Hello!
I have just become a member today. I am Japanese and live in Tokyo. Reading through messages, I get a feeling that there seems a certain lack of understandings or information. Let me write some and hopefully you have a better perspective.
1. Japanese feeling of WWII War Crime Tribunal
Have you seen a 2003 movie ﾂ"the Fog of Warﾂ"? Robert McNamara was interviewed for his roles as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War as well as those of an assistant to Air Force General Le May during the World War II. In WWII, the US bombarded Japanese cities knowing that resulted in killing millions of civilians. At the interview, he said ﾂ"If Japan won the war, we would all be war criminals.ﾂ"
Japanese feel Japan victimized Chinese and Koreans as well as other Asians, and treated them terribly during the war. We admitted war crimes and apologized for it (actually 17 times or so to Chinese and Koreans and others, even by the emperor at his visit to China) and paid for it ($30 billion aid to China alone after the agreed war compensation fully paid). What unsettling to Japanese is the war tribunal was one-sided. During the trial, all evidences or opinions considered assisting Japan were denied. A predetermined scenario was set by the victors against the losers. Nobody in the allied forces and government has been tried and persecuted.
2.5 million dead Japanese soldiers were dedicated at Yasukuni Shrine. They include Class A war criminals. The A's also died for Japan as far as Japanese are concerned, and their dead souls should be respected. Also some of the A's had been pardoned and played important roles in the post war Japan. Japanese quite don't understand why Chinese and Koreans are so vehemently against Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni. What's wrong about paying respect to those who died for Japan in the past wars? Or, are they against
Shinto shrine itself? There are Shinto shrines in every town in Japan. It is a part of Japanese culture. It is more than a religion and simply a part of Japanese daily life.
2. UN Security Council Membership
China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao declared that:
"Only a country that respects history, and takes responsibility for history, can take greater responsibilities in the international community." (Reuters)
Is he serious about saying it? Does he know his own country is not taking responsibility for its own history? A million civilians were killed by the Chinese troops when they invaded Tibet; Mao's Great Leap Forward caused 20 million people starved to death; 1979 unprovoked China's invasion of Vietnam; massacre of Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989 and so forth.
It sounds like Wen wants to de-list China from the UNSC! Well, I shouldn't be making fun of the Chinese Prime Minister. But it is getting really too much illogical and unrealistic the way China accusing Japan. I think Japan has been providing free democratic society to its people and helping peace and prosperity in the world through aids and recently more with its people. Japan deserves to be a UNSC member.
2. Textbook issues
There are so much mentioning of Japanese national textbook being too nationalistic or whitewashing the past wrongdoings, etc. But do you know there is no national textbook in Japan? Japan's several publishing companies create textbooks for Japanese schools. The government checks for the fact errors only and asks for the corrections. There is no suggestion by the government about what to write. This is a democratic society! Many Japanese felt the history textbooks being too apologetic about the war, and wanted to see it from a larger perspective like the WWII caused to quicken some Asian nations' independence. But that textbook is only one of several textbook versions used in Japan last year, and also this year. That textbook caused uproar in China and Korea, but that version was adopted by less than 5 % of Japanese schools last year! I hope Chinese people see how the society works in Japan. I have read that history textbook. To me, it was well written and rather balanced. I don't think it can be considered ultra-nationalistic at all. I sent email to that publishing company to translate it to many languages to be viewed by the world. I hope they take my advice.
I want Japan and Japanese to be more active in public relations to the world. Only then, better understandings and relationships can be developed.