Abe: 'Profound grief' for WWII, but Japan can't keep apologizing (GGT)

[gcheng]

Its nice to hear someone apologizing for the mistakes of his father or grandfather. I also agree that the son should not inherit the fathers guilt or shame.

The reason China and Korea pointed their fingers on Japan is not because they think "the son should inherit the father's guilt or shame" but because this son did not really think what his father did is wrong for a very long time, in fact, this son teach his son/daughter that their grandpa did not do the guilty thing that actually did with irrefutable evidences, the son think and teach his son/daughter that some victims are voluntary to become victims. The son also put his father to shrine and think/treat his father as a hero. If you are one of victims' family member, what do you think about this son? Will you like him?

[TheCount]

That is very shameful and just plain ignorant on the part of the Japanese government. Its very different to apologize for something and sincerely mean it versus saying "sorry" then doing all this contradicting stuff which seems to be whats happening.

[I Push Buttons]

the bigger issue is that the U.S system is local. However my school taught it as a genocide (NY).

I also cannot find any recent major political figures giving denial
I did however find a recent federal recognition which I placed into another thread I had posted on a similar issue. Ill try to dig up my source in the mean time.

There was that representative a few years ago who said slavery was a blessing in disguise since the enslavement of their ancestors blessed African Americans today with the opportunity to be citizens in the greatest country on Earth... And how life as a slave was probably less cruel than living in sub-Saharan Africa anyways... Lol.

[Cradyz]

is that why germany tries oh so very hard to censor any media, including games, that have depictions of nazi culture in it? why it even forced certain game devs to alter their game in such a way that germans didnt kill people when they shot them, instead they dropped to the floor and waved a white flag?

The German government has a knee jerk reaction to everything Nazi. It wants to distance itself from it, it want people to think that the Germans now don't want anything to do with the past Germans. It doesn't censor Nazi stuff because it doesn't want people to remember the Nazis, it does so because it has an irrational fear of their symbolism, of what the flag/outfit/ideology represents and what it could do. However it still acknowledges its past and teaches its children the truth of what happened. Distancing isn't ther same as downplaying it like the Japanese government does.

I think the German government goes way overboard on their anti-Nazi fervor, but what can you do..

[gcheng]

The japanese government does whitewash it's history. It won't acknowledge what actually happened, prefering to call sex slaves 'comfort woman', their leaders paying tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine and revising school text books so they downplay the nanjing massacre. It's not about apologising, it's about being honest about your nations past.


The Germans actually lay on the 'we were Nazis once kids, feel guilty' stuff pretty thick. It's all over the text books, Nazi flags are banned, no more 'deutschland uber alles', patriotism is pretty much gone.

This is exactly what I want to say, and you explained much better than me.

[Dispraise]

I don't expect anybody to apologize for things they didn't do. Especially when those things happened decades before they were even born. The people who were actually responsible are largely dead, and long out of power. Any apologies the Japanese can offer now are rather meaningless. No more valuable than any apologies I could offer on their behalf.

[GennGreymane]

There was that representative a few years ago who said slavery was a blessing in disguise since the enslavement of their ancestors blessed African Americans today with the opportunity to be citizens in the greatest country on Earth... And how life as a slave was probably less cruel than living in sub-Saharan Africa anyways... Lol.

Indeed, and to my understanding they got blasted on that one, main reason you never hear too much on that.

One huge issue I see in the U.S education system is how the civil war is treated. Obviously southern states teach it differently and base it on states rights, federal overreach and economic issues....

all of which are very connected to slavery. Since it was a states rights issue, it was about federal overreach, and it was about economics.... of the issue of slavery.

Its actually a primary example of why I think the U.S education needs an overhaul and should no longer be stuck at the lower levels of government.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't expect anybody to apologize for things they didn't do. Especially when those things happened decades before they were even born. The people who were actually responsible are largely dead, and long out of power. Any apologies the Japanese can offer now are rather meaningless. No more valuable than any apologies I could offer on their behalf.

