The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Rape Of Nanking: Japan has never even apologized

Danger Dave · August 24, 1999, 01:10 PM

In school, the Japanese are only taught about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They aren't taught about their aggression against the rest of Asia in their drive to form the "Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere", or even that they attacked us first. They're only taught that the US nuked them. Yes, it was horrific, but I've never heard anyone of the "we shouldn't have A-bombed them" school of thought say that they thought the Japanese wouldn't have A-bombed us if they developed it first. We were at war, after all.

I lost 1 uncle to a Japanese sniper on Iwo, weeks after the fighting was over. I have another who was still fighting the Japanese in the Philipines in 1946 - 6 months after the surrender! They were perfectly willing to sacrifice their lives just to slow down the American advance or take an American life after the battle was over - how could we expect them to surrender? From the perspective of the military, it must have looked like annihilation was the only way to win.

Not to mention the fact that the Soviets were beginning preparations for an assault on Japan (they had already fought the Japanese in Korea). Ask an old Berliner about the "kindness" of a conquering Soviet army. They could be every bit as brutal as the Japanese, if they were left unleashed.

BTW, I don't think the A-bomb was any worse than the bombing of Dresden, and that was done with conventional bombs. And more lives were lost in the fire-bombing of Tokyo than in the A-bomb attacks.

If the Japanese view of war is so different from ours, why is it so unacceptable for them to teach about the crimes of their army? I mean, if Nanking was a crime in their view, why not admit it? Or do they believe they did nothing wrong? And, if their view is so different, what is their problem with us using the atomic bombs on them? It's all warfare, right? If they did nothing wrong at Nanking, how can they consider Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be unjust? It just sounds like the old victimizer claiming to be the victim to me.

I remember seeing riots in Korea a few years ago. It seems a Japanese ambassador referred to the invasion of Korea as a "friendly annexation." The film was kind of funny - lots of Koreans standing outside the Japanese embassy yelling, then an elderly gentlemen stepped up to the police line and threw a rock at the building. You could see the police (S. Korean police have plenty of experience in riot-control) smiling and saying something to him. I always figured it was something like "Now sir, you can't be throwing rocks at the embassy. There's a bunch of bricks over there..."

Would the Japanese have A-bombed us? Some historians are claiming they were probably 6-12 months from developing their own from research done mostly in Korea.

"It's foolish to die with a sword still in it's sheath." - Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings (paraphrased - I don't have the book handy)

Ivan: I wouldn’t believe too much of what David Irving says. The man is a Nazi and much of his writing is done to defend Nazism and the Third Reich. I am saying this from personal experience – I have met him & heard him speak. He is full of talk about the “international Jewish conspiracy” and how Hitler never knew about the Holocaust, and it couldn’t have been six million, and there really weren’t gas chambers, etc. When I met him, he brought 2 people with him – a reporter friend recognized them as leaders of the KKK (he had interviewed one of them before). An Englishman who’s been kicked out of Canada for espousing his racist philosophy, and has spoken at Neo-Nazi rallies in Germany and shows up with two Georgia KKK leaders talking about an international Jewish conspiracy – the irony almost made me laugh. Before he started speaking, Irving said that there had been protestors last time he had spoken (at Berkley, I think) & that the protestors consisted of “Jews and lesbians – you know, scum.” His words. Just wanted you to know the facts about this “historian”. You’d be better served reading William Manchester (I recommend “The Arms of Krupp”) or Stephen Ambrose.

August 24, 1999, 01:10 PM	#16
Danger Dave Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 1999 Location: Dallas, GA, USA Posts: 791	In school, the Japanese are only taught about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They aren't taught about their aggression against the rest of Asia in their drive to form the "Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere", or even that they attacked us first. They're only taught that the US nuked them. Yes, it was horrific, but I've never heard anyone of the "we shouldn't have A-bombed them" school of thought say that they thought the Japanese wouldn't have A-bombed us if they developed it first. We were at war, after all. I lost 1 uncle to a Japanese sniper on Iwo, weeks after the fighting was over. I have another who was still fighting the Japanese in the Philipines in 1946 - 6 months after the surrender! They were perfectly willing to sacrifice their lives just to slow down the American advance or take an American life after the battle was over - how could we expect them to surrender? From the perspective of the military, it must have looked like annihilation was the only way to win. Not to mention the fact that the Soviets were beginning preparations for an assault on Japan (they had already fought the Japanese in Korea). Ask an old Berliner about the "kindness" of a conquering Soviet army. They could be every bit as brutal as the Japanese, if they were left unleashed. BTW, I don't think the A-bomb was any worse than the bombing of Dresden, and that was done with conventional bombs. And more lives were lost in the fire-bombing of Tokyo than in the A-bomb attacks. If the Japanese view of war is so different from ours, why is it so unacceptable for them to teach about the crimes of their army? I mean, if Nanking was a crime in their view, why not admit it? Or do they believe they did nothing wrong? And, if their view is so different, what is their problem with us using the atomic bombs on them? It's all warfare, right? If they did nothing wrong at Nanking, how can they consider Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be unjust? It just sounds like the old victimizer claiming to be the victim to me. I remember seeing riots in Korea a few years ago. It seems a Japanese ambassador referred to the invasion of Korea as a "friendly annexation." The film was kind of funny - lots of Koreans standing outside the Japanese embassy yelling, then an elderly gentlemen stepped up to the police line and threw a rock at the building. You could see the police (S. Korean police have plenty of experience in riot-control) smiling and saying something to him. I always figured it was something like "Now sir, you can't be throwing rocks at the embassy. There's a bunch of bricks over there..." Would the Japanese have A-bombed us? Some historians are claiming they were probably 6-12 months from developing their own from research done mostly in Korea. "It's foolish to die with a sword still in it's sheath." - Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings (paraphrased - I don't have the book handy) Ivan: I wouldn’t believe too much of what David Irving says. The man is a Nazi and much of his writing is done to defend Nazism and the Third Reich. I am saying this from personal experience – I have met him & heard him speak. He is full of talk about the “international Jewish conspiracy” and how Hitler never knew about the Holocaust, and it couldn’t have been six million, and there really weren’t gas chambers, etc. When I met him, he brought 2 people with him – a reporter friend recognized them as leaders of the KKK (he had interviewed one of them before). An Englishman who’s been kicked out of Canada for espousing his racist philosophy, and has spoken at Neo-Nazi rallies in Germany and shows up with two Georgia KKK leaders talking about an international Jewish conspiracy – the irony almost made me laugh. Before he started speaking, Irving said that there had been protestors last time he had spoken (at Berkley, I think) & that the protestors consisted of “Jews and lesbians – you know, scum.” His words. Just wanted you to know the facts about this “historian”. You’d be better served reading William Manchester (I recommend “The Arms of Krupp”) or Stephen Ambrose.