Japan Apologizes To War Prisoners

[Flashermac]

The Japanese government on Thursday apologized to former Canadian prisoners of war for their suffering during the Second World War, according to a Canadian statement.

 

The apology was delivered in Tokyo by Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshiyuki Kato to Canadian Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and a group of veterans of the Battle of Hong Kong.

 

``The terrible pain and heavy burden of the Second World War have given way to a mutually beneficial, respectful relationship between Canada and Japan as mature democracies-a legacy of all who served in the Pacific campaigns,'' Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement.

 

``Today's apology will help in healing as our two great countries move forward.''

 

After 17 and a half days of fighting trying to defend Hong Kong, nearly 2,000 Canadians surrendered on Christmas Day 1941.

 

Two-hundred and ninety Canadians died and 493 were wounded in the fighting. The rest were imprisoned in Hong Kong and Japan until Japan's surrender in 1945.

 

``For nearly four years, the Canadians were subjected to deliberate and systematic mistreatment at the hands of their captors,'' including beatings, being starved, and forced into labor at construction sites, mines, shipyards and foundries, said the Canadian statement.

 

Another 267 men died in the camps before the survivors were liberated. Many of those who returned to Canada suffered ``serious disabilities'' and many died prematurely.

 

Nice to wait until they are all dead ...

[kamui]

The Japanese government on Thursday apologized to former Canadian prisoners of war for their suffering during the Second World War, according to a Canadian statement.

 

 

Nice to wait until they are all dead ...

 

That's the Japanese way of dealing with WWII.

 

1) Only apologize when absolutely necessary, if an apology can't be avoided never let the head of state issue the apology, let an underling in the government do it (see post above). Never ever do anything like the Chancellor of Germany Willy Brandt in Warsaw.

 

2) Deny most of the atrocities of the Japanese army (like the Nanjing massacre in China with probably 300.000 killed Chinese).

As of today the most discussed book on the Nanjing massacre hasn't found a publisher in Japan. By the way in Japan it is called the "Nanjing incident"...

 

3) Deny the existence of slave laborers and slave prostitutes (the so called "comfort women"). If those people actually can prove the Japanese war crimes suppress or ignore the facts. see 2)

 

4) Of course deny any real financial compensation to the victims of the Japanese war crimes. If financial compensation can't be avoided use a non-governmental entity to pay the money (like to government tried with the Comfort Women, who declined the payment without a public apology by the government) for to avoid that the government seems to actually acknowledge the war crimes. see 1),2),3)

[Flashermac]

You forgot having the prime minister lay a wreath at the graves of those executed for war crimes.

[kamui]

You forgot having the prime minister lay a wreath at the graves of those executed for war crimes.

 

Yep, the priests of the Yaskuni Shrine in Tokyo enshrined all Japanese soldiers who died during WWII , including over 1.600 war criminals. Later they added even Japanese Class-A war criminals. This was even against the will of the Japanese emperor Hirohito, who never visited the shrine again.

 

Every year a delegation of Japanese ministers and MPs is visiting the shrine, causing an uproar in many Asian countries, especially in China (which uses anti-Japanese sentiments for political gain) and Korea. http://en.wikipedia....f_war_criminals

[panadolsandwich]

The Japanese government on Thursday apologized to former Canadian prisoners of war for their suffering during the Second World War, according to a Canadian statement.

 

The apology was delivered in Tokyo by Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshiyuki Kato to Canadian Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and a group of veterans of the Battle of Hong Kong.

 

``The terrible pain and heavy burden of the Second World War have given way to a mutually beneficial, respectful relationship between Canada and Japan as mature democracies-a legacy of all who served in the Pacific campaigns,'' Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement.

 

``Today's apology will help in healing as our two great countries move forward.''

 

After 17 and a half days of fighting trying to defend Hong Kong, nearly 2,000 Canadians surrendered on Christmas Day 1941.

 

Two-hundred and ninety Canadians died and 493 were wounded in the fighting. The rest were imprisoned in Hong Kong and Japan until Japan's surrender in 1945.

 

``For nearly four years, the Canadians were subjected to deliberate and systematic mistreatment at the hands of their captors,'' including beatings, being starved, and forced into labor at construction sites, mines, shipyards and foundries, said the Canadian statement.

 

Another 267 men died in the camps before the survivors were liberated. Many of those who returned to Canada suffered ``serious disabilities'' and many died prematurely.

 

Nice to wait until they are all dead ...

 

I read George MacDonald Fraser's autobiography 'Quartered safe out here' largely based on his experiences fighting in Burma in WW2. He argued very articulately on the good sense of dropping the atom bomb - and said he could never sit next to a Japanese on the tube even forty years later.

 

They are the cruelest most inhumane enemy you could imagine - and it was all senseless, just completely fucking senseless really. I hope their war criminals are all fucking rotting in hell - and they can take their useless fucking apologies and stick them up their arses. Just my honest opinion.

[Flashermac]

I love Fraser's books, but I've missed that one. I need to look it up.

 

It is usually said that the Japanese in 5 or 6 years of war made themselves more hated in Asian than the European colonisers in their centuries of rule.

 

 When I came to Thailand in the 1970s, there were still student protests about the Japanese and their behaviour. That seems to have passed now and the Japanese are the flavour of the month, thanks to their cartoons. 

[Julian2]

It's a hard one to find and I suspect it may be long out of print.

You may need to search the secondhand book shops.

 

Edit: I just checked the torrent sites, seems to be only available as an audio book.

[Flashermac]

Thanks. Most of my Fraser books have been borrowed and never returned.

[panadolsandwich]

Thanks. Most of my Fraser books have been borrowed and never returned.

 

 

I read it as an ebook - I can send the file - or find the link to the original torrent if you like (just doing a search now).

 

It really is a fantastic book - they should probably make it one those books they make kids in high school read.

 

Anyhow I highly recommend it. What I like about Fraser is the integrity of the man. Man did that guy have integrity - you just have to look around the world today and see how rare a thing that is now. I was glad he was fighting on our side - sort of amazing really. Anyhow make sure you read the book!

[Flashermac]

Fraser said he always wrote about the 19th century because he was disgusted with the 20th. His entire library was a collection of 19th century writings.

 

I used to snap up everything I saw that he wrote. The one disappointment was the novel about some Kansas Jayhawker (and those folks were certified scumbags!) who goes to England and gets screwed over by the posh folks, including his wife. The only time the book gets interesting is when Harry Flashman makes a brief appearance.

 

p.s. I'm googling for downloads right now.