Japanese Broadcast Official: We Didn’t Commit War Crimes, the U.S. Just Made That Up

[bananas]

Source: Time

In the clearest signal yet of U.S. unhappiness with the rightward tilt of Japan’s political leadership — and by extension, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — the U.S. embassy in Tokyo has strongly condemned charges by a top official at Japan’s national public broadcaster that Americans fabricated war crimes against Japanese leaders during World War II in order to cover up American atrocities.

“These suggestions are preposterous. We hope that people in positions of responsibility in Japan and elsewhere would seek to avoid comments that inflame tensions in the region,” an embassy spokesman told TIME early on Friday.

The charges were made this week by Naoki Hyakuta, a nationalist writer and close friend of Abe, who was recently appointed to the board of governors of the Japan Broadcasting Corp., commonly known as NHK.

In campaign speeches on behalf of a far-right candidate for the governorship of Tokyo, Hyakuta claimed that the infamous Nanjing Massacre in 1937 never occurred, and that Americans staged the postwar trials of Japanese leaders to cover up U.S. war crimes. He said those crimes included the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the mass firebombings of Tokyo.

<snip>

Read more: http://world.time.com/2014/02/07/japanese-nhk-officials-world-war-ii/

[PinkTiger]

1. I'm not sure I disagree with Hyakuta

On principle, what we did in dropping the A-Bomb was over the top. But then I wasn't there and I'm not going to second guess our military of 1945.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

9. Are you nuts? Dropping the A-bomb saved more lives than can be determined.

If we invaded the home islands, estimates were that the losses would be to Japanese to every American, with a million American lives lost. Okinawa proved that the Japanese would fight behind every blade of grass, rock, tree, stick and stump they could.

Add to the fact that the Japanese figured out where the invasion would come from and already had enough ammo and supplies to cause horrific loss of life. . .what is this crap? 2014 we feel guilty for what happened?

THEY BOMBED us in 1937 when they razed Nanjing to the ground, then attacked us on Dec. 7th.

A-bomb was overkill? Japan wanted that war. They got it. War sucks, but they got what they wanted.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. "saving lives" is debatable. Pink Tiger's denial of history is not. nt

[pangaia]

26. I am not sure I understand how the Japanese 'bombed us' in 1937.

I am not deeply familiar with Chinese history in the 1st half of the 20th Century.
I have read "Soong Dynasty", "The Man Who Loved China," and am now reading "Shanghai 1937."

My wife, who is Chinese and was born during the Cultural Revolution, and I watched the 3-4 part documentary (was it produced by the BBC?) on Chinese history during the mid 20th Century. She felt it was quite accurate. Obviously she could fully understand the narration whereas I could understand only parts of it and had to mostly follow the English sub-titles.

In 1937 Nanjing was the Chinese capital and Jiang Jieshi had his headquarters there. After the Japanese 'finished' with Shanghai they moved on to Nanjing and... well we know what happened.

Obviously I am NO authority on 20th Century Chinese history, but how was what the Japanese did to Nanjing an attack on the US?

Ah, it is all so gloriously muddled. The Germans (rather right-wingers) were advising the Chinese against the Japanese and supporting Jiang..a right winger if ever there was one.. we were supporting him.. the Russians were 'sort of' supporting Mao Zedong..and on and on it goes.

Anyway. I am certainly open to learning more about the events of this period..

[eShirl]

29. (His profile states he resides in China.) n/t

[Nanjing to Seoul]

32. During the siege of of Nanjing, the Japanese Air Force bombed the USS Pinay

This ship displayed all American colors.

The Japanese attacked it, bombed it, then when the American sailors made it to shore, fired on them from an elevated position, killing and wounding them.

The Japanese then said it was an accident and they did not see the LARGE American Flag at the top of the ship.

So, in 1937, the Japanese attacked the US.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

33. Actually, Stalin thought Mao was a boob and his "peasants army" was foolish

During the Civil War, Stalin hedged his bets. He promised Mao support if he won, but gave arms to Jiang Jieshi.

This area of Chinese history I know cold!

[caraher]

11. That's a red herring anyway

Nobody denies we dropped the bomb (twice). We can reasonably argue the ethics of that, but it's an accepted fact.

