Here's an interesting summary of an AFP article about Chinese textbooks. The Korean War? One sentence. War with India in 1962? Not mentioned. Tibet? Not mentioned. Etc.

These Japanese textbooks in question are used by less than 1% of schools in Japan. They're one of many textbooks approved by the government, and not used by most schools. I understand the complaints, though, certainly. (They more gloss over or don't mention stuff rather than outright lie, as you might expect.)

Ask the Tibetans, Mongolians, and a hundred other peoples about the morality of the Chinese. Nation-building has nothing to do with morality. (Think American Indian, Hawaiian, Eskimo, etc.)
It's more to do with Darwin. Remember, though, that what is built also decays.

That's "toeing the line", btw.

China is expected to lie comprehensively about its history, especially anything to do with the Party, while we have higher standards for Japan. The APPROVAL of the book for school use is what is bothersome here, not the actual uptake by schools.

Our text books don't spend a lot of time on the Philippine insurection or getting Sandino out of office, either.

#4 Our text books don't spend a lot of time on the Philippine insurection or getting Sandino out of office, either.

Perhaps the difference is that Americans, French, Germans, English, and people from most free nations can freely read about their own culture's sordid past from a variety of resources without worrying about government approval. We can at least resouce information about the campaign against the Indians and the tragedy of the Philippines in 1898. Even the Japanese can find resources about their occupation of China, though their textbooks gloss over the topic.

I doubt that Chinese people have the same kind of unfettered access to their country's own communist history. And if they do have access, it is in spite of the regime by routing through the Web and underground presses.

Is there any doubt here that China's concern about Japan's 'lack of moral standing" is about anything other than not wanting another pacific rim nation with a permanent seat on the Security Council---at least not without exacting some kind of price?

Realistically, China would be foolish not to leverage its current veto on the security council to its best advantage. And its pretty obvious that is what it is doing.

Yeah John, its one textbook out of many.

The Japan that deserved more nukes than we dropped does not exist any more.

You should see our own textbooks these days, they are becomming little more than indoctrinations into the religion of self hatred.

taken in light of those, you will have to forgive me if i dont become too alarmed if one little used textbook out of many refuses to join us in a mutual masturbatory self loathing picture contest for the next Abercrombie and Fitch catalog.

Should we require the people of Iraq to teach self hatred because they will always perhaps have undiscovered mass graves of kids underfoot?

Once a people turn away from evil, and embrace the community of gentile peoples, its time to quit flogging them.

China has a long way to come before they deserve the same favorable considerations earned by the good peoples of Japan.

Perhaps the difference is that Americans, French, Germans, English, and people from most free nations can freely read about their own culture's sordid past from a variety of resources without worrying about government approval

Perhaps, but few Americans do. What most of them know is what they learned in government schools from government approved texts that perpetuate government supported myths.

I am certain that people in most dictatorships have little acces to the truth. My point is only that it is naive to expect governments, dictatorships or democracies, to presents the history of their country in the best possible light, glossing over, spinning, or even ignoring, the negatives.

Not really on topic, but wanted to let you know this:(Preamble) In New Zealand, April 25 every year is ANZAC Day. Strictly speaking this stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and was inaugurated to celebrate the First World War, but April 25 celebrates all those who died in defence of their country. (Introduction) During the Second World War troops from Australia and New Zealand fought mostly in Europe and Northern Africa. When the Japanese threat to Australia and New Zealand became apparent, Churchill refused to return troops to these countries. Things looked pretty damn bad. We were sitting ducks for the Japanese, then the Americans arrived. (Main topic)Your grandfathers saved Australia and New Zealand. Fresh faced, gum chewing boys from the U.S.A. and boy oh boy, was everyone pleased to see them. Don't think this has been forgotten. Without those boys from the States, Australia and New Zealand would have been speaking Japanese now. There is not an Australian or a New Zealander who will dispute this point and we all agree that we owe it all to the Yanks.

