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Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the uncle of Emperor Hirohito is widely believed to have given the order for the rape and massacre of the citizens of Nanking during WWII but avoided the war crimes tribunal because Douglas MacArthur granted immunity to all members of the imperial family. As a result this butcher lived to the ripe old age of 93. Could someone help me wrap my head around MacArthur's reasoning, if we can call it that.
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the uncle of Emperor Hirohito is widely believed to have given the order for the rape and massacre of the citizens of Nanking during WWII but avoided the war crimes tribunal because Douglas MacArthur granted immunity to all members of the imperial family. As a result this butcher lived to the ripe old age of 93. Could someone help me wrap my head around MacArthur's reasoning, if we can call it that.
The Emperor of Japan has never really had much in regards to day to day political power. Japan had been more or less a British style constitutional monarchy since the 1870s. The prime minister (Tojo) and the parliament ran the country in the name of the emperor. However that dosent make him automatically guilty as he did not give the orders nor was he probably even informed of what was happening in regards to Nanking, Pearl Harbor, etc.
The status of Japanese emperor today is pretty much the same as it was before 1945. The difference is that he/she no longer has reserve powers unlike most European monarchs who actually have significant power but choose only to exercise them in specific circumstances.
The Emperor of Japan has never really had much in regards to day to day political power. Japan had been more or less a British style constitutional monarchy since the 1870s. The prime minister (Tojo) and the parliament ran the country in the name of the emperor. However that dosent make him automatically guilty as he did not give the orders nor was he probably even informed of what was happening in regards to Nanking, Pearl Harbor, etc.
The status of Japanese emperor today is pretty much the same as it was before 1945. The difference is that he/she no longer has reserve powers unlike most European monarchs who actually have significant power but choose only to exercise them in specific circumstances.
Who is talking about the Emperor (although I would strongly disagree with your characterization of Hirohito's role in the militarization of Japan) but rather his uncle who was second in command of the Japanese Expeditionary Force that was responsible for the atrocities in Nanking, and who is widely believed to have both given the orders to execute prisoners and was fully aware of the atrocities taking place.
In the midst of continuous denial by important members of the Japanese government individually or collectively that Japan was an aggressor in World War II, the planned exhibition of the Smithsonian Institute to commemorate the end of WWII in Asia has turned into an unusually fervid debate, with which an interest in discussing and writing on Japan's wartime atrocities has been aroused. Most prominent among numerous writings on the subject is "Japan Confronting Gruesome War Atrocity" penned by Nicholas D. Kristof and published inNew York Times on March 17, 1995. The article has given us a detailed account of the most shocking, heinous, cruel crime the civilized world has ever known: Japanese Unit 731 used human beings for vivisection in order to develop biological weapons. Equally unbelievable is that the United States has covered up the crime in exchange for the data on human experiments, an act utterly ignoring international laws and human justice. What a great irony to the lofty ideal of democracy and the so-called "American civilization" of the 20th century!
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the uncle of Emperor Hirohito is widely believed to have given the order for the rape and massacre of the citizens of Nanking during WWII but avoided the war crimes tribunal because Douglas MacArthur granted immunity to all members of the imperial family. As a result this butcher lived to the ripe old age of 93. Could someone help me wrap my head around MacArthur's reasoning, if we can call it that.
Because it was more important to have a stable peace with Japan than prosecute someone.
Because it was more important to have a stable peace with Japan than prosecute someone.
Ah, but we did prosecute and executed Japanese perpetrators of many of the worst war crimes of WWII including Prince Asaka's commanding officer General Matsui Iwane who was actually sick and out of contact during the siege and occupation of Nanking.
The whole Nanking affair was terrible. Few people know much about it. I would love to see Hollywood do bio pic of Minnie Vautrin, Robert Wilson or John Rabe. The Holocaust has been filmed from numerous angles and perspectives. I wish the same could be said for the Rape of Nanking.
Of course, it's all political - the failure to hold some accountable for their war crimes. To be honest with you, I can't get my head around it either. Quite a few soldiers (I hesitate to say many because I don't know the numbers) who actually committed the rapes and murders were never punished. Video interviews by them are rare but a few do exist. Just awful.
The whole Nanking affair was terrible. Few people know much about it. I would love to see Hollywood do bio pic of Minnie Vautrin, Robert Wilson or John Rabe. The Holocaust has been filmed from numerous angles and perspectives. I wish the same could be said for the Rape of Nanking.
That's crazy! I seriously didn't know there was a movie! I see that the dvd was released last month. Fantastic! Now I just have to get my hands on it. Thanks.
The whole Nanking affair was terrible. Few people know much about it. I would love to see Hollywood do bio pic of Minnie Vautrin, Robert Wilson or John Rabe. The Holocaust has been filmed from numerous angles and perspectives. I wish the same could be said for the Rape of Nanking.
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