Any reasonable person would not ask for apologizes 24/7, but rather recognition. Its dangerous to white wash history

[Dispraise]

Any reasonable person would not ask for apologizes 24/7, but rather recognition. Its dangerous to white wash history

Definitely not giving them a pass on that. That kinda hubris is fucked.

[Kurioxan]

The Germans actually lay on the 'we were Nazis once kids, feel guilty' stuff pretty thick. It's all over the text books, Nazi flags are banned, no more 'deutschland uber alles', patriotism is pretty much gone.

Yeah that is retarded.

[GennGreymane]

Definitely not giving them a pass on that. That kinda hubris is fucked.

Many people are currently calling for a U.S apology for the bombings, which is their right, It would be nice to see, however it would not really change much as the U.S and Japan have good diplomatic ties and are open trade partners with very little tension other than the named issue, I would contribute this to the fact that there is no denial of the horrific nature, but rather no official apology I could find.

However look at countries which have had tensions for decades and longer because of denial, dislike, mistrust, the easiest example I can find is Armenia and Turkey, and if I could do a bit of research (I am going to work now) I could find more. For Armenia its a major sticking point, and denial is a source of nationalism in turkey.

[Cradyz]

Yeah that is retarded.

What I said or what the Germans do?

[Independent voter]

Many people are currently calling for a U.S apology for the bombings, which is their right, It would be nice to see, however it would not really change much as the U.S and Japan have good diplomatic ties and are open trade partners with very little tension other than the named issue, .

A lot of these Internet people have an anti-American agenda and are hoping to drive a wedge between Japan and the US by fanning flames of WWII.

The same group or another might be trying to drive a wedge between Japan and China.

[Sevyvia]

Its nice to hear someone apologizing for the mistakes of his father or grandfather. I also agree that the son should not inherit the fathers guilt or shame.

That makes literally no sense, but then again, that's a common theme when it comes to American mindsets about these things.

It is not my fault if my father did something horrible, whether he's alive or not. But I guess this sort of sane idea of things is totally racist in the US of A.

[Erolian]

Indeed, and to my understanding they got blasted on that one, main reason you never hear too much on that.

One huge issue I see in the U.S education system is how the civil war is treated. Obviously southern states teach it differently and base it on states rights, federal overreach and economic issues....

all of which are very connected to slavery. Since it was a states rights issue, it was about federal overreach, and it was about economics.... of the issue of slavery.

Its actually a primary example of why I think the U.S education needs an overhaul and should no longer be stuck at the lower levels of government.

I can't really speak for all schools but I did go to public school in the state of Georgia and it was definitely not shy about the Civil War/Slavery or what happened to the Native Americans both of which have a very direct relation to the state/area.

[Deleted]

What do you do when your nation killed 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 Chinese? "i'm sorry" is never going to be enough.

You can bring back the dead, but if you say sorry, you acknowledges that was happen was bad/wrong. Remember "US shall apologizing for the atomic bombing" a few days ago, people argue that US shall never apologizing because they think it was justified.

[Skayth]

Been to japan, lived in japan. yea...Most of the people there do not have to apologize for ww2, as most of the people from era are dead. Asking for apologies over and over for it is just bad form. What they do need to apologize for, is their racism and their hatred to foreigners though, and need to rid themselves of it.

[Independent voter]

Now only if the Germans would say the same about the holocaust industry.

Or the Russians. Somebody killed 23,000,000 Russians, looking at you Germany.

[Rumred]

I agree they cant keep saying sorry forever most if not all of the government of japan now had zero to do with the war. They have long since paid for the war in terms of lives they lost and money. Acknowledge the events but the time to keep taking the blame has moved on.

[Austilias]

Well, kudos to Abe for stating the obvious.

The sins of the father are the father's alone.

[JohnBrown1917]

I agree they cant keep saying sorry forever most if not all of the government of japan now had zero to do with the war. They have long since paid for the war in terms of lives they lost and money. Acknowledge the events but the time to keep taking the blame has moved on.

Or the U.S for nuking 2 cities.
Oh gee, looks like this game can be played all day long1