The question of Japanese WW2 reparations

[Aphex_Twin]

The article is too big to be pasted here, so just click on the link below:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rogers/rogers206.html

Quite an interesting and enlightening picture of SE Asian current and past politics, facts and motives.


The one thing I could pick on is the depiction of countries as acting beings. That it's quite absurd to demand reparations from anything other than people (since only people can be said to 'act', or have responsibility). But well, it's an excellent article nonetheless.

 

[GeorgeOP]

Didn't some of the Japanese, I don't know, die or go to jail for what they did? Do we make prisoners apologize before they are released from jail? It seems to me that the Crimes Against Humanity court results should be enough. It's not like this is the same government.

 

[7ronin]

Didn't some of the Japanese, I don't know, die or go to jail for what they did?

The Allied Powers held a series of war crimes trials in Japan just as they did in Germany. A large number of Japanese civilian and military war criminals were executed and many more were imprisoned for varying lengths of time.

 

[Che Guava]

The one thing I could pick on is the depiction of countries as acting beings. That it's quite absurd to demand reparations from anything other than people (since only people can be said to 'act', or have responsibility). But well, it's an excellent article nonetheless.

I noticed that, too. Funny how countries are treated as 'beings' the same way that (in the US at least) corporations can have the same rights as people (a corporation in court can be treated as an individual, instead of a group). Makes me wonder who'll be a 'being' next...

 

[7ronin]

Think of a country or nation or state as an "entity" rather than as a "being." Absurd or funny or not, reparations are often demanded in surrender terms and in peace treaties. At the end of World War II the allies took huge sums of cash and capital goods from Japan and Germany. The Soviets picked up entire German factories and carted them off to Russia. The concept that victors may expect and demand compensation from losers for the consequences of illegal wars and crimes against humanity is now a given. Once upon a time it was looting now it's international law.

In the 21st century it might be a good idea to "keep off the grass" in case it is decided that grass has rights and may thus be party to a lawsuit.

 

[Hornblower]

I find that the whole notion of a government of people that hadn't even been born feeling guilty for the past to be quite absurd. The majority of those that were guilty were brought to account.
There were Japanese war crimes trials held all over SE Asia after the war. The military courts were probably not exactly unbiased but they displayed due process. The leadership of WW2 Japan was put on trial in much the same way as the Nuremburg trials but the majority of trials were for war crimes atrocities committed by much lower ranking functionaries of the military.
The allies were quite deliberate in NOT imposing massive monetary reparations against the Axis as they had learnt from the mistakes of Versailles. Instead they imposed a new constitution and American based democracy on Japan and tightly controlled their development to ensure that such things would never happen again.
Face had been lost and as such it has taken many decades and many generations of guilt to overcome the sins of the past. I think that as the last generation passes the Japanese should be able to let their guilt go.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

The problem is there're some (vocal) Japanese politicians and right-wingers who don't even acknowledge that the IJA commited some rather henious actions, during its rampage across Asia. Not exactly helpful in relations with some Asian countries, where the memories are still strong.

 

[7ronin]

The allies were quite deliberate in NOT imposing massive monetary reparations against the Axis as they had learnt from the mistakes of Versailles.

The Potsdam Conference of August 1945 specified that both Germany and Japan would be required to pay war reparations. Given the economic and social disruptions in Japan and Germany following the end of the war, the reparations were at first an immense burden. Japan made its last payment in 1976. Germany continues to make voluntary payments to holocaust victims.

The problem is there are some (vocal) Japanese politicians and right-wingers who don't even acknowledge that the IJA commited some rather henious actions, during its rampage across Asia. Not exactly helpful in relations with some Asian countries, where the memories are still strong.

This is true. However, they do not speak for the government and their comments are not official. I have found examples of at least eleven formal Japanese government statements of apology and/or regret directed just to China as early as 1972 and as recently as 2003. Just as the Japanese ultra-rightists have their agenda vis a vis apologies, government and non-govermmental groups in various Asian countries have their own reasons for manipulating the apology issue.

Since three quarters of the people in the countries both making and receiving apologies were not yet born when the acts in question were committed, the idea of apologies increasingly has less and less relevance as time goes by. Should the Portuguese be apologizing (if they ever have) for burning down Signapore in the 17th Century?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

The Portuguese were never in Singapore. Singapore was only founded in 1819 (I think). By the British.

My current perception is that the official Japanese govt is sympathetic to these rightwing politicians and assorted rabble - due to powerful organisations such as the Japanese War Bereaved Families Association who provided political backing to MPs in their wards. It doesn't help that the most likely successor to Koizumi is one of these right-winger politicians in the LDP (can't remember name). Koizumi's record doesn't help either, with his insistent visits to the politically charged Yasukuni shrine.

The perception is that yes, there're apologies. But unsincere.

 

[rilnator]

Its not surprising the Japanese government would pander to the veterans groups. Their country's population is ageing and their influence at the ballot boxes would be significant.

 

[tossi]

If I look at Germany I can be rather proud, because we learn from the 3rd class what happened during Hitler. I was 10 years old when I read the first (illustrated ) book about a girl, whose friends suddenly started to dissappear and in the end she found the KZ and saw everything.
It isn't about feeling guilty, but we must know what has happenend to prevent that something similar (even at a much smaller scale, like for example the far-right beeing voted into the government).

If I look at certain other nations...

In my own experience Italy for example failed in this matter. Same goes for Japan.