On 10/19/2004 3:08 PM, Ernest Schaal wrote:

> Actually, I am not a great fan of the Chinese. For instance, I disapproved
> strongly when they booed the Japanese players at the Asian Cup, and I
> disapprove of what they have done toward Hong Kong, Tibet, and Taiwan.

I suspect that Yoshida-san was just pulling your chain when he talked 
about supposed pro-Chinese proclivities on your part. That is why I went 
along with him on his comment (to see how you would react, in other 
words). For the record, I don't think that Chinese people are more 
emotional than other nationalities or that you support Chinese positions 
in a knee-jerk fashion. And I suspect that Yoshida-san doesn't really 
think those things either.

> On the other hand, one of my pet peeves is the Japanese right-wing fanatics,
> like m.yoshida and Kaz who continue to try to white wash what the Japanese
> military did in the war, rather than apologize and move on.

I don't think it is very fair to equate someone like Yoshida-san, who 
posts using his own name and supports his arguments with reasoning and 
evidence, with a net-kook like Kaz, who no one in their right mind would 
take seriously. I also think you are mistaken if you think Yoshida-san 
wants to whitewash what the Japanese military did in the war. My 
impression is that he wants the truth to be known, but that his views on 
such issues as the apportionment of blame for WW2, for example, may 
differ from yours (or mine, for that matter).

> Look at what happened to Germany in Europe, compared to Japan in Asia. In
> Europe, Germany sincerely apologized and now is one of the few major forces
> in the EU, beating out France and UK for political power. Most of the
> animosity resulting from WWII has gone, and Germany is not accepted by its
> neighbors but is one of their leaders. On the other hand, Japan gave
> half-baked apologies, while continuing to downplay what they did, and the
> result is that citizens Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and most of
> the other countries they invaded still boil over with resentment.

The Japanese government has a serious public relations problem 
internationally, and this is certainly related to the prevailing 
domestic views on the war. My hope is that this issue will eventually go 
away of its own accord when younger generations, who have no personal 
experience of the war or its immediate aftermath, come to the fore. The 
way Japanese attitudes toward Korea (and vice versa) are changing is a 
case in point. I think there is definitely some cause for optimism.

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Scott Reynolds                                      sar@gol.com