These, in the day when heaven was falling
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.
A E Housman

(Conclusion)(I know it's about mercenaries, but I don't care. I like it, I think it describes what happens in war. And now you are doing it for Iraq. There will be plenty of people thinking about you at the Dawn Parades throughout the country, when the Last Post is played, when the wreaths are laid, and when the Salute is fired. Thanks, Yanks.)

Some of the most entertaining stories are about the Aussie new Zealanders during the two great wars. who always gave a good account of themselves, who stood in stark contrast with the ever so proper brits.

One of them, a proper brit would drill his charges in parade marching every morning, even punishing those that was late to form up in proper attire.

(This is on the freaking battle field mind you, not front line, but within artillary range!)

The Aussies, greatly annoyed by this, showed up one morning with pots and pans, a drum or two, and a set of bagpipes, and set about to marching and clanging and blowing odd notes, anything to disrupt the orderd brits, who after 3 days of this, ended the morning parade marching drills.

The other thing that annoyed the brits was their informal egalitarianish culture within the ranks.

The grunts would huddle with the officers, they would discus how to take the objective, take input from the grunts, when they acted, every grunt knew what the others was doing, even fallback alternatives.

All of course, to the dismay of the proper top down brits.

Few mention today that the US forces learned their doctrines of intitative, adaptation, and the focus on objectives rather than a plan from the Aussies.

They taught us a thing or two, I wonder how many are aware of that.

"Our text books don't spend a lot of time on the Philippine insurection or getting Sandino out of office, either."

Au contrare. My fifth and eigth grade history books (when US history was taught) both made prominent mention of the insurrection. My High School and College US did not, only because each textbook devoted a solid 20-25% of its text to the Vietnam war and its aftermath and didn't have much room for anything else. If anything, I wish our US history books spent more time "dwelling" on chapters of our history that we can rightly be proud of, like the liberation of the concentration camps in WWII, booting the French-installed Maximillian out of Mexico, ending communist rule in Eastern Europe, etc.

Just collected my mail - one glossy A4 sized brochure entitled 'Wake-Up Call for New Zealanders. Why would we prefer the overtures of Communist China to a place in the circle of nations that uphold the principles of liberty and democracy? The USA has used its military power for the good of mankind in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Tsunami relief, WW1 intervention, WW2 (previous post) rebuilding Germany and Japan, (and) has proven itself to be a bastion of the free world' and much more. It also states the need to: repeal the ban on nuclear ship visits and re-ignite the ANZUS Treaty and demand the truth from MSM'. NZ's naval fleet is two ships. A bit frightening.

I wish I could believe New Zealanders when they say they appreciate American help in WWII, but I know it's not true. Their grandparents did and perhaps even their parents do, but they don't. For the past several decades New Zealand has refused to allow American Navy ships access to their ports and the socialist anti-Americanisms have been constant. Some NZ residents may have favorable opinions of the US, but they're drowned out by the chorus of hostility from the NZ media and government. Don't count on the US rescuing you when the Chinese come calling later in this century.

You are right, PacRim Jim. I don't know myself what is going on in this country. The place seems to be full of simpletons led by a Prime Minister who really wants to be installed in a cushy job in the UN. She's an old protester from way back and maybe she just sees this little country as a step up to running the world. It's a shame after all the effort and lives put in to keeping the place out of the hands of Asia in the past.

I had pretty much the same thoughts on this, Cicero. I'll start caring about China's whingeing about Japan as soon as they start pulling the plank out of their own eye. Ditto for South Korea.

" Mao's giant portrait still dominates Tienamen Square, the last time I checked."

Two words: Lincoln Monument. (And before anybody says it, no I'm not suggesting blunt moral equivalence. But let's not pretend U.S. history is totally spotless on this score either.)