But these ultra-nationalists deserve no sympathy or credibility when they deny their own nation's crimes. Had we developed the bomb earlier and dropped it on Germany, would you say you agreed with a modern German who claimed that the US and its allies made up the Holocaust?

[Laelth]

14. +1. n/t

-Laelth

[7962]

21. Amazing how many Holocaust deniers there ARE out there. nt

[PinkTiger]

37. I'm not denying anything.

What I said was, we did drop the bombs. Maybe for good reason. I wasn't around then. But we did do that. I know the atrocities committed by the japanese and the Germans and others happened. And those were war crimes. I'm just saying that killing all those innocents in the process of dropping the bomb was similar in some respects; we did similar bombings, although not nuclear, in Germany. Dresden. Hamburg.
My point was a philosophical one; not a political one.

And I'm not stupid, people. Give me a break. All I did was comment.

[kristopher]

51. Would you like to try to find images of Dresden and Tokyo after the fire bombings?

I doubt you'll find many photos of victims, however, since most were completely incinerated.

The "firebombing" technique we used was a very innovative approach to destruction of civilian population centers. The first wave of bombers flew over and laid down a circle that defined the area to be destroyed. Successive waves of bombers laid down two Xs so that it formed a starlike pattern *.

This created an updraft which sucked the ring of fire into the center, destroying everything combustable within the circle - including virtually all humans. Naturally women and children were not exempted.

You are completely off base with your hyperbolic response to Pink Tiger's remarks. They serve one function - to ACCEPT responsibility for what we did. In no way can any fair reading find in them the denial you are claiming.

As reprehensible as the Japanese actions were, they are not an excuse or a way to avoid responsibility for our own acts of barbarity.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

56. Dresden was a military target.

Germans invented firebombing. Remember Guernica? So, they wanted their war like the Japanese. THEY GOT IT!!!

As for Tokyo. . .most of Tokyo was wood and paper build. So it went up fast due to material. Again. . .Japan had no problems doing it to China. Or to us as well. They wanted that war! THEY GOT IT!!!

And again, nice revisionism.

[kristopher]

60. Neither Dresden nor Tokyo were *legitimate* military targets.

Your assertion is absurd on its face.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. It's about Japanese denying Rape of Nanking & POW treatment, etc. Not about A-bomb. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. Deny this:

Here are a huge number of images from the Japanese "Rape of Nanking": a simple Google image search. Warning: very disturbing.

Here's a long article for you to read up more on history. Then tell us if you still agree with Hyakuta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre

Go ahead, try to deny that.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

48. It's a nice article. . .slim on actual data and very sanitized

When you spend the amount of time I did at the Pit of 10,000 Corpses, revisionism gets to you.

[24601]

39. The decision was the President's and his alone. Interestingly enough, as VP. Truman was not briefed

into the program and didn't find out until after FDR died.

https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=2&documentid=5&documentdate=1945-07-30&studycollectionid=abomb&groupid=

[bananas]

2. Naoki Hyakuta says Japan was lured into the Second World War by America while liberating Asia from w

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-japans-bbc-is-rewriting-its-role-in-second-world-war-9115827.html

How Japan’s ‘BBC’ is rewriting its role in Second World War

DAVID MCNEILL TOKYO Friday 07 February 2014

Naoki Hyakuta says Japan was lured into the Second World War by America while liberating Asia from white colonialism.

He denies war crimes such as the 1937 Nanjing massacre, when Japanese troops killed thousands of Chinese civilians. Such views are common among revisionists in Japan. Mr Hyakuta, however, sits on the board of the nation’s public service broadcaster.

NHK has annual revenue of more than $6bn (£3.7bn), putting it close to the BBC. Like the British broadcaster, it is obliged to be impartial and aloof from the political fray, so the company is under intense fire for the extraordinary views of four its governors, all reportedly handpicked by the right-wing Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. The 12-member board controls programming policy and budgets.

