Nanjing Massacre 75 years ago today

Mr T said:

Some people would say the same applies to parts of Chinese history as taught in schools there.

Click to expand...

Understood but how is this a rebuttal or justification to Japan's denial and revisionist mentality? When I say Japan, I'm not referring to the every day Japanese individual who for the most part are good, decent people. But the govt with their nationalistic agendas and the general antipathy from the Japanese public in stopping such antics leaves them lacking in international relations.

solarz said:

In the end, the Japanese attitude toward the Nanjing Massacre is their problem. I would note that the world, and even mainstream Japan itself, including the Japanese Academia, affirms the veracity of the Nanjing Massacre. Even if the Denialists were to become far more popular in Japan than they are right now, they would only be shooting themselves in the foot.

Take this incident for example:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

It should be clear that nobody outside Japan is going to buy their Denialist line. The more Denialist the Japanese become (and I'm not saying they're moving in that direction), the more shunned they would become on the international stage.

That's why I say this is Japan's problem, not ours.

By the way, I like the reaction of the Korean-American mayor:



No protests, no riots. Just a polite "thanks for coming, now get out!".

Click to expand...

While the "Denialist" may be a minority in Japan, they have far more influence in that nation's attitude and actions than they deserve so partially, the fault also lies with the majority of the Japanese public in not standing up and addressing these issues. This isn't just a Chinese-Japanese issue. So Japan will continue to slide into obscurity so long as they keep their current mentality up on WW2, impeding their international relations from being normal. Their economy once shielded them from these issues but with the economy in the doldrums for the past 20 years and not looking to shine bright any time soon, that shield no longer exists.

joshuatree said:

While the "Denialist" may be a minority in Japan, they have far more influence in that nation's attitude and actions than they deserve so partially, the fault also lies with the majority of the Japanese public in not standing up and addressing these issues. This isn't just a Chinese-Japanese issue. So Japan will continue to slide into obscurity so long as they keep their current mentality up on WW2, impeding their international relations from being normal. Their economy once shielded them from these issues but with the economy in the doldrums for the past 20 years and not looking to shine bright any time soon, that shield no longer exists.

Click to expand...

And if that happens, the Japanese people will have to decide how to move forward. The Chinese people should not concern themselves with this matter.

solarz said:

And if that happens, the Japanese people will have to decide how to move forward. The Chinese people should not concern themselves with this matter.

Click to expand...

I disagree with this at a certain level. The Chinese people should be concerned in refuting every attempt at revision of facts by the Japanese side. This doesn't mean inciting violence or hatred but just being apathetic is unacceptable as well. Your link on the NYT article highlighting how Korean Americans have dedicated the memorial plaque to comfort women is a shining example. Considering the number of Chinatowns that exist across the globe, something like this in every one of them is a great idea to remember violations like the Nanjing Massacre without needing to concern how the Japanese people wish to move forward.

joshuatree said:

I disagree with this at a certain level. The Chinese people should be concerned in refuting every attempt at revision of facts by the Japanese side. This doesn't mean inciting violence or hatred but just being apathetic is unacceptable as well. Your link on the NYT article highlighting how Korean Americans have dedicated the memorial plaque to comfort women is a shining example. Considering the number of Chinatowns that exist across the globe, something like this in every one of them is a great idea to remember violations like the Nanjing Massacre without needing to concern how the Japanese people wish to move forward.

Click to expand...

Refuting revisionist history is a very different concept from hating Japan for the existence of revisionists.

The former is a duty for all people who hold the lessons of history dear. The latter is a myopic reaction based on ignorance.

solarz said:

Refuting revisionist history is a very different concept from hating Japan for the existence of revisionists.

The former is a duty for all people who hold the lessons of history dear. The latter is a myopic reaction based on ignorance.

Click to expand...

Lovely metaphoric ending