Scott Reynolds wrote:

> On 7/8/2003 10:43 PM, Eric Takabayashi wrote:
>
> > Scott Reynolds wrote:
> >
> >>On 7/8/2003 10:16 PM, Eric Takabayashi wrote:
> >>
> >>>Why is it not simple for a textbook to give a factual account of what happened in Asia at the
> >>>hands of the Japanese? Why can they simply not acknowledge the existence of the comfort women or
> >>>atrocities committed, even if say, they cannot find an acceptable figure?
> >>
> >>I thought that stuff was mentioned
> >
> > "Some" of that stuff if any.
>
> So in that case it's not being ignored.

There are textbooks now completely purged of references such as to the comfort women. And if people
aren't being taught it and they don't know it, yes it is being ignored.

> >>in (some of) the textbooks. So what's
> >>the problem?
> >
> > More is necessary. And the teachers also need to actually present it in class so the children know.
>
> How much would satisfy you? If the Japanese history textbook devotes,
> say, six pages to WW2,

If schools are going to spend weeks on just the A Bombing or Battle of Okinawa, devoting entire school
events or class study trips to them, it suggests that more material and time are needed for WWII
history, period.

> how many should be reserved for talking about the
> Rape of Nanking, the comfort women, the Bataan Death March, the Rape of
> Manila, the Sacking of Singapore, the Bridge on the River Kwai, the
> Mistreatment of Okinawan Civilians, and how generally badly Japan
> behaved more than half a century ago? Three pages?

If you are insisting on six pages, why yes, three to balance it out against tales of Japanese suffering,
would be fair.

> Five? Five and a half?
>
> The fact is that such classes do not go into much detail about *any*
> period of Japanese history. Why should they suddenly zero in on WW2 in
> order to give the kids a politically motivated guilt trip?

I could ask the same about the politically motivated instilled victim mindset by focusing the bombing of
Hiroshima, and why it is the focus of "peace" studies here, at the cost of perhaps every other
historical event or issue.

Because WWII is so important to Japan's history, is why it should be studied more.

It is not a politically motivated guilt trip. It is merely the truth, just like when American kids are
required to study slavery and American social problems, in much more than six pages. Perhaps they devote
entire semesters to such study.