Nippy Sweeties !
Posted by: Berlin Fritz on 15 June 2005
I found this rather enlightening, innit:-
Ever since Japan surrendered in August 1945, one of its biggest priorities has been to wriggle out of compensating war victims. (It's been greatly helped by generations of foreign correspondents who have reported from Tokyo without mentioning this historic injustice.) The contrast between Japan's treatment of war victims and Germany's is glaring. Japan has paid a mere $1bn compared to Germany's $70bn - plus, even though Imperial Japan's victims outnumbered those of the Nazis by at least three to one. Over the years whenever the
subject of Japan's war legacy arose, establishment surrogates at the tokyo press club turned the discussion into a debate about wether Japan's war apologies had been heartfelt enough. Correspondents were permitted to be as rude as they liked in parsing Tokyo's words so long as they didn't mention the compensation issue.
Then in 1997 Iris Chang published a best-seller on the Nanking massacre. Her comments finally precipitated what Tokyo had long feared; a flood of class-action lawsuits in American courts. But the lawyers were too late: most would-be claiments were dead and much evidence had dissapeared. As Tokyo had hoped, justice
delayed proved to be justice denied. The Tokyo propaganda establishment works hard to keep foriegn hacks away from the subject - you don't want to miss out on invitations to lucrative
seminars or upset Japanese advertisers, etc - and if you do "mention the war crimes", you will be harassed for the impertinence. Poor Chang died last year aged 37 in a reported suicide.
P.E. (issue 1134)
Fritz Von I remember reading this book at the time,and also how it had affected many folks perceptions after doing the same, innit
Journo's eh ?
Ever since Japan surrendered in August 1945, one of its biggest priorities has been to wriggle out of compensating war victims. (It's been greatly helped by generations of foreign correspondents who have reported from Tokyo without mentioning this historic injustice.) The contrast between Japan's treatment of war victims and Germany's is glaring. Japan has paid a mere $1bn compared to Germany's $70bn - plus, even though Imperial Japan's victims outnumbered those of the Nazis by at least three to one. Over the years whenever the
subject of Japan's war legacy arose, establishment surrogates at the tokyo press club turned the discussion into a debate about wether Japan's war apologies had been heartfelt enough. Correspondents were permitted to be as rude as they liked in parsing Tokyo's words so long as they didn't mention the compensation issue.
Then in 1997 Iris Chang published a best-seller on the Nanking massacre. Her comments finally precipitated what Tokyo had long feared; a flood of class-action lawsuits in American courts. But the lawyers were too late: most would-be claiments were dead and much evidence had dissapeared. As Tokyo had hoped, justice
delayed proved to be justice denied. The Tokyo propaganda establishment works hard to keep foriegn hacks away from the subject - you don't want to miss out on invitations to lucrative
seminars or upset Japanese advertisers, etc - and if you do "mention the war crimes", you will be harassed for the impertinence. Poor Chang died last year aged 37 in a reported suicide.
P.E. (issue 1134)
Fritz Von I remember reading this book at the time,and also how it had affected many folks perceptions after doing the same, innit
Journo's eh ?
Don't really matter anymore though does it, Till the next time. eh ? 
YUP
quote:Originally posted by domfjbrown:quote:Originally posted by Berlin Fritz:
Over the years whenever the
subject of Japan's war legacy arose, establishment surrogates at the tokyo press club turned the discussion into a debate about wether Japan's war apologies had been heartfelt enough.
I'd have thought Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been punishment enough for what they did, and would have helped counter the need to fork out $£$£$£$£ in compensation. Your world looks a bit different when it's been obliterated by a mushroom cloud.
Things move on - and as others have said, a lot of greed helps people forget.
Berlin etc got slightly flattened too actually. Families of ex- property owners from pre GDR days are still winning cases here (Jewish & Non Jewish) I fgeel the modern Germany ias still very keen to prove their sheet spotless, and I'm bloody proud of the fact actually (in respect of me living here that is) , unlike Brits etc I know in Japan, who are basically there only for the fast/big dosh, innit.
Fritz Von The bomb aspects are irellevant as far as I'm concerned, try reading Chang's book it's contemporary
Just for the record, my own personal contact with Japanese people has been very enjoyable, they are extremely polite, considerate, and bloody hillarious when they've had a wee dram or two (it doesn't take a lot fortunately.)
Fritz Von Their Sociéty's seemomgly falling apart though, innit
Fritz Von Their Sociéty's seemomgly falling apart though, innit
Good for you ! are you working for a Japanese concern (on the Japanese net) speaking daily Japanese (not English-teaching-surviving etc) and paying Japanese tax etc, with no other connections (including obviously so-called Diplomatic/Military) ? , then if yes, you are different to the people I referred too earlier, and you command my greatest respect, if you are there on holiday, good luck to you too.
Fritz Von Maybe you are an NGO-Charity worker, or even Akiko Domoto herself ?
Fritz Von Maybe you are an NGO-Charity worker, or even Akiko Domoto herself ?
quote:Originally posted by Deane F:
This is the sort of thing you usually insert into a thread about mountain bikes or Minoltas. What inspired you to give it a thread of its own?
I'd say the media is responsible for a hell of a lot more than most people think - both good and bad.
To which 'media' do you refer old Deane, I mean bean, The Free Press, or The Press Corps ?
Do you really think that's Wise Sir ? 