CHAPTER II RENUNCIATION OF WAR
Article 9.
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Saturday,
June
3, 2009
Right Wings in Japan, the First Half of This Year 2009
It is still the beginning of June, though, I would like to pick up and write several things about Japanese right wings that were appeared on the web and other media in the first half of this year, 2009.
I am not sure but maybe it has already been started from the end of the last year; one of clear movement of Japanese rightists in the beginning of this year was their strong support for use of phosphorus bombs for the air raids by I-country onto P-people in G-strips. At first, some pacifist bloggers uploaded posts that opposed to usage of that kind of weapons. But what came soon to those posts were a bunch of comments from military geeks having rightists' way of thinking. They denounced pacifist bloggers and insisted that White Phosphorus Bombs were just smoke to indicate a target, they were harmless to human body and it is no problem to use. At that time, I could not catch up with what was going on and what were being discussed on the web. But at least I felt that it was difficult to understand why Japanese military geeks and right wings tried covering up air raids using of WP bombs. Did they worry that criticism against use of WPB would make it impossible for Japan's Air Self-Defense Force to use the same type of bombs? Did they dream about dropping WP bombs onto neighboring Asian countries? Unless you suppose like this, rightists' supports for white phosphorus bombs would not be understood. I just wonder whether or not they have ever thought about how it is going to be when such bombs falling down onto their heads or their family. If they hadn't thought about that, I think they should be shameful for their lack of imagination.
The second noticeable pressure by Japanese right wings; Japan's state-run broadcasting corporation NHK aired about the history of Japan on April 5th with the title "The First Class Nation of Asia", the first episode of the series "Japan debut". What made rightists angry with was that the program showed negative aspects of colonialization of Taiwan by Empire of Japan. And in particular, the use of the word "Japan-Taiwan War" in the program was unpleasant for Japanese rightists. One guy whose name is Izumi Yukio asserted that it is a common sense of sociology saying that the word "war" should be used only for a conflict between two independent nations, in this context, the suppression of Taiwanese people by Japanese Imperial Forces after Japan-Qing War should not be called "war". I think this is a good example that the cliché often said in Japanese "Your common sense is no common sense of the public". Is the word "war" only for between independent countries? No. There are so many counterexamples such as Boshin War and Seinan War in Japan. And the dialogue on Mr. isumi Yukio's blog post apparently shows that he lost the argument with Mr./Ms(I'm not sure) bluefox014. In the process of colonialization of Taiwan, severe battles were fought between Taiwanese and Japanese in 1895. More than one third of ground forces and more than the half of navy of Japan were sent to the Formosa Island (#1). So it should be said "war" also from the magnitude of military operation. And rightists opinion "Taiwan was not an independent country" simply shows their ignorance or looking down on Taiwan. At that time of Taiwan, "Republic of Taiwan" did exist, although it was not established well and lasted only for 148 days. Usually Japanese right wings treat Taiwanese like friends for present diplomatic issues in order to oppose Mainland China, but what Japanese rightists have shown this time is that they are just looking down Taiwanese by asserting that the resistance of Taiwanese could not be called war and by regarding that Taiwanese were immature to form a government.
But strangely enough, Japanese Right Wings' complaints went over the web and took an eccentric shape. Their opinion occupied a whole one page of Sankei shimbun. They are rightists group "Channel Sakura". I have got known that by Mr.dj19's blog post on May 19th. There are big letters for the title in the middle, saying "Big Crime of NHK". I think the font size is too big and the title is so eccentric that, at a glance, readers will think they are just stupid. You will recognize that, as expected, they are stupid if you read what is written in the page. It is demanding discontinuing the series, resignation of the staffs on NHK, and rejection to pay TV bill on people. Of course there should be a freedom of expression as well as freedom of criticism. But what they are demanding is no longer a kind of criticism, it has been a certain type of threat against NHK. It seems that they don't understand that how their opinion looks like. It is a showcase of stupidity of Japanese rightist.
The third issue I want to write is a kind of relief but it should be regarded as an ugly and unforgivable case that Japanese right wings caused. Publisher Tendensha paid compensation money which was more than 4.5 million Japanese Yen for the defamation case which insulted one of victims of Nanjing Massacre in 1937-1938 during Sino-Japan War. They published a book written by Professor HIGASHINAKANO Shudo of Asia University in Musashino City, Tokyo. The book was translated into English with the title "The Nanking Massacre: Fact versus Fiction, A Historian's Quest for the Truth", in which Higashinakano made an illogical interpretation of the record by Mr. John G. Magee. Higashinakano concluded that Ms. Xià Shū Qín was committing perjury and Mr. Magee's record was irresponsible. Because of that, Higashinakano was sued by Ms. Xia Shuqin and lost the court case in the Supreme Court of Japan. It is surprising that a person like him can be a university professor, but anyway, according to the report by Japanese Version of People's Daily Online on April 17, 2009, the publisher of the book Tendensha paid 4,557,300 JPY(46,500 USD for 1USD=98JPY). For reference's sake, average Japanese yearly income was 4,370,000JPY(44,600USD) in 2005. So that compensation money is not small amount of money. I don't know Higashinakano will be able to continue to function as an important figure of Nanjing Massacre denier among Japanese rightists. But still there is a lot of such kind of Japanese. We have to be careful not to prevail their distorted recognition about the past aggression of Imperial Japanese Forces among recognitions of Japanese. It is an obligation for pacifists who love peace and hate war.
#1:伊藤潔「台湾＊四百年の歴史と展望＊《中公新書1144、74頁
#2:東中野修道「南京虐殺の徹底検証《展転社, 1998
タグ：ネトウヨ、右翼、台湾、日台戦争、NHK、JAPANデビュー、夏淑琴、南京事件、歴史歪曲
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