Thursday, January 31, 2008
Japan's genocide in China
Every time I read an article or a book on the genocide that occurred in China by the Japanese I always find myself wondering how come this isn't a bigger topic of discussion in history textbooks and classes in the US. The Holocaust is always highlighted in history class discussions, and I can remember learning about it in early elementary school. I had to find out on my own about the Japanese atrocities committed during the war. What is up with that? I am not trying to defend the Nazis, but the Japanese atrocities were just as bad. They were systematic, brutal, and backed by prejudice.
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7 comments:
I think Japan’s genocide in China is not talked about because the powers were more focused on the events happening in Europe. Because China was essentially a colony, the Chinese people were not considered to be of the same class as Europeans. The fact that they were being killed did not equal the fact that Europeans were being killed. I think that might play a factor into why it is not a bigger topic in the history books. I am in no way saying that this is right or fair.
i agree that more focus should be given to the atrocities in china, my guess is that these didn't reach the attention level of those in Europe because of the trials after the war and all the media attention it received, along with the large number of people affected by it
I asked myself the same question. I think Amy explained gave a good reason why we haven't heard much about this subject. I wonder how much there is about the war that we still don't know or haven't been taught. After this week's lectures I would like to learn more about Japan and the part the country played in the war.
After 60 years it does seem odd that no one has tried to bring it back to light or draw attention to this aspect of the war. When everything else gets a museum, or a book, or a movie dedicated to it I'm really surprised at how little I have heard of this part of the war. Do you think current Japanese students are thinking the same thing about the Holocaust?
Well, I think you've hit on some of the only evidence that Western historians as a group have tended to ignore the plight of those in the Pacific Theatre because of ethnocentrism. You all are right, the Holocaust DOES get a lot of attention and the Chinese/Japanese genocides are passed over. It is not widely known that the Japanese army unit 231 (I believe, the number could be wrong) was involved in biological weapons testing ... on the Chinese populace. The discrepancy may also be due to the Nazi's systematic genocide techniques, the gas chambers/crematories/death camps. The Japanese didn't 'refine' their violence to such a level.
I agree with Justin.
What I find more disturbing is that the Japanese refuse to acknowledge their nation's war crimes and have enshrined war criminals in the Yasukuni shrine. Europe and the US have revisionist historians that deny the holocaust, etc. but, from what I understand, the Japanese take it to a new level.
The fact it is not talked about could be because it happened in Asia and not Europe. The history books we read are by people who are of European descent so it would be more important to them. So overtime all anybody reads about is what the Nazi's did to the Jews and not what happened in Asia. It could also do with the fact that America and Japan became allies after the war so Japan looked like a friend and America did not want to write bad things about a friend.
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