of the leaders who were tried and sentenced). One of the reasons was because of the attitude of MacArthur, who ruled Japan as an overlord and he was the one who decided certain policy. By 1949 China had become Communist and the Americans were not interested in any of the information being provided to them by a Communist power. The following year the Korean War started and Japan became a very important strategic base for the UN forces, and so the desire to prosecute Japanese soldiers for Nanking was an even lower priority Japan never ratified the 1929 Convention, and so did not see themselves as beholden to it. They also had a very different attitude to surrender and prisoners. I quite agree. They not only treated American and Commonwealth POWs terribly but also the indigenous populations of the terrorities that they occuppied.
The 0.1% would be those on Okinawa I would say! They are the ones who will not tow the line to Tokyo.
Didn't Great Britain demand an apology a couple of years ago from Japan? I am trying to remember where I read that at..something about Japan refusing to apologise for their treatment of the POW's....I know their idealogy is different from the West and that to be taken prisoner by your enemies was beneath their contempt...Regardless of the relationship with the US..they still committed some of the worst acts of cruelty and sadistic tortures on human beings and should be held accountable for their actions..without Laws our society is in trouble..Even after 65 yrs,, these people should be held accoutnable..I watched a movie about 5 years ago about a prison camp..can't remember the name of it..but it was mainly Australian and British POW's with a few Americans..Kiefer Sutherland was in it. It was a good movie but very heartbreaking to watch also..
Some days ago I saw a report on news.com about Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki who kinda apologised to American veterans of Corregidor and Bataan at a Conference including 73 US survivors from the Bataan death march while in San Antonio. He said " His country was extending a heart felt apology for having caused tremendous damage and suffering to "Many People Incl POW's." He also parroted what some Japanese PM's and others have said in that the Japanese people must look into the past and to learn from the lessons of history. He got a standing ovation from approx 1/3 to 1/2 of 500 people. Former POW Hershal C Bously told the ambassador he did not accept his apology Others said the apology was overdue and did not seem sincere. Survivor Tony Montoya also questioned his sincerity, "This young man knows very little and they probably rehearsed him on it. Abie Abraham said it was time to move on especially now the Japanese are a Allie
Not a good apology but it is a start. Many more peoples around the world they owe a apology. They do really need to teach their peoples about their war. Some nations at end of WW2 wanted the Emperor hanged, there were quite a few War Crime trails involving Imperial Japanese personnel after WW2 and a quite a few Japanese were hung. It did not receive anywhere near the amount of publicity as the Nuremberg trails. You were right about MacArthur he was like a warlord who took control of the nation his and other nations troops defeated. The Japanese at the time accepted this. When MacArthur was removed Japanese people lined the streets waving him off, like he was akin to a emperor. It did help that Gen MacArthur had his own propaganda machine geared up just for him.
