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I was in high school from 1952 -1956. In high school the Holocaust and Japanese atrocities in the Philippines and China were mentioned by the teacher of the American History class, and by the textbook. However, the main emphasis was on the causes of the war, its progress and how the U.S. won the war in Europe and Asia. The role of Russia in the war was hardly mentioned...but then the Cold War had already started.
Where I learned in more detail of the atrocities in Europe and Asia was from newsreels and in the case of Japan from people in my town who had been prisoners of war of the Japanese or fought in the Pacific. I first saw newsreels of the concentration camps and the ovens in Eastern Europe soon after the war, before I entered high school. I was stunned into silence as I could not really grasp it. A Japanese prisoner of war lived on my street; he was part of the Bataan Death March and had become blind from infection while a prisoner of war.
The newsreels and the man down the street were very real, but the high school history class gave just a brief formal acknowledgement and moved on.
Thanks to Iris Chang, many atrocities committed by Japan were widely known through her book "The Rape of Nanking". The book was very popular in US in '80s and '90s. Chang had made tour around US to introduce her book and I have attended one of her seminars.
Too bad she died young. She committed suicide during her research on a book about Bataan March. Likely she became depressed after deep dig into that part of history.
And "The Rape of Nanking" so far has not been translated into Japanese for publication.
Oh good Lord, where do you come up with such nonsense? Are you just pulling numbers out of your azz? The atomic bombings killed some 225,000 japanese which is a horrific number but nothing compared to the estimated 5 to 10 million civilians, mostly Asian, that the Japanese killed. Heck arguably Japanese killed more Chinese civilians in Nanking alone using bullets and bayonets then the atomic bombings killed. It is also nothing compared to the estimated casualties that it would have taken for the allies to either assualt the Japanese home island or starve them out. Torture? They should be glad we didn't turn the entire island into a burnt glass sheet and, yes, the allies would have been entirely justified until they surrendered.
OP to answer your question - there were Japanese war crime trials and many Japanese War Criminals were executed. However, this was the start of the cold war. For better or worse the US also needed Japan as an ally to counter Soviet Russia and China so going forward Japan was essentially given a free pass after a few years. This started with the Royal Family who in fairness should have had there neck stretched. Probably not right, but it dealt with the realities of that time.
Now you also have to account for Japanese culture which has decidedly been non-apologetic. That has slowly changed but really, still, they have never really given a fair introspective treatment to there own conduct in the war as compared to Germany. Textbooks have been altered, they still have war criminals that they honor, etc.
This is an interesting mentality. Would Native Americans, Filipinos, North Koreans (who lost 25% of their population in the Korean War), and Vietnamese have been justified in doing the same to Americans if these aforementioned groups had nuclear weapons? BTW where are the American apologies to these groups (LOL at the thought of America apologizing to North Korea) and why don't they teach in history classes about how millions of Filipinos died during the 1900s to 1920s due to the American occupation? Seems America isn't quite that different from Japan in being forgetful.
....And "The Rape of Nanking" so far has not been translated into Japanese for publication.
There are books written by the Vietnamese on the atrocity of U.S. chemical warfare in the Vietnam War that the last I knew were still not published in the U.S. And the U.S. has been very slow to admit the harm it did to many American soldiers.
I think this common. Nations, like individual, do not want to look at their wrongdoings. There is always an excuse, or just ignore it.
This is an interesting mentality. Would Native Americans, Filipinos, North Koreans (who lost 25% of their population in the Korean War), and Vietnamese have been justified in doing the same to Americans if these aforementioned groups had nuclear weapons? BTW where are the American apologies to these groups (LOL at the thought of America apologizing to North Korea) and why don't they teach in history classes about how millions of Filipinos died during the 1900s to 1920s due to the American occupation? Seems America isn't quite that different from Japan in being forgetful.
Besides that this thread is about Japanese war crimes, you bring out some crazy incomprehensible comparisons that betray your lack of historical knowledge:
Native Americans - most of the deaths and destruction of native american society occurred before the US was even a nation (i.e. european deseases that spread through the native americans). I guess they could have dropped an atomic bomb on the castle of King Ferdanand of Spain back then.
Filipinos - huh? Are we talking WW2? Philipines faught with the US against Japan in WW2 and where the victims of vicious Japanese atrocities.