Once a people turn away from evil, and embrace the community of gentile peoples, its time to quit flogging them. China has a long way to come before they deserve the same favorable considerations earned by the good peoples of Japan.
The problem of this matter is that in the case we are dealing with, those people haven’t exactly “turn away from evil” yet.
Now I need you to keep an open mind here; I don’t mean modern Japanese are still in the same aggressive mindset that some of them—many of them, indeed—were in during the WWII. In fact, my personal experience tells me that Japanese are some of the most peace-loving people on the world. The problem is that, most of them are also totally oblivious of what happened. I witnessed one particular moment when the issue (of WWII) was raised and I was able to do an account on Nanjing and Unit 731 (human-experiment, really gross) etc in front of a bunch of well meaning Japanese people. The response I got was, in general, that they had totally no idea about that; all they knew about the war was A-bomb, some SE Asian nations gaining independence (Japan took the credit) and may be some really mild wrongdoing of Japanese army that was nothing compared to Nanjing. They then apologized to me so sincerely and remorsefully that I actually felt guilty for letting them to feel guilty, since I don’t believe any modern Japanese should personally carry the responsibility. What I believe is that it is true that we should move on, that is, AFTER we have learned the truth. Having the prime-minister to worship the warlords and putting untrue account of war in textbook is, unfortunately, not exactly facing the truth. This leads us to…

They (the textbooks) more gloss over or don't mention stuff rather than outright lie, as you might expect

No, not this time. In the past it was more like a matter of wording and factual omission, like calling invasion as “entering”, or Nanjing massacre “Nanjing incidence”. The recent textbook, however, actually tried to put the responsibility on the deaths on Chinese’s side, Even though I personally advocate historical revisionism and that we should keep an open mind to any opinion whatsoever, the act of putting such account in high school textbook has crossed the line.

I do agree about Chinese textbook. In fact, being a Chinese (I guess you’ve figured by now), I am enraged by our own version of stupid lies and the fact that kids are still taught with them. What makes it different, however, is that these lies are about the wrongdoing towards Chinese, in other word, Chinese are the liars and Chinese are the victims. This is not something that we can compare to Chinese demanding justice from Japanese on WWII. The only thing that I can’t defend is about Tibet and Taiwan, on which I am quite ashamed about my own country’s act. But at least no massacre is involved, hopefully never.

Please seriously consider one fact: currently, the core organizer of anti-Japanese rallies in Hong Kong are the same activists that organize the anti-Chinese government protests in Hong Kong. Well, may be some right wing too, but the left ones happen to be the most passionate on both issues.

Jude, what do you expect, they are socialists, they still dream of a one world tower of terror with mass graves filled with the corpses of all their percieved "enemies of the people".

When the final touches was set into Agenda 21 which Koyoto is a part, the plan is for 80% of the population to be interred in them.

Any more than that, well just isnt "sustainable"

Which of course, makes it morally correct.

The leftist religion didnt pile up a mountain of 170+ Million skulls and counting, consisting of all regions cultures and peoples, by some strange accident.

That the USA is often a force for good in the world is exactly the reason they hate us.

Why if they was to embark on their massive purge of humanity to save gaia, the USA might do something about that, so the USA must be defeated, or become part of the program.

Sean,

I hope you're very young. Sounds like things have changed even more than a cynic like me would imagine if they're covering the Philippine Insurrection in 5th grade AH!

I'm 29, and my experience has been that it depends utterly on the person who is teaching you history. My freshman year world history course happened to coincide with bringing down the Berlin wall - so we got an impromptu history of the Berlin wall, and WWII, and I ended up with a pretty positive view of the US. My junior year history course, on the other hand, was dominated by a woman who was determined to let us all know just how ugly the US was. While the tales she told might not have been in our textbooks, she gleefully recounted claims that US soldiers would massacre entire native american communities, crushing the heads of infants under their boots in order to save ammunition...her obsession was such that my full year American history course never made it past reconstruction after the civil war, she spent so much time on american atrocities against minorities. The textbooks were only ever the least of the classes I took - the teachers would assign reading from them, but most of the learning took place in class lectures. Just looking at the textbooks your kid brings home is unlikely to give you a clear picture of what they're being taught.

Japan's decision to approve new school textbooks, criticised by some for glossing over the country's wartime record, have promoted demonstrations in several Chinese cities. But as William Horsley discovers the row between the two countries concerns the future as well as the past.

Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to the shrine were criticised by China
The most striking thing about the Yasukuni Shrine is its massive and forbidding black "torii" gate.

A distinctive symbol of the Shinto religion, a gaunt silhouette beneath which, on a bright spring day, I watched men and women of all ages streaming in to pay their respects to ancestors, or to admire the enchanting display of cherry blossoms on the tree-lined avenue.

Each family group would pause, shut their eyes and pray in front of the open-plan wooden building where the souls of two-and-a-half-million Japanese war dead are enshrined.

Those war dead include Hideki Tojo, Japan's wartime prime minister who was later hanged with a dozen other top leaders as a war criminal.

Japan's present leader, Junichiro Koizumi has made regular visits to Yasukuni Shrine in spite of furious complaints from China, South Korea and other neighbouring countries that in doing so he was condoning Japan's aggressive war in the 1930s and 1940s.

And now, the news from China is bad, very bad.

Demonstrations

Demonstrations over the text-books have extended to South Korea
Last weekend an angry crowd gathered in Beijing to throw stones at the Japanese embassy.

In other cities young people have attacked Japanese shops and businesses.

In Shanghai two Japanese students were badly beaten up in a restaurant.

Chinese leaders say Japan will not deserve a permanent seat on the UN Security Council until it faces up honestly to its wartime misdeeds.

An e-mail doing the rounds in China calls for a mass boycott of Japanese goods. "Send this on to other Chinese people", the message says, "and we won't need to go to war!"

History

This stream of invective against the Japanese is not new.

Some Asia watchers see it largely as a device by Chinese leaders to extract more Japanese aid or divert attention from their own failings.

It is alarmingly reminiscent of the age of the Communist Red Guards.

The Yasukuni Shrine remains a potent symbol of how the Japanese, intoxicated by fascism and coerced by military rule, once collectively lost their reason and were fed fantastic myths, of racial superiority and the Emperor's divinity

But on this trip to Japan I could not avoid the conclusion that a new mood of nationalism has also begun to take hold in this country which has been publicly devoted to peace and economic prosperity for so long.

One sign is the Japanese authorities' approval of several new school history textbooks written by known right-wing scholars.

One book which has angered the Chinese failed to make any assessment of the number of Chinese civilians killed in the infamous Rape of Nanjing.

The internationally accepted view is that hundreds of thousands died in an orgy of sexual violence and killing by Japanese troops.

And Japan's largest national newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, in what I take to be blatant disregard for the known facts, has called on its readers to celebrate, because the new textbooks have cut out all mention of one of the greatest of all the humiliations inflicted by Imperial Japan on its neighbours: the use of large numbers of women in conquered Asian countries as sex slaves for the Japanese army.

It was right to set the record straight, I read, because the accusations "had been shown to be untrue".

Surely I thought modern Japan could not give in to the poison of such deceit and hypocrisy ever again.

The Yasukuni Shrine remains a potent symbol of how the Japanese, intoxicated by fascism and coerced by military rule, once collectively lost their reason and were fed fantastic myths, of racial superiority and the Emperor's divinity.

'Bitter dispute'

I had come to see the recently expanded Yasukuni museum of Japanese history.

For 100 years Japan has been number one in Asia. Now China, with 10 times Japan's population, is in a hurry to take over that role.

And as with highly-geared racing cars sharing the same circuit, it is the moment of overtaking that brings the greatest risk of a crash.

from BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4449005.stm

Lincoln?

The link argues that Lincoln was a war criminal because he was Sherman's supervisor and Sherman burned Columbia after the city surrendered.

Except, Sherman didn't burn Columbia. Retreating confederates set fire to piles of cotton as per their orders. Local firefighters and U.S. troops extinguished the blaze, only to have the cotton fire restart later that night, nearly killing one general and again requiring 2000 federal troops to work through the night to put the fire out. Drunken U.S. troops did set fire to one house, but U.S. troops caught looting were court martialed; some were shot.