<snip>

It's on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1xbqcp/how_japans_bbc_is_rewriting_its_role_in_second/

submitted 5 hours ago by YellowCurtains
1286 comments

Thanks to Kablooie for bringing it up: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=84543

[cvoogt]

10. colonialism had nothing to do with it

except as a cover for obtaining steel and oil for their fast-growing empire.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

49. Yes. Replace white "masters" with "Japanese" masters.

I wonder how the Filipinos felt with that. Or the Singaporeans.

The Burmese welcomed the Japanese. The Vietnamese didn't.

[kristopher]

53. I'm guessing you aren't very familiar with the global history of colonialism.

It was an issue the Japanese had shaped Japanese cultural development since Perry sailed the Black Ships into Tokyo Bay in 1853. It wasn't something that began with the Japanese expansion into Korea.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

57. Oh Jesus Christ, buddy. I'm a World History teacher getting a PhD in Chinese History

You are dismissed.

[kristopher]

58. I pity your students then.

Your comments show a complete lack of objectivity and a woeful lack of basic knowledge of the subject on which you profess to be an authority.

Others have also studied the era in great detail.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

61. Go away. I have no interest in debating revisionists like you who insult my teaching ability

and my knowledge of a subject I am an authority on.

In fact, you're ignored. I have no interest in your ad hominem attacks.

[former9thward]

62. You insult other posters then get mad when you are insulted.

Classic. Do you do that in class?

[kristopher]

63. I think we have the answer to that already

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014722003#post59

[freshwest]

3. Word.

[Lasher]

4. Japan was working on their own nuclear weapon that they would have used against us if they could.

Their nuclear research facility was destroyed in the March 1945 firebombing of Tokyo.

[psychopomp]

17. I studied under one of the men involved in one of the A-bomb projects

Toshiyuki Toyoda told us that their conclusion, after being ordered to look into the feasibility of harnessing the power of the atom for a weapon, was that it couldn't be done.

Anyway, it turns out that there were two parallel projects, not just one. Neither knew of the existence of the other.

While the use of the A-bomb was a horrific tragedy, the entire war was a horrific tragedy on a scale never seen before or since. I think it's difficult for us to apprehend the state of mind that people were in during that period.

Whether the dropping of the bombs was the critical turning point that ended the war or not, Operation Downfall would have brought about suffering on a scale much, much worse.

[Lasher]

38. Was Professor Toyoda associated with the Navy's F-Go Project?

I appreciate this opportunity to communicate with one of Toyoda's students.

I knew of the two separate Japanese projects, but just mentioned the one that was probably closest to success. The two projects were supported by the army and navy, whose leaders did not get along well. It was the Army's Ni-Go Project that was destroyed in the Tokyo firebombing I mentioned.

Navy's F-Go Project formed a Committee on Research. I'm guessing Toyoda might have been a member of that Committee. They concluded that an atomic bomb was feasible but probably could not be developed before the end of the war. They might have been even further along than the Ni-Go Project, however. There is unconfirmed suspicion that a test detonation was planned, and perhaps even successfully conducted, in northern Korea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_nuclear_weapon_program#Ni-Go_Project

I have recently seen an interesting TV documentary about Japan's WWII nuclear weapons program but I can't remember specifically where right now. Either the History Channel or the Military Channel, I think.

[kevinbgoode1]

5. This is just so typically right-wing crap

They don't like their history, so they rewrite it. I'm sorry, but there seems to be plenty of documentation of Japanese atrocities during World War II, and the Americans (and others) who suffered under their rule.

This doesn't dismiss the horrific death and damage caused by the use of the atomic bombs, but I'm not going to second-guess President Truman's decision - nor venture into attempting to guesstimate the number of American casualties if we had been required to invade the home islands. It should be noted that the U.S., Britain, China, Australia and NZ were pretty much the only fighting forces against the Japanese - the Soviets stalled until just before the end of the war.

Just like the GOP is in denial of the history of this country, the right wing in Japan seems to be in denial of their own history. No one likes to admit that they were a party to genocide (including the U.S.) but to outright deny it is an outrage against the people on both sides who died (mostly innocently) at the hands of this brutal war.

Now, in many ways I'm all in favor of Japan rearming - let them pay for their own defense. One of my peeves is how much we spend for bases in other countries (many of whom have luxuries like universal health care) while being told at home that we can't afford to do a damned thing for the American people except to put more money into the pockets of the corporations who profit off the warmongering.

