You will find shocking stories and horrifying pictures about what happened in Nanking between December 1937 -Feburary 1938.
Whenever I think about extreme atrocities by Japanese imperialism, I surprised how cruel human being can be. Sometimes I even ask if there are any characteristics in Japanese culture more atrocious and cruel than others. I know that it is very sensitive comment and also could be understood as racism. However, considering Japanese history of constant civil wars and the ‘Samurai’ tradition, I wonder if there are some traits insensitive about innocent death.
How should we understand these extreme atrocities? Who are persecutors and who are victims?
Are those atrocities done by Japan to China? Or Japanese people to Chinese people? Or by Japanese imperialists and Soldiers to the people of Nanking? Or is that crime against humanity?
You will find many comments about relation between China and Japan, and Japanese responsibility toward China, in the web site. Can we interpret it that nationalism is involved?
2 comments:
"Whenever I think about extreme atrocities by Japanese imperialism, I surprised how cruel human being can be. Sometimes I even ask if there are any characteristics in Japanese culture more atrocious and cruel than others. I know that it is very sensitive comment and also could be understood as racism. However, considering Japanese history of constant civil wars and the ‘Samurai’ tradition, I wonder if there are some traits insensitive about innocent death."
be real careful about this kind of statement. Humans can be barbaric in any country. I think when you start attaching certain bad characteristics to certain nations or races (whatever that is) then you are going down a very slippery slope...agree?
Hey, Justin, I totally agree with you that we should be extremely careful about such comment.
However, I think organized behavior of certain group of people is substancially influenced by their culture and ideology. All kinds of evil came out during various Wars in human history, but the degree of the evil has been different, I think.
I'm still very interested in what kind of ideology and culture deprived basic human conscience from soldies and justified extreme atrocities during Japanese colonial rule.
And were there fundemantally different degree or characteristic in atrocities perpetrated by Japanese Soldiers during WWII in comparison with other war crimes? I cannot answer that question yet.
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