North Koreans - maybe you missed that bit of history that said N. Korea invaded S. Korea. Who is this? Kim Jung? Anyways S. Korea suffered just as much.
Vietnam - Who should N. Vietnam have used atomic bombs on? They were at war for almost half a century - Japan, France, US, Cambodia, and China. You don't think it was only US do you?
But the real difference is the Total War environment and the immensity of the bloodshed of WW2 where all the resources of a country were used for the war effort including civilians (although Hiroshima was a military target with a major military base). Terrible it came to that and there was nothing comparable to this conflict in history. No doubt Japan or Germany would have used it on the Allies if they developed it. The Atomic bomb saved lives, both allied and Japanese. What's the difference here however? When Japan surrendered, the U.S. helped rebuild there country and fed there people. When Asian countries surrendered to the Japanese, the Japanese murdered and raped and pillaged.
Nanking was a good example of that....
Besides that this thread is about Japanese war crimes, you bring out some crazy incomprehensible comparisons that betray your lack of historical knowledge:
Native Americans - most of the deaths and destruction of native american society occurred before the US was even a nation (i.e. european deseases that spread through the native americans). I guess they could have dropped an atomic bomb on the castle of King Ferdanand of Spain back then.
Filipinos - huh? Are we talking WW2? Philipines faught with the US against Japan in WW2 and where the victims of vicious Japanese atrocities.
North Koreans - maybe you missed that bit of history that said N. Korea invaded S. Korea. Who is this? Kim Jung? Anyways S. Korea suffered just as much.
Vietnam - Who should N. Vietnam have used atomic bombs on? They were at war for almost half a century - Japan, France, US, Cambodia, and China. You don't think it was only US do you?
But the real difference is the Total War environment and the immensity of the bloodshed of WW2 where all the resources of a country were used for the war effort including civilians (although Hiroshima was a military target with a major military base). Terrible it came to that and there was nothing comparable to this conflict in history. No doubt Japan or Germany would have used it on the Allies if they developed it. The Atomic bomb saved lives, both allied and Japanese. What's the difference here however? When Japan surrendered, the U.S. helped rebuild there country and fed there people. When Asian countries surrendered to the Japanese, the Japanese murdered and raped and pillaged. Nanking was a good example of that....
I have noticed this systematic complete lack of empathy from East Asian countries for the weak, it must be a cultural thing to only respect strength and power and look down at the underdog. For this reason I'm glad the US has the biggest guns.
I have noticed this systematic complete lack of empathy from East Asian countries for the weak, it must be a cultural thing to only respect strength and power and look down at the underdog. For this reason I'm glad the US has the biggest guns.
Talk about stereotyping.
That sentiment is at all not limited to Asia. Look at Trump, who totally embodies what you've mentioned.
And many other countries arent too crazy about the USA's track record of bullying other countries with its leverage.
That sentiment is at all not limited to Asia. Look at Trump, who totally embodies what you've mentioned.
And many other countries arent too crazy about the USA's track record of bullying other countries with its leverage.
There is some truth to stereotyping go through the posting history on this particular Asia forum and you will notice a consistent pattern. Empathy isn't valued.
Trump is a narcissist con man who peddles lies to the 1/3 of the population who are gullible and fearful of the demographic changes that are inevitable. He and these people are vocal outliers.
There is some truth to stereotyping go through the posting history on this particular Asia forum and you will notice a consistent pattern. Empathy isn't valued.
Trump is a narcissist con man who peddles lies to the 1/3 of the population who are gullible and fearful of the demographic changes that are inevitable. He and these people are vocal outliers.
Go to the posting history on the Politics and Other Controversies and you'll notice a consistent pattern too, and you'll find a lot of posters who don't have empathy.
There are books written by the Vietnamese on the atrocity of U.S. chemical warfare in the Vietnam War that the last I knew were still not published in the U.S. And the U.S. has been very slow to admit the harm it did to many American soldiers.
I think this common. Nations, like individual, do not want to look at their wrongdoings. There is always an excuse, or just ignore it.
Your analogy is not quite appropriate.
Iris was an American. She wrote the book in English. US was a neutral country at the time Rape of Nanking happened in 1937. It only participated in the war in 1941.
What you mentioned was what US had done during the Vietnam War. North Vietnam was the adversary of US. What the Vietnamese writers in Vietnam have written about US during the Vietnam War should be viewed with grain of salt.
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