masayuki yoshida wrote:
> <http://tinyurl.com/jac2> says:
> 
> <<Germany has now regained the trust of her neighbours while Japan continues to invite
> suspicion from Asia.
> 
> In 1987, Japan shamelessly moved their war criminals' momorials (sic) into Yasukuni
> Shinto shrine to be worshipped as national heros (sic). In July 1996, the Japanese Prime
> Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto broke a decade long taboo by visiting shrine honoring these
> war criminals. The Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic party and right wingers even
> incorporated the worship as the national policy that the cabinet ministers should
> officially pay tribute to the shrine.
> 
> The Japanese constitution bans "land, sea and air forces, as well as other war
> potential." Yet, because of the wonders of constitutional interpretation and encouraged
> by United State, Japan has now built its self-defense forces into one of the most
> powerful armies in Asia, supported by the equivalent of US $50 billion military budget,
> second or third largest in the world only after that of the United States, and probably
> Russia. From 1985 to 1994 Japan's military spending increased 58 % as Europe and US
> decreased theirs. For example, Germany decreased their military spending by 24.7 %. In
> contrast, Japanese military spending in 1994 was 44.6 billions in exceess (sic) of 61.1
> % compared to China's spending of only 27.68 billions. Japan was the number 1 in the
> world spent $76,500 per military personnel which was 4.4% more than U.S.
> 
> German leaders consistantly (sic) apologize for their past aggression in the clearest
> possible terms. Former Chancellor Willy Brandt once even fell to his knees at the site
> of the Warsaw Ghetto in the tribute with the utmost sincerity to those who died there at
> the Nazi hands.
> 
> In Germany, it is a Crime to utter what is called "the Auschwitz lie" - denial of the
> death camps. For more than five decades, the Japanese have danced and dodged around the
> edges of their war Crimes and atrocities.
> 
> Germany has made generous acts of atonement and has paid 88 billions Mark in
> compensation and reparations to Jewish Holocaust victums (sic) and will spend another 20
> billions Mark by 2005. Yet, Japan has virtually paid nothing and continues to maintain
> an innocence that contracts vividly with Germany's profound self-examination.
> 
> Also in contrast, the United States has compensated Japanese held in WWII internment
> camps with $20,000 each. Similar compensation was also given to the Candian (sic)
> Japanese by the Canadian government few years ago.
> 
> The constant reminders of the atrocities of Germany's Nazi regime is now recognized as a
> major preventive measure against the revival of Nazism in Germany. The annual
> commemoration of the victims of Hiroshima provides a strong basis for the resistance to
> the dangerous of nuclear wars. To bring attention to the Ugliest War Crimes against
> Humanity in 20th century committed by Japan can prevent the current resurgence of
> Militarism in Japan and anywhere in the world as well.
> 
> If Japan wants to play a larger political role in the World or to secure a permanent
> seat on the UN Security Concil (sic), Japan MUST settle its past. Simply adopting a "No
> War Resolution" after half century denial without a formal sincere apology to the
> victims during the War, Japan missed again a golden opportunity to reconcil (sic) with
> its neighbours. Denial will not make the past go away. Only by facing the truth of
> history with courage as Germany, can Japan bring the wounds of war to a final closure.
> Until this is done, Japan remains as a country without SOUL.>>
> 
> Although I don't agree with all claim of the above simple comparison of Japan and
> Germany, but it would be interesting to discuss the reason why the two nations seemingly
> show quite different attitudes toward their responsibility for what they did in their
> modern war times.
> 
> Masayuki
> 


I would say from all that I read that though the Japanese didn't have 
the "Mass Production" mentality to murder, some of the individual 
atrocities they committed were just as bad as the Nazis and some of them 
even worse <ManChuKuo (sorry if misspelled) comes to mind with the 
"medical experiments" they conducted on the Manchurians.>
The Japanese have never really admitted they did anything wrong and I've 
seen posts stating that the "Rape of Nanj/king was a perfectly fine 
thingh since it ocurrered in the context of a war (of aggression, mind 
you) and that since some women and children defended themselves they 
derserved to die. I am totally infatuated with Japan but this stuff 
drives me crazy. Also don't forget the comlplete denial of "Comfort 
Women". Getting on the US about the bomb (or the camps) and conviently 
forgetting about your on <*worse*> actions is disgusting. I can't stand 
all this crap, but I still love Japan <as one could love a nation>. They 
also never compensated the American slaves they used. Their racist 
<maybe more properly "xenophobic"> attitude is enough to drive any 
non-KKK member bonkers sometimes *but they mean well*.
Also you CAN compare them in this sort of situation. How can anyone say 
that they have handled it better than Germany? It does't hurt Japan's 
case that they went after mostly "yellow" people and in effect mad the 
Racist West able to "forget" about these crime against humanity. Have 
the Japanese even decided they are human or are they still of better 
breeding than us? Anyways this is long enough. These sort of things 
really get my blood boiling. I would still Japan isn't evil in its 
racism, but nowhere is perfect. Low crime and high stnadared of living 
must be worth something.



-- 
"The power of [a] man...as soon as he aquires the title of master, 
becomes abusive and unreasonable"
- Etienne de la Boetie "The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude"