This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Why Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy in Asia

Sukotto

先輩
Joined
9 Jul 2003
Messages
1,426
Reaction score
20
article: "Why Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy in Asia"

I would like to note, in my own defense, that
1) I did not write this article;
2) I am often quite critical of the gov't of the country
that I am an official citizen of - the US, where I was born.


by Kenichi Asano
Censored 2004

Most people from this region, as well as other parts of the globe, would be quite surprised to hear the assertion that Japan is one of the most underdeveloped states when it comes to the development of democracy and healthy journalism in the Asia-Pacific region-and that politically, Japan is not yet a fully independent nation. And why shouldn't they be surprised? Most people assume that since Japan is a highly industrialized country with one of the highest standards of technology in the world, it must therefore be a democratic state as well.

In fact, this is not the case. I would even go so far as to say that Japan remains a threat to peace and prosperity in Asia.

MY EXPERIENCE AS A NEWS REPORTER

etc....
Why Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy in Asia by Kenichi Asano Censored 2004
 
Last edited:
Interesting! I haven't gotten a chance to look over it, only small bits and pieces, but I'll definitely give it a good read once I have time. I'm glad to see that there are Japanese who really do care about improving their country's sense of democracy, awareness, and justice, and are ready to speak out about it.

Thanks for the article, Sukotto, and I hope this professor is able to get his point across eventually.
 
But not nearly as large a threat to peace as the US is.

recent public opinion surveys reveal that more South Koreans see the United States as a greater threat to their security than North Korea.**
http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/bg1814.cfm

**填.S. More Dangerous Than North Korea,・Chosun Daily, January 12, 2004. See also Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, 鼎omparing South Korean and American Public Opinion and Foreign Policy,・in Global Views 2004 (Chicago: Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs, 2004), at www.ccfr.org/globalviews2004/sub/usakor.htm (December 13, 2004), and William Watts, 哲ext Generation Leaders in the Republic of Korea: Opinion Survey Report and Analysis,・April 2002, at www.keia.com/Wilｭliam Watts.doc (December 13, 2004).



And, this is kinda old, but the premise still applies.
Plus if you were young and naive during the first gulf war and think
it had anything to do with justice..., there are other sides to the story.
Chomsky on Media Control
http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/talks/9103-media-control.html
 
Wow, that was a really great article. As much as I do not like the mass media I would have to agree with Professor Asano on this matter. Japan is literally white washing everything, and their corrupt politics is rather sickening. The fact that the ultra-nationalists celebrate the attack on Pearl Harbor just burns me up. These people honestly feel that a closed minded, close knitted, military controlled government is still the best way to go with corrupt policies in place. It is simply pathetic and disheartening in the end if you ask me. Thank you for posting that great article Sukotto! I really hope that Professor Asano can really spread the word around, and maybe at least get some Japanese people to think for themselves for once, and the corrupt policies that have been really going on since World War II.

Doc
 
my exact thoughts!!! thank you!
 
What A Joke !

My local gun and hunting club could beat Japan. Japan a threat, I think not now or ever again; the people of Japan are too peaceful & loving(and WAYYYY too polite) to be a problem in today's world!

Uncle Frank

 
That was a good article. One thing though is that a lot of the criticisms he has made about Japan could be made with equal strength against numerous other countries. That Pack Journalism happens everywhere with the media, not just in Japan. A lot of other countries whitewash their history too, not many Americans are aware of the 3 million Vietnamese killed during that war, likewise with the French and atrocities commited in Algeria, and a lot of others. I think Germany is about the only country in the world to really show genuine remorse over its past, but even there you have gangs of neo-nazis.
 
senseiman said:
A lot of other countries whitewash their history too, not many Americans are aware of the 3 million Vietnamese killed during that war.
Click to expand...

Unless you're history major like me. Many of the US history classes at my university go into the atrocities that the US has committed believe it or not. I will agree that the country does whitewash history like any other country, but I blame the government and the media just like any other country as well.

