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CHAPTER II RENUNCIATION OF WAR
Article 9.
Do not go to war. Resource should be used to make people's lives better


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Monday, August 24, 2009
Dialogue about the War Shrine "Yasukuni", It's so deep


It may not be understood by people who don't speak Japanese. There is a long dialogue on Mr. Apeman's blog on August 15th. What is being argued on the post is how to think about the war dead and necessity of going to the War Shrine "Yasukuni" and praying for war dead. For reference's sake, the war is Pacific War and sometimes includes Sino-Japan War for common Japanese. The War Shrine "Yasukuni" enshrines Japanese war dead. According to their web site, they are doing so in order to honor war dead who sacrificed their lives for defending Japan. Actually, enshrined war dead are not only Japanese, but I will not argue about foreign enshrined victims today. When I saw the web site of Yasukuni, I thought that the shrine doesn't have any senses of remorse at all about enormous damage onto other countries and regions in Asian and Pacific. The damage of people's lives and destruction of properties were so huge and caused by the Imperial Japan's aggressive war. I think the recognition of that is a kind of common sense for people whose country has pacifist constitution.

flower of white rose

In the Mr.Apeman's post on August 15th, a person whose ID is "vagabond" made several comments. If my memory was correct, he wrote that he was a woman once on his blog, but I am not sure about that. I don't know whether I should call Mr.vagabond or Ms.vagabond, though, let me just write as "Mr.vagabond". Anyway, what he was insisting was that "I want Yasukuni Shrine to be a place that every Japanese including The Emperor (except those who don't like) could go and worship(#1)" I don't agree with these his words but on behalf of Mr.vagabond, I should add that he also wrote that "I cannot help thinking that worshipping Yasukuni is problematic because nowadays there are not less people supporting the war by going there and insisting that the war is a crusade(#2). Having said that, it is clear that he wants to create a meaning for a huge number of the war dead in the World War Two by saying "As to whether or not to give a meaning for war dead, it is no wonder to give a meaning for them. Because , you know, not only in Japan but in any countries there are the same kind of facilities, and worshipping are being done there. Otherwise, I can't understand for what the war dead died(#3)". I think what Mr. vagabond says is a kind of typical one that comes from a feeling to mourn the deaths that were caused by the war the nation started. This feeling might seem to be natural when you feel that you are belonging to your nation, but this is totally harmful because it is easily utilized by some guys who want to keep the war responsibility under the hat, especially guys who want to cheat people's recognitions about what war is like in reality. Several people are criticizing on Mr.vagabond's comments, and I was deeply impressed by what those pacifist people were writing. I would like to introduce some of them that were written by Mr.Apeman and Mr/Ms.Arigirisu.

flower of white rose

I am always surprised by Mr.Apeman's profound thinking about war responsibilities. If Mr. Apeman's comments would be translate into good English, I mean easily readable and understandable English, they should be really surprising articles that are showing his strong belief for the peace. I am shameful, because of my limited English, I cannot translate well what they are writing. But anyway, I would like to pick up several comments by Mr. Apeman and Mr./Ms. Arigirisu.

First of all, is the Yasukuni Shrine a facility to mourn for deaths? Before the War, The bereaved family were expected not to mourn for the death of the family member but to please (#4) (that the dead person was enshrined: supplementation by me)

I think that this part of Mr.Apeman's comments came from what was written in the books about Yasukuni Shrine by Mr.TAKAHASHI Tetsuya. In that book, if my memory is correct, there was a description in which several mothers testified their pleasures about enshrining of their dead sons who were killed in the war. Of course this description was a quotation from the article written while the war was still going on. And the purpose of the article is obvious, it is to raise fighting spirits of the people to continue the war. It is strange enough, because there is no mother who feels happy about their son's death. But that was a reality that happened in Japan during 20th century. People's natural feelings are suppressed and distorted for the Nation's war purpose. Next comment that I want to pick up was written by Mr./Ms. Arigirisu.

At the end of the war, "to die" became a purpose, and it was forced. And it is disappointing that even in current Japan, there is a tendency to value "to die". I think that such Japanese mentality is problematic (#5).

The typical example was Kamikaze Attack at the end of the Pacific War. And I agree with Mr./Ms. Arigirisu, sacrificing their lives is still expected in Japanese Society. A good example should be workaholic deaths "Karoshi". Next comment was Mr.Apeman's.

flower of white rose

I think it is an undeniable fact that "'For what they should die' could not be understood", given that there had never been a firm reason nor firm strategy, often led by unskillful war tactics, and finally dying was the only way as a result of prohibition to be POWs by neglecting of the international laws. Therefore, the responsibility for conducting such war should be questioned(#6).

This is a quite good pointing out, if you have got to known how Imperial Japan had expanded the front line of aggressive wars without considerations about resources and consequences, how the high ranking officers treated soldiers' lives badly in the operations. It is said that 70 percent of the soldiers were killed not in the battles but by diseases and famines. However, next Mr./Ms. Aligirisu's comment does have a point.

We cannot see any Japanese politicians who are saying "I am really sorry that they were killed because of the nation's stupid policy and strategy" . And the judiciary is saying that "People cannot question the nation's war responsibility, just stand for it". I think they are dirty(#7).

flower of white rose

How to think about that war is depending on each individual person. But if you look at the system of the Japanese society, what Mr./Ms. Aligilisu says is a really good explanation to tell you how Japan is behaving for the responsibility for the war that the nation had went into in the first half of 20th century. Still the Japanese society as a system does not admit the responsibility for the aggressive war. In spite of that, since three million Japanese had been killed in the war, a person like Mr. vagabond wants to give a meaning of the deaths. Mr.Apeman's comment is a good counterattack such effort.

