The Logic Off Topic list

>> I have known dozens of Japanese, and they usually feel
>> that they were victims and feel sorry for themselves.
>
>I wonder what ages or background they have, because the friends I have,
>mostly 30's, in the music biz, are well aware of Japan's behavior during
>WW-II (and other events that we usually don't hear about), and accept that
>they're responsible, while understanding that the government has to keep
>some 'face'.

I have spoken to many Japanese over the last 12 years - from 25 - 40 
years old both here in the states and in Japan. Sometimes they bring it 
up jokingly "please don't drop atomic bomb on us again", but many times 
they get very self-righteous that really didn't do anything wrong. They 
don't believe that crap about atrocities on a scale grander than the 
Nazis. Japanese professors and teachers have lobbied to tell the whole 
truth but the government resists. I was in a bookstore (in the US) and 
showed a Japanese teacher friend a map of Japans conquests and she was 
amazed. Japanese feel they were 'forced' to attack Pearl Harbor, because 
we wouldn't sell them more oil and scrap metal - out of protest for the 
Chinese they were killing wholesale.

Sometimes they express minor regret about the war. However, part of this 
is their culture to apologize whether they mean it or not.

Lets just be glad that is all behind us. This current wave of 
anti-Americanism (on this list) reminds me of some of the comic books I 
saw in Japan in the 80's involving beating Americans, destroying our 
country, etc - and this was when we were good friends, and their economy 
was going great. 

>> and there are those right-wing
>> loudspeaker trucks driving around Tokyo blaring war like messages shows
>> that Japan is not ready to really accept responsibilty for thier actions
>> like Germany has done.
>
>I was just there - and everyone around the train stations where these guys
>park ignore them, or stand around and heckle them... they don't take them
>seriously.

Yes, but their is some linkage between the ultra right groups, the 
Yakuza, and the politicians. In the past 10 years, a number of Prime 
Ministers have gone to a certain shrine where the war criminals like Tojo 
are burried. They have the nerve to do this until 1988 or so. Can you 
imagine the leader of Germany making a pilgrimage to Hitler's grave site?