I admire how a country can modernize and keep its culture, as they said after WWII "We [Japan] have to become a capitalist democracy. But we will do it our way."
Having lived in China, I
can't look at Japan the same way I used to. I noticed how differently the Germans and
Japanese handles the war crimes of the past. Some Germans feel guilty for the crimes their families committed
during World War II and the country as a whole admits to its Nazi past. The Japanese
do not feel guilty and nor do some admit to the brutalities committed on Chinese
soil (and some others). Recently, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe went to pay
respect to Japan’s war dead that included WAR CRIMINALS. Japanese are a very
patriotic and thus the Japanese are driven by shame rather than guilt, so when
a Japanese solider resurfaced after hiding on Guam his words “I am ashamed that
I have come home alive.” This is often the mentality Japanese have even today. Japanese
students have a high suicide rate because of the shame they could bring to
their families.
With the on-going dispute about the South China Sea, Japan has claimed the territory and written it into its teaching manuals
Japanese are damaging Anne Frank books in Tokyo ibraries
I really have to agree with you Gabby. There is no sense of remorse or guilt. This could be just the author's bias but I really did observe this while reading this chapter. I think the part the moved me the most is that the youth is beginning to feel the sense of guilt that most of the older generation does not feel. I hope that Japan although it is slowly reaching a decline, that it can push through this hard economic time.
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