I don't deny that the logic "Thanks to your precious sacrifices" could play "a role to console survivors of the war". But if you reconsider the war, you cannot do that without facing directly to the question why people had died even though there should have been a way that they could survive(#8).

There should have been a lot of way not to kill three million Japanese in the WW2. But incompetent war time leader could not fulfill their roles to protect lives of many people. If they had decided the surrender more early stage of the war, a large numbers of people would not lose their lives. I would like to make the last quotation. It will be longer, but we should understand what Mr./Ms. Arigirisu says.

Imperial Japanese Forces was preparing for decisive battle on the Main Land with keeping the newest fighter planes. That means that there was an aspect that battles in the south like Okinawa is just a stalling of the time for preparing for the mainland battle. If it's true, war dead in the south should be not "precious sacrifice for the peace" but "scapegoats to continue the war". If you do not face to that severe fact and just escape into comfortable lies, you could not reconsider nor get any progress.

As time passes, the majorities of family of war dead now become grandchildren and great-grandchildren who don't know what the war dear were while they were alive. Given this situation, I think that the bereaved feelings changes from "mourning for the dead" to infant prides like "My grandpa was great".

flower of white rose

Through the dialogue on the Mr.Apeman's post, it has become clear that Mr.vagabond has lost the argument. I think that going to the war shrine and praising war deaths, this cannot be consistent with being a pacifist. What I have written tonight is just a dialogue done on the web. But in reality, some accidents had happened at the Shrine on August 15th that is the day the Shouwa Emperor address was aired on the radio in order to tell the Japan's surrender to the united nations. Some Japanese blogger have done good jobs about the incident in the day. Since I don't have time tonight, I will not mention that.

Today's post consists of many quotations above. I think I made them "quotations". But if these commenter’s feel that it is no longer quotation but a kind of reprint, please notify me. I will correct expressions in this post. I am responsible for all the translations appearing today's post. It is likely that my translation cannot exactly express what was written in original Japanese.


#1:靖国神社は天皇を初め国民全員（嫌な人は別として）が参拝できる施設であってほしいと願っています。by vagabond 2009/08/22 22:08

#2:靖国参拝によって先の戦争を擁護したり、開き直って「聖戦だった」などと主張する勢力が少なくない現在、やはり靖国参拝は疑問だと思わざるを得ません。by vagabond 2009/08/16 21:37

#3:戦死者に‘意味’を持たせるべきかについて否かですが、意味を持つのは当然でしょう。 これは日本だけでなく、どの国においても同様な施設や(参拝などの)行為が行われているわけです。 そうでなければ、戦死者は何のために死んだのか分からない。by vagabond 2009/08/18 21:52

#4:靖国神社はそもそも“死者を悼む”ための施設なのかどうか。 戦前には靖国神社に祀られた戦死者の遺族は家族の死を悼むことではなく、 喜ぶことを期待されたわけです。by Apeman 2009/08/17 11:26

#5:大戦末期の日本及び日本軍では”死ぬこと”が目的化され、強要もされました。 そして、現在の日本でも”死”を尊ぶ傾向があるのは残念なことだと思います。 私はこうした日本人のメンタリティに問題を感じています。by ありぎりす 2009/08/19 08:18

#6:確固たる大義もなく、確固たる戦略もなく、しばしば戦術的にも拙劣な戦争指導で、 かつ国際法を無視して捕虜になることを禁じられた挙げ句の死ですから、 まさに「何のために死んだのか分からない」というのが冷徹な事実なんじゃないでしょうか。 だからこそそんな戦争を遂行した責任が問われねばならないわけです。 by Apeman 2009/08/19 19:14

#7:日本の政治家で、「国家の愚劣な政策・戦略のせいで、彼らをむざむざ死なせてしまった、ごめんなさい」 と言う人は見当たりませんし、司法は「国家の戦争責任は問えない、受忍しなさい」と言います。 卑劣だと思います。by ありぎりす 2009/08/21 06:53

#8:「あなた方の尊い犠牲の上に」というロジックが「生き残った者を慰める役割」を果たすであろうことは否定しませんが、 「反省」は死なずにすむ途もあったはずの人びとがなぜ死んだのかを正面から問うことなしにはありえないだろうと思います。 by Apeman 2009/08/23 10:20

#9:旧日本軍が新鋭機を温存したりして本土決戦の準備をしていたということは、 沖縄戦などの南方での戦いはその為の時間稼ぎという側面もあった、ということで、 そうすると、そこでの戦没者というのは、「平和のための尊い犠牲」どころか、 「戦争を継続する為の捨て石」だったということになります。 こうした厳しい現実に向き合おうとせず、心地よい嘘に逃げ込んでいては、 「反省」も出来ずその先の進歩も見込めないですね。 時間の経過にともなって、戦没者の遺族といっても、故人の生前を知らない孫や曾孫が主流になりつつあります。 こうなってくると、遺族の心情も”故人の死を悼む”というものから、”僕のじいちゃんは偉かったんだ”というような、 ”幼いプライド”に変質してきているように思います。 by ありぎりす 2009/08/24 07:19

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