Originally posted by: HamSupLo
Japan is going to follow up this apology with the visits to the war shrine and white washing it's role in WWII in its history books. How would jews feel if the chancellor of germany visited a momument dedicated to hitler every year?
This sums it up. Other than in Germany, there never has been a collective reflection about the nation's role in the war. We have seen economic pragmatism and the society now for sure stands somewhere else than in the 1940s but the old generations did not accept their responsability and the newer soon will be uneducated about the bloody past. This is not okay. It is not about responsability on an individual level or reparation payments from the nation, it's about the consciousness about the nation's history one should have (and it should be of the same strengh as patriotic feelings are, because both are about achievments/events one did not personally cause, but they influence the life condition of the individual beeing).
In the case of Japan, the people and its representatives pay little respect to the victims of the nation and little acceptance for the role of the country in the war, as HamSupLo described. And in my opinion, both people and representatives are bound in honor to face history. It's unimportant that the Turkish-Armenian genocide happened nearly 90 ago. People die, but mentalities can remain for centuries. As long as there is a nation named Japan or Turkey, it is morally bound to aspire reconciliation. My opinion.
The problem with China's accusation is that the pot calls the kettle black. They have their own skeleton in the closet. From the foundation of the country to the assimilation of Tibet over the Taiwan conflict to the present undemocratic regime. But they still have a point.
The nations of southeast Asia have relatively few diplomatic contacts and common views of the history of the region, and this makes the situation more difficult and explosive than necessary. The general condition of international relations in the region is an explanation for the delicate and complex nature of the North Korea nuclear negotiations.
Originally posted by: Kenazo
Originally posted by: alphatarget1
Originally posted by: Kenazo
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What the heck is Japan supposed to do? Payback the billions in damages they've caused?
Yes, much like how the Germans paid the Jews with a lot of Deutsche Marks over the years.
But where does it stop? And how do I go about filing a claim w/ the Russian government to get my family's factories and property back?
As I tried to explain above, it's not just about money, it's about mentality. In Germany's case the reflection with the past is an important part of the national self-perception. Every scholar learns about the Nazis. Concentration camps are open to the public. Third Reich symbols are forbidden. And the World Wars are subject in cultural works (e.g. the movie "Der Untergang", and many books).
It's more than paying a "genocide fine" and sometimes it doesn't even involve money.