Lincoln is as responsible for what happened in Columbia as Bush is responsible for the looting in Baghdad and the torture in Abu Ghraib. Which is none. By the way, Bush will be commemorating Lincoln next week at the new presidential museum.

Patrick

Celeste

Sadly, that stuff is what the teachers are being taught today, so that has become what the teachers are teaching, perhaps not as harsh as your experience, but also more refined and incidious.

Agenda 21 dictates that Judeo-Christian Religions be replaced with earth centered ones. All must embrace the collective vision of a "sustainable community".

They must commit to pursue the three E's of "sustainable development": Environment, Economy and Equity referring to the UN blueprint for environmental regulations, economic controls, and social equity.

Which is of course Socialism. our nearly missed train wreck, Al Gore, was really into this stuff.

How many wondered what his massive project was, that was going to be "so much fun if we just do it."

But American tradition makes the poplation of those pesky red states resistant to their change agents. it becomes a lot easier after the population is fully indoctrinated into self loathing, the culture that freed the most people on earth must be repositioned as the horrible enemy of mankind.

How many notice that the terminology adopted in Rio bacame almost instantly the lingua franca ?

Those who define the terms will write the rules. Those whose "science" will "educate" the masses, will control public beliefs and behavior.

There was method behind the madness that you saw, its more polished now, more widespread, and they have an agenda.

Thanks Stev for the information. I think the read guard mentality is still in Chinese blood; besides, they are naturally all demonstration amateur and that’s the only method they know. I know this is no excuse for what happened in Shanghai etc…it is gross.
I did read on newspaper that the online organizer of rallies in China has posted suggestions like “use tomatoes and eggs, not stone” and “focus on the embassy, not individual Japanese or Japanese business” etc. Yet I am not optimistic about what will happen.
And what about South Korea?

I know this is no excuse for what happened in Shanghai etc…it is gross.

And also inportant to keep in mind that the monsters of 30-40s Japan and Germany, are not some otherworldly other creature, but for time and geography could have been you and me.

It was the ideas that was dangerous. and the leadership sets the tone.

We Americans have a pretty spotty record too, but other than the current leftist infection, have made good progress in redeaming ourselves.

If Japan wants to recover some of that backbone that had their young men willing to fly their planes down the smoke stacks of our ships, its fine with me.

If China boils over, they may need it.

The USA has used its military power for the good of mankind in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Tsunami relief, WW1 intervention, WW2

Bosnia? You sold/gave them weapons which they used to defeat the Serbs. No use of military power needed.
Afganistan, i give you this one but i have some problems with it
Libya, huh, when. Just playing cat & mouse with Gadhafi. You also let him walk away from Lockerbie.
Iraq, Iraq-Iran bad. Gulf war started good but ended bad and i'm not even talking about the invasion.
Tsunami relief, is a given.
WW1, you supported the winners. Neither side were particulary good or evil. I don't think that Europe would have looked any worse in the 1920's if Germany had won.
WW2, a given.

Celeste,

If you want to learn one lesson from history it is this.
Even the guys who should be the good guys can do really bad things and be in fact the bad guys.

That is why Germans need to learn about WWII and Americans about the Indian wars and the Philippines (and in the future Iraq)

Japan always had that backbone. What they also have since WWII is the realisation that war is really bad. A thing that one should avoid at almost all cost. But if they go for it they will go for it to the end unlike some countries who will give up if the going gets a little tough.

Japan always had that backbone. What they also have since WWII is the realisation that war is really bad.

Study up on Japanese sword making sometime.

Just what is it you think man didnt understand soon after the first sword was forged, or back when the first flint point was put on an arrow, or even when we sharpend sticks in the fire ?

And what shape was the geneva convention in then, what was the experience of those that lost a battle ?

Just what is it you think the Japanese, or anyone else for that matter, didnt understand ?

Where does this view come from, I mean, you clearly dont understand what we lost when the Alexander library burned, or why we owe so much of our history to Roman educated britsh and irish monks. who spent a few hundered years translating the content of that library for us.

