Japan - A victim of WWII or Aggressor?
- 2011.01.23 Sunday
- 23:50
Dear Dennis,
I wish you a happy new year. We, Japanese, address each other with this phrase along with a deepest bow in the first meet in January. I send you my bow as a sign of respect toward conservatism mentor. I feel myself wiser than I am a year ago. That is because of you. The bow is for showing my appreciation.
I am writing this as a reaction to your podcast on December 27 “Oil Addiction”, specifically your comment “The notion that Japan was a victim of WWII is so preposterous that it doesn’t require any commentary”.
I recognize your version of history. You American have your own history. And, the history should serve your national interest by high-lighting good, honorable and heroic side of America’s past. To describe, as such, your history of WWII where Japan and the US fought, you need to describe Japan as evil and the US as good. I have no intention to complain about it.
I just would like to take liberty to wright to you our version of history. I don’t either expect you to accept it, nor do I wish you to. You stick with your version and I do to ours. You are loyal to your great country and I am humbly to ours. I just wish you to read it to the last and recognize it, if you would.
Japan-US War was a war by tyrannical FDR administration and free, independent, democratic and self-respecting Japan.
During 1894 – 1905, Japan fought two wars with China and Russia, both to defend Korea’s independence. We wanted stable independent Korea free of foreign country’s influence in our neighborhood. Being in a colonial era, we were terrified to see other Asian countries taken over and cut in pieces by European powers, and were determined to protect ourselves. The problem was, our neighbor Korea was so weak, corrupt and so in need of our help to run their country that we made a deal with them to make their land our territory. The colonization was processed in accordance with mutual agreement under the international law, not intrusion by force. We didn’t wish to take Korea, but there was no choice, in order to protect our own country.
In the WWI, Japan very reluctantly responded to the demand of Britain, France and Russia to wage attack against Germany. Again in 1920, Japan very reluctantly responded to British and French request to send troops to Siberia to attack Communist militia, on the condition that we act together with US.
Up until around then, we discovered true nature of communism that was taking over Russia and later China and Korea. We, facing numerous occasion of massacre inflicted upon our citizens (who were legitimately living in today’s China and Korea) during that time, came to learn intolerance, inhumanness and savagery of communism.
Japan, a country of small land and scarce natural resources, needed trade partner to purchase raw material of various industries. In 1933 with Japan’s help, the state of Manchuria was established in northern China. The country was founded on principle of independence and free of communism. Economy boomed.
During late 1920’s and 1930’s, Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist Party and Mao’s Communist Party fought each other and sometimes against us. They were opposing each other, but both were products of Soviet Internationalism. Remember what Chiang Kai Shek’s forces did to Taiwanese people after they took over that island. 228 Massacre was the true manifestation of inhumanness and cruelty of fascism. Also remember the Taiwanese people back then before 1952 (San Francisco Treaty where Japan abandoned Taiwan officially) was Japanese national under the international law. Therefore, they were responsible for killing a lot of Japanese.
Japan, who was helping Manchuria’s nation building, was drawn inevitably to battle with communism (both Mao’s Communist Party and Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist Party to which Mao’s forces were infiltrating in large number).
In 1930’s and 1940’s up to the war, FDR, a great believer of progressivism and an admirer of Nazi, Fascist and Bolshevik movement, opposed to our move. FDR, with strong recommendation of Harry D. White, sent weapons to Chiang. He collaborated with Britten, Netherland and France to cut off our crucial supply line in South East Asia. Harry D. White, by the way, was a convicted communist who had been acting under the direct order from Moscow. He wanted to subvert Japan’s effort with US power.
We, having no desire other than to survive in that hostile situation, tried a time and time again to negotiate peace deal with FDR. FDR ignored them all. Finally, Cordell Hull, then secretary of state, sent us ultimatum written by Harry White, urging us 1) to the full and unconditional withdrawal from China, 2) to abandon pro Japan government in Nanjing, 3) to support Chiang Kai Shek. Judge Radhabinod Pal (The International Military Tribunal for the Far East) famously said that “faced with such a humiliation, even countries like Luxembourg and Monaco would have risen up in rage. This was their final declaration of war”.
We, having no other choice, initiated attack on the US – Pearl Harbor, and the rest of the Allied Forces. Do we call it sneak attack? We do not. They didn’t know? Yes, they did. They wanted it so bad.
We fought and fought and fought to protect our land and lost.
After the war, United States naturally faced Communism themselves. Korea was the beginning. General MacArthur, for the first time, putting himself into our shoes, recognized what we were up against. He later testified in congress that Japan fought the war for the sole purpose of self-defense. He was right. Afterward, US kept facing rise of communism – Vietnam. Big casualty. Big Loss. Huge societal degradation. Ascendancy of the Left….. Until Great Ronal Reagan became president.
And we…. We lost our history. Our country of today is dominated by leftist views. We are viewing ourselves (war time) as the same as Nazis. We are taught in school to hate our history. Correct history (above) is never disseminated in school and media. We are minority. But, we are determined to preserve our history, just as you are determined to protect yours.
Again, as I said, I don’t expect you to accept this version of history. We, conservatives, know there is no such thing as “one history for all nations”. We can live with that.
Thank you for reading.
P.Ss 1 MacArthur Testimony in 1951 May - Inquiry Into the Military Situation in the Far East and the Facts Surrounding the Relief of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur from his Assignments in that Area.
http://www.sankei.co.jp/seiron/koukoku/2003/maca/10/MacArthur1.html
P.S. 2
Recently I shared Prager University Middle East conflict lecture with my Israeli friends. They liked it, with a little amusement, I guess, having received it from Japanese. I have been to Israel three times and I know that country. It is a moral responsibility for all of us enjoying freedom to support Israel.