Shameful Japan

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.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25911982

With the on-going dispute about the South China Sea, Japan has claimed the territory and written it into its teaching manuals

http://news.yahoo.com/265-anne-frank-books-vandalized-tokyo-libraries-114032676.html
Japanese are damaging Anne Frank books in Tokyo ibraries

Germany, At First it wasn't Your Fault.....

Germany’s history from the past has impacted its future greatly. In the beginning, we see a “fragmented Germany” until the reign of Napoleon in France where a sense of nationalism erupted.  One man was able to harness the power of nationalism and turn it into an abomination, which might not have happened if it wasn’t for the injustices imposed on Germany by the Allies of the First World War. The punishment Germany faced landed them in much debt which led to a crippling economy. People in a country with a bad economy lose faith in government; Hitler was able to regroup the people through nationalism. After Hitler’s demise, Germany once again had to pay reparation, but with the help of a generous American man. What Germany faces now is democracy. It has long since been under an autocratic rule, but it stands alone in the EU as the glue that keeps it together. Germany is the most stable country right now in the EU. It has come a long way from its beginnings.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2014/0209/Can-Germany-help-divided-Ukraine-find-a-middle-ground-video

France: Couldn't get things Right in the Past, Can't get things Right in the Present

France is a nation of proud people. Having been to France and meeting such arrogant people, I decided that would be the last time I visit. France is a country that is struggling, and the only income coming in is tourism (which is already low). France has been ruled by a kings, madmen, and conquerors, each of these groups failing to establish a stable country. Today we see a version of that France with a modern fling.  The French people were inspired by the American Revolution about a century later hoping that could shake the shackles of absolutism. In present day France, people still have little faith in government because for them “nothing works right”. There is a high unemployment status, retirees can no long retire, poverty is rising, and this is sending France on a [more] downward spiral.

I find it rather humorous that France gives grants to public schools in a push to teach French (where is this money coming from??). French was a language used among politics, but that era is over. Nonetheless, it is good for students to be immersed in a dual-language program

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/a-push-for-french-in-new-york-schools-from-france.html?ref=france&_r=0