Doc
 
窶堋?窶堙吮?堙ｧ窶堋ｵﾂ。窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾅｽﾃ絶?ｰﾃｯ窶堙娯?督ｯﾅｽﾃ･ﾅｽﾃ･窶ｹ`窶堙｢窶敕｡窶敖ｻﾂ青ｸﾂ神窶堙娯?督ｳ窶堋ｳ窶堙ｰ窶敕｡窶敖ｻ窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾂ人窶堙債静ｳ窶禿ｬﾅ停?厖?ｪ窶堙娯?堙ｦ窶堋､窶堙俄?ｹﾃ俄?兌窶堙?ｽhﾅ槌停?廬窶堙??禿岩?昶?吮?堋｢窶堋ｱ窶堙?陳ｾ窶堋､ﾂ人窶堙固ｽ窶凪?堙ｰﾅｽﾂｩ窶堙ｧ窶堙坂?敕｡窶敖ｻﾂ青ｸﾂ神窶堙遺?堙ｱ窶堋ｩ窶督ｳ窶堋ｵ窶堙可信窶堋ｶ窶堋ｱ窶堙樞?堙娯?堙仰（ﾂ湘寂?堋｢
 
Rocks in sea: take it to the World Court.

Oh, no. Wait, Iraq tried to do that on Kuwait accusing them of slant drilling
into their oil fields. They were rebuffed. Some other things, and then Iraq
invaded. Not that wars of agression are ok or anything, that is, attacking another without first being attacked - they are not.
But note that many were against the "new world order" war #1.

here are a few analysises.
Any similarities?
The Persian Gulf TV War by Douglas Kellner (http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/kellner.html) Chapter 1: The Road to War
http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/talks/9103-berkeley.html
 
So every country that isn't a democracy is a threat? That's the kind of thinking that started the Viet Nam war.
 
Brooker said:
So every country that isn't a democracy is a threat? That's the kind of thinking that started the Viet Nam war.
Click to expand...

Precisely.

Just for the record ... in everyone's mind ... what is "a democracy" ... and which countries truly espouse the concept ?

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?
 
A true democracy creates mob rule. Personally, that is something that I don't want. I think our representative republic has worked out just fine (despite the current kinks).

Doc
 
Doc said:
A true democracy creates mob rule. Personally, that is something that I don't want. I think our representative republic has worked out just fine (despite the current kinks).

Doc
Click to expand...

Precisely!

Enigmatic, isn't it?

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?
 
Yes, Sensuikan San it is.

Doc
 
Because . . .

bossel said:
Why this again?
Click to expand...

Well, when people talk about threats to peace and democracy, I think each country's/people's actions do need to be considered.

For example, wouldn't you consider teaching young children to be violently xenophobic towards another nation/culture to be a threat to peace?

I frequently have asked something akin to, "Why this again?" when it comes to repeated (and I do mean, repeated) criticisms of Japan that are often coupled with over the top statements such as declaring Japan a threat to peace and democracy (compared to who? the Care Bears?), or, one of my fav's, that Japan was worse that WW II (read: Nazi) Germany. Ah, yes, I so wonder, why again indeed are we set about to demonize the Japanese without considering the good in Japan or the bad that may be present in other countries (including their neighbors). Why this again, indeed . . .

Well, maybe this little link will refresh people on some of the other threats to peace and democracy in Asia. Or, maybe I could find a link about China running over its students with tanks when they protested for democracy. Then again, I am sure there is a link about North Korea's aggressive development of nuclear weapons. Hm . . .

Threat to peace and democracy? Please . . .
 
kokusu said:
Well, when people talk about threats to peace and democracy, I think each country's/people's actions do need to be considered.
Click to expand...
In a thread about "Why Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy in Asia"? Maybe you want to start a new thread for this? I wait to see your consideration of 200+ countries' actions.

Ah, yes, I so wonder, why again indeed are we set about to demonize the Japanese without considering the good in Japan or the bad that may be present in other countries (including their neighbors). Why this again, indeed . . .
Click to expand...
Demonising? In this thread?

Yep, & you are free to post related threads.
 
bossel said:
In a thread about "Why Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy in Asia"? Maybe you want to start a new thread for this?
Click to expand...

Mainly, I posted this link as counterpoint to Doc and goatz (posts #4 and #5), and as rebuttal to the thread title and to the statement, "I would even go so far as to say that Japan remains a threat to peace and prosperity in Asia." (I am not sure if this was a quote of Dr. Asano, or if this was Sukotto's own words . . . I think it was a quote).