Or know why they taught latin and greek in all those universities till leftism began to destroy everything, so we could read those works.

You really think mans enlightment is so recent?

What do you imagine it was like to go from walking the marble halls of the Alexander library to watching it burn ?

From where does this recent transformation theory come from. I mean, ive been a geek and a nerd from long before being one was cool, my first computer was an altair 8800 built from a kit, but i grew up with tube type radios and bw tv sets, and learned electronics with tubes.

I have at least a bit of experience of life before hi tech, I watched as these new fields created more specialisation in learning. so i guess by your standard im another neaderthal, born just after man discovered war is "bad".

I would like to hear more about your recent living backward neanderthal theory of mans evolution that would have produced a japanese people that saw their own hacked to pieces with folded metal composite clay sheld tempered steel swords while the west was yet to discover pattern welding, unable to know that war is "bad".

Perhaps you mught study up where the Japanese phrase "Divine Wind" came from, a name given to the the kamakazis. came from a name given to a storm that saved Japan from the Mongol invasion of Kublai Khan

You think the mongols failed to teach japan that war is bad ?

How about when they was hacking each other to pieces wearing that bamboo armor and fancy fierce face helments ?

Brutal defeat as well as victory was something the Japanese was all too familiar with, I mean, im standing here agape with your recent revelation theory of people learning "war is bad".

How about this theory, man learned that war has its downside, long before war got a name.

We was well aware that war was "bad" before Enoch was born. how about that theory.

Im agasp, who dont know that Todays Japan is in large part a creation of general McAuthor, who had a rather large, if that isnt understating it too much, part in the Japanese constitution, that has right in it, a few things to say about Japan and war.

Not that I dont have a few quarrels, he melted all their 1000+ year old japanese blades down for scrap, all the people had to turn in their swords, so that the survivors are few.

A "realisation that war is really bad."

" A thing that one should avoid at almost all cost."

There have been none that held that view that didnt become dead or slaves.

What the Japanese learned is the same thing all empires learn the hard way, about becoming over extended. The French and the Brits, the Romans, the Ottomans. Even the NAZIs.

As Empires go, America travels light, we have a few small island possesions and thats it. perhaps we are the first large State to learn that lesson without having to learn it the hard way.

Even the Russian Tsar would have ruled on if he had not got mixed up in WWI. but he went in knowing "War is bad"

But if they go for it they will go for it to the end unlike some countries who will give up if the going gets a little tough.

The first part of that sounds like you are a regular on the psychic hotline, the last part sounds like Bin Ladins vision of America after watching 8 years of Clinton.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-- John Stewart Mill

(pisst, look, more evidence of early knowlege that "war is bad")

That was Bin Ladins miscalulation, America is chocko full of "better men" than Clinton and members of his narcissism cult.

The US has many soft colonies. Officially they are independent but in reality they can only be on the path Washington sets out.

Owww, heh, amazing .. I cant ....

Um ok name some .. sure you can name a couple of them ? hmm ? three ? two ? one perhaps ?

Who are these non-empire pieces of our empire.

Middle America for one. South America you try really hard. Your slacking on Africa but who cares about Africa. And then we have the former Sovjet States

Behold the warped leftist brain, anyone that dont hate us is our patsy, and evidence of "empire".

Some call it a religion, Savage says its a mental disorder.

Surprize and a Salad dressing !

Hugo Chaves is probably very fortunate we dont try very hard, others have found out what happens when they catch our attention.

you remind me of a bezaro comic.

You want to see that South America loves you?

Love ? Who cares ?

As long as they dont cause us problems and mistreat their own people (something that goes together, always) what they think of us is of no importance.

Fear, if you have mass graves of your own people underfoot, because you put em there, you should rightly fear us, feer, cold trembling fear, that goes really deep into the black hearts of the evil butchers of the world ... we need more of that.

There isnt enough of that, so we should create more.

Course, the left dont like that, they have this habit of creating mass graves, so they dont like us much, but to be hated by such creatures is a badge of honor.

something that goes together, always

Sure