It seems like war in this country has always been about increasing the profits of big business at the expense of American lives.

[Laelth]

16. Well said. n/t

-Laelth

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. +1. That's worthy of adding to your journal. nt

[kristopher]

31. Yes it is typical RW crap; but your opinions are also redolent of US rightist mythology.

This doesn't dismiss the horrific death and damage caused by the use of the atomic bombs, but I'm not going to second-guess President Truman's decision - nor venture into attempting to guesstimate the number of American casualties if we had been required to invade the home islands. It should be noted that the U.S., Britain, China, Australia and NZ were pretty much the only fighting forces against the Japanese - the Soviets stalled until just before the end of the war.

Why would you not second-guess Truman's decision? How is that different than a Japanese not recognizing the Rape of Nanjing?

We have a tremendous amount of historical evidence about the will and ability of the Japanese to continue the fight - and it is unequivocal that they were ready to surrender. We also have a huge body of historical evidence about the state of knowledge our leaders possessed on the Japanese willingness to surrender. Truman knew they were ready to surrender.

Dropping the bomb on a center of population was primarily a message to the Soviets and only secondarily a part of the war against Japan since the same outcome vis-a-vis the Japanese could have been obtained by either just waiting a short time while their internal dynamics followed the clear path they were on towards surrender; or at most dropping the bomb somewhere like Tokyo Bay as a demonstration.

The Cold War was already in progress. The Soviets didn't just "stall" - they timed their entry to enable them to lay claim to Japanese held territory the same way they had installed themselves in Germany and Eastern Europe.

As for the Japanese rearming - I can understand that point of view, but the economics argument is false. They more than pay for what they are getting. I say "more than pay" because they not only reimburse us for our expenses in maintaining troops there, but the facilities they pay for are much better than what the US would pay for if we were not being reimbursed.

I don't like the US role of 'world police", but an exception to that general rule is the Japanese. We assumed a special role in return for a unique contribution on their part towards future efforts to deter war - the Peace Constitution is a unique experiment I'd hate to see fail. It is already crumbling because of rightwing pressure to spend money on their "Self Defense" force but even as a shadow of its intent it is still a remarkable achievement.

[davidpdx]

6. I bet Abe will find away to get around condoning what this guy said

I know here in Korea that's going to cause some serious anger given what the Japanese did during their occupation.

[Kablooie]

40. It seems Abe got the NHK management fired and put in RW cronies.

The guy is Abe's man and Abe wants the NHK to become Japan's Fox News, a propaganda arm for the militaristic right.

I personally love Japan but the horrible old WWII mentality is still there under the surface and will escape if the world isn't careful.

[edbermac]

7. And the Holocaust never happened either.

More denier garbage.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

8. Are you fucking kidding me???

Last edited Sat Feb 8, 2014, 05:13 AM - Edit history (1)

The Japanese imperial army used China as a guinea pig for forced sex, target practice and medical experiments.

The Jiangxi-Zhejiang campaign is a good example. 2.5 million Chinese people died protecting 56 American pilots.

The Rape of Nanking has been verified from Japanese, foreign and Chinese sources! I worked at the Rape of Nanking museum on Shuei Xi Men Da Jie for two years. Life under the Wang Jing Wei government during and after the Rape of Nanking is the basis of my dissertation!

Give me ten minutes with these people. . .I'd make them cry historically.

Then I'll show them a photo of my wife's great grandmother. . .the one that was gang raped by eight Japanese soldiers outside of Changzhou in 1938 and left in a mud filled ditch for dead.

On edit: My wife just read the article. Her response: "操他们的他妈的妈妈。 他妈的傻逼." Translated: "Fuck their fucking mothers. Fucking assholes." And the fact this is coming out of a danty, quiet little Chinese woman shows you how much this shit still bothers the people of China.

[Paladin]

22. +1. Well said. (nt)

[mdbl]

12. Just goes to show you

The only thing we have done wrong was show other countries how to lie and propagandize their own people. This Japanese Rush Dumbaugh will gain a cult following and become a huge nuisance until his followers infiltrate their government and start doing all kinds of crazy crap. Sound familiar?

