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Japanese museum forced to remove wartime aggression exhibits

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OSAKA--A museum famed for its many exhibits showing Japanese aggression during World War II has removed them, bowing to pressure from conservative politicians.

“We had no choice but to remove the exhibition on the aggression to ensure the survival of the museum,” a source close to the museum explained.

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto had threatened to close down the Osaka International Peace Center museum when he was governor of the prefecture.

Hashimoto's successor as Osaka governor and a close ally, Ichiro Matsui, praised the facelift when he toured the museum in the city’s Chuo Ward on April 30, the day the facility reopened after renovations.

“This looks better now,” Matsui told reporters. “I believe exhibits should not represent the view of one side when there are diverse perceptions (on the war).”

Among the dozens of exhibits removed were panels on Japan’s invasion of the continent, the colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, suffering in Southeast Asian countries due to Japanese aggression, text describing the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and abuse of prisoners of war, and photos showing piles of dead bodies and civilians being buried alive.

Instead, the museum now houses an expanded section on U.S. air raids in Osaka Prefecture between December 1944 and August 1945 and shows a 14-minute war-related video in which Japan is not labeled an aggressor.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201505010073

Not exactly shocking news to those familiar with Japan but thought I'd post it as I didn't see it on regular news sites and thought it could do with some attention. Given Abe is currently in the US and Tokyo is hosting the Olympics seems a good time people start making some noise about Japan's avoidance of facing up to its past and the revolting behaviour of its politicians. Please share this on social media.
 

Fury451

Banned
So I guess it's becoming one of those things that we just pretend didn't happen.

What is that saying about those who don't learn from history?
 

Opto

Banned
I wonder if the same thing has happened in America. Like if a museum depicted the shitty stuff America did in WW2 and especially Vietnam
 
So I guess it's becoming one of those things that we just pretend didn't happen.

What is that saying about those who don't learn from history?

I'm getting a bit sick of it to be honest. I come from a country where terrible things were done to its inhabitants and the occupation never stopped, but it's all out in the open. No-one tries to hide from the history. Here in Japan it's about revisionism and denial and many young people are either ignorant or get a very skewed perception of the war.
 

Akuun

Looking for meaning in GAF
And this is why people are still mad at Japan about their actions during the war.
 

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
“This looks better now,” Matsui told reporters. “I believe exhibits should not represent the view of one side when there are diverse perceptions (on the war).”
It's not a fucking opinion.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
Japan I love you but this is disgusting and pretty much borders on Orwell's 1984.

“This looks better now,” Matsui told reporters. “I believe exhibits should not represent the view of one side when there are diverse perceptions (on the war).”

This guy is an idiot.
 

Hilbert

Deep into his 30th decade
I wonder if the same thing has happened in America. Like if a museum depicted the shitty stuff America did in WW2 and especially Vietnam

I just went to an exhibit about Japanese interment camps. It was not a positive portrayal of America during WWII.
 

Anko

Member
As someone from a country that suffered under Japanese occupation, this doesn't sit right with me.

I don't even hate Japan. I love Japan and its culture. There's also almost no animosity here towards Japan but they really need to cut this shit out.
 
Japan really, really needs to sent a delegation to Germany and learn about how to deal with your past. This is just shameful and disgusting.
 

joe2187

Banned
Wheres that video of the guy interviewing young japanese students about Hiroshima and not knowing what he was talking about?
 

oti

Banned
In the meantime I've been to three concentration camps and museums during my 13 years of German school education.
 

Brakke

Banned
How do you even make a statement like “This looks better now. I believe exhibits should not represent the view of one side when there are diverse perceptions (on the war).” in this context and not die of an irony overdose?
 

Goliath

Member
As much as I would like to dogpile on the condemning of Japan, I find it kind of hard when American states downplay slavery, the Civil War, the Japanese internment camps, etc.

It seems like all countries want to pretend their poop doesn't stink.
 
As much as I would like to dogpile on the condemning of Japan, I find it kind of hard when American states downplay slavery, the Civil War, the Japanese internment camps, etc.

It seems like all countries want to pretend their poop doesn't stink.
There is a difference between downplaying/denieing and actively censoring history. I have gone to civil war museums and the Civil rights movement museums and all were not against showing the more grim parts of their history.
 

Joni

Member
As much as I would like to dogpile on the condemning of Japan, I find it kind of hard when American states downplay slavery, the Civil War, the Japanese internment camps, etc.

It seems like all countries want to pretend their poop doesn't stink.

And then you have Germany that goes: 'And here is this province's museum on what we fucked up during WWII'.
I was once with a Dutch GF in an history museum, some Germans came up to apogolize for the war.
 

Ryuuroden

Member
As much as I would like to dogpile on the condemning of Japan, I find it kind of hard when American states downplay slavery, the Civil War, the Japanese internment camps, etc.

It seems like all countries want to pretend their poop doesn't stink.

In America there is open debate. You have your deniers but those deniers don't get to decide national views on history. They can and have caused it to get downplayed at times but they cannot completely remove it from discussion or access. In Japan, they can, and do. There is no comparison between the two.
 

cajunator

Banned
awful. I wonder if other museums around the world do the same thing

Pretty sure I saw some propaganda stuff in the WW2 museum in New Orleans. Naturally it was majorly racist. But those things are part of war history so they should be included.
 
In America there is open debate. You have your deniers but those deniers don't get to decide national views on history. They can and have caused it to get downplayed at times but they cannot completely remove it from discussion or access. In Japan, they can, and do. There is no comparison between the two.

Except in Texas.

Fucking Texas.
 
In America there is open debate. You have your deniers but those deniers don't get to decide national views on history. They can and have caused it to get downplayed at times but they cannot completely remove it from discussion or access. In Japan, they can, and do. There is no comparison between the two.
This is completely incorrect.
 
Why always conservatives.

If you will allow me to completely talk out my ass about this, with no real in depth knowledge or expertise on the matter....
.
I happen to read a rather pro-Japanese newspaper over there. In Japan's case, it is my opinion that the conservative party in power right now has held one objective for 50 years: The military autonomy of Japan. However, the Japanese public at large likes the security of having the US troops occupy their country. Particularly, in Okinawa, where the US troops literally saved their lives and turned their oppressed, impoverished, and starving island into a prosperous community. Public support has not been in favor of re-militarizing Japan.

I think, for these reasons, Japanese conservative PR/media have been focused on accomplishing a few tasks. First and foremost, portraying their East Asian neighbors as aggressors who continue to execute illegal provocative military action against Japanese territorial claims. With South Korea illegally occupying Japanese territory right now and China repeatedly disrespecting Japanese Naval territory, that's an easy case to make. The conservative papers, thus, have been full of articles demonizing Korea and China militarily and politically, but there also have been a lot of articles about the public at large having anti-Japanese sentiments with a warlike tone.

Another objective is emphasizing the strengthening of the ties between US and Japan. I suppose this is to reassure the public that a Japan with military autonomy would not be vulnerable, but rather, would be a force that could better protect the shared interests of US and Japan in that part of the world and abroad. I've come to expect generally favorable portrayal of the US. In the last few years, I've seen a lot of articles emphasizing violent acts of Islamic extremism, and since the death of two nationals at the hands of ISIS, the story really