It was nice to see that Sukotto (in talking about the U.S.), senseiman (about the U.S. and France), and even Doc (about the U.S.) pointed out that problems in journalism and government honesty are pandemic and exist in other countries as well.

But returning to my first paragraph, perhaps I was responding to just too limited a scope of statements (the thread title, and just a few posts). So, I think, I should have not said anything else at all (as I had originally intended when posting the link by itself), because lately my words seem to do more to cloud an issue than clear it.

Simply, I was trying to voice that there are other serious threats to peace and democracy that people should be aware of in Asia. I think that is a valid statement if you look at the link and consider its implications. Unless of course, Japanese elementary students are encouraged to draw pictures about gang-stomping their neighbors . . .
 
For one, I found the link posted by kokusu kind of interesting.
It was the first time I'd ever seen this type of thing.
It does bring to mind what a friend told me that Japan used
to teach their youth that resources were in China; we need to get
to China. This may have been pre-ww2.

Do keep in mind the article was written by someone from Japan.
I always encourage critics of an author's work to email them and
post their questions and replies back on the current forum.

I used to think Japan didn't have an army because their constitution
forbid it. But, I was wrong. They just called it "self-defense forces".
Well, what else is an army supposed to be for?
This was pure double-speak.
btw, the US gov't is infamous for this.


Personally I liked Japan's constitution and hadn't read it until recently.
I found it rather profound. It rejected the notion that countries had
a "right" to use war as a means of settling international disputes.
Too bad McCarthur(sp?) the US general of the occupation, didn't take
that concept back to the us and allowed president Truman to steer
the US into a premanent war-time economy, using the Russians as a
boogey-man declassified documents were to have revealed. After previous
wars the US had all but disbanded their military. If one would suggest shutting the pentagon today you'd be labeled a quack or a red- i mean
terrorist supporter. -- aaah, digression....

Basically, any country with a standing army is a threat to its neighbors.
Why do you need one? Its all ideology- the 'need' for a standing army.
And maybe some paranoia and/or hatred of thy neighbor.

Look at Costa Rica:
it has the highest literacy rate in the (and I cannot emphasize the following word and quotes enough) so-called "Third World", 94%,
and NO standing army.
 
Last edited:
I think Japanese only worship power.
when China was strong at ancient time, Japanese learned
everything from China, when Europe beat China down, Japan immediately
accepted every from Europe and rejected Chinese influence,
finally when USA defeated Japanese militarism, Japanese immediately
worship USA and do whatever USA want them to do.
So that is the conclusion:
If "Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy "
depend on whether USA is strong.
if USA becomes weak , Japan will be a Threat to Peace and Democracy.
 

Yeah, but Japan also shut out the west for 250 years after they realized what a powerful threat the European powers posed. Japan also fiercely resisted the Mongols at the height of their power in the 13th century, and spent most of the first half of the twentieth century fighting the European and American powers that dominated the globe.

Not to glorify Japan or anything, but a balanced look at Japanese history shows that the country hasn't "only worshipped power" throughout its history.
 
250 years? as I know it was 1860's that Japanese realized
the power of west when a US fleet arrived at Japanese harbor
and threatened to fire and immediately Japan began to reform
their institution.
yes, they fiercely resisted the Mongols, but if that gale
not blow and Mongols successfully landed, what would happen?
mid first half of the twentieth century, all their neighbors
were very weak, so that Japan was able to conquer them,
and got great amount of resource from them, after that Japanese
thought they were strong enough to challenge west power.
I believe most of Japanese overestimate themselves at that time,
they worshipped their own power
when they realized who was more powerful, it was too late
several millions of Japanese lost their life.
So, back to this topic, if there is no superpower gaze at Japan,
their evil ambition will resume.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
  • Poll Poll
Is Japan really a democracy?
6 7 8
Replies
198
Views
76K
Levi Ackerman
T
  • Locked
Why Other Countries Hate Japan
14 15 16
Replies
384
Views
88K
Dr. J. M.
W
Why do only few Japanese men go for Western women?
2 3
Replies
66
Views
112K
think_too_mut
C
Why Japan does not need to apologize to Korea
7 8 9
Replies
222
Views
40K
HanSolo
H
COVID-19 Coronavirus: situation in Japan
46 47 48
Replies
1K
Views
176K
salyavin
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…