[madrchsod]

13. Unit 731....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

the us military let the guy who ran this camp because he had the codes to the findings of the experiments. the only country to prosecute the japanese were the russians.

the rape of nanking was`t a war crime?

[7962]

23. Not quite right; the Allies did prosecute several Japanese and 7 were executed.

There was a Nuremburg-style procedure. It was called the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. It may not have had the same amount of guilty parties, but many of the higher ranking Japanese also killed themselves as the war wound down. More of the Germans were left to go after.
This doesnt take away from your point about Unit 731, though. Horrible things they did there.

[Stainless]

52. My uncle guarded Japanese War Criminals in Japan after the war ended

He, didn't like to talk about his military service so I never really had an opportunity to discuss his experiences or knowledge of what occurred. Unfortunately, he passed away 4 years ago after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years.

[madrchsod]

64. thanks...

the special i watched a few years ago did`t mention this.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

24. Oh. . .yes. THat's the medical experimentation in Dongbei

Unit 731.

[GP6971]

25. Abe and his cronies are pissing off

a lot of people in the region......raising tension in an area that is already too tense.

[enki23]

27. So, Japan has their own Glenn Beck.

Let's hope he and those like him are less successful in their revisionism than ours have been.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

34. Every society has trolls.

[Kablooie]

41. But Japan's Becks are doing this with the governments blessing.

Abe is responsible for putting this guy in charge of NHK.

[Stuart G]

28. This is dumber than Chris Christie..

Coming from an official at a leading Japanese broadcasting company.

To inflame the area, is beyond dumb, beyond stupid

It would be similar to the head of PBS coming out and saying that their was never any abuse of Native Americans by the U.S government in the history of the U.S.A. ............that is how dumb this is....

I had heard that the Japanese are not particularly well liked in Asia, due to what they did to their neighbors during WWII. To bring this up now, is incredible

(contrast these idiotic statements with behavior of post German government in making restitution to survivors and totally accepting responsibility for the atrocities, like saying, yes, we were wrong, we take responsibility)

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

30. Typical use of stirred up nationalism to divert attention from internal problems.

How many times have we seen this in how many countries?

[kristopher]

35. +1

[mackerel]

36. The Filipinos I live and work with have very

strong opinions of what the Japanese did to them during the war.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

50. Ask them about Manila in 1945.

And about the church and the Priest brothers.

[Dawson Leery]

42. "Traditional" cultures are usually filled with ignorance and militant

defenses of atrocities.

I never had any preference for traditional Japanese culture.

[DallasNE]

43. The "Tea Party" Of Japan

Sounds an awful lot like our own Tea Party where truth is an enemy rather than simply the truth. Denying the Nanjing Massacre is like denying the Holocaust -- yes some deny that too. This is sure to flame tensions with China so it is a loser all around.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0LEVz6bZfZScGkAqGlXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0azVjbjgxBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM0M18x?_adv_prop=image&fr=mcsaoffblock&va=Nanjing+massacre

And it is not like Pearl Harbor didn't happen or does he deny that as well.

[valerief]

44. Why would we believe anything ANY right winger anywhere says? nt

[EC]

45. What would be the point of going

through all this now? Isn't everyone involved in anything from that time pretty much gone?

[sakabatou]

47. Bullshit on one of the highest orders!

[OregonBlue]

54. A Japanese Teabagger!!

[RandySF]

55. Believe it or not, many Japanese actually believe this.

It's not in school textbooks so they are blissfully ignorant.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

59. The Japanese exchange student my parents had 15 years ago came home crying

saying her history teacher said bad things about Japan and began to relate the Rape of Nanking.

When I tried to show her with all the evidence I had at the time that the teacher was right, she screamed "Japan could never do something like that to China. It's all lies" and ran out of the living room.

[rafeh1]

65. live by the sword

Last edited Mon Feb 10, 2014, 06:19 PM - Edit history (2)

Japan and Nazi Germany both lived by the sword and they died by it.

Both committed war crimes and so did USA. Only Japan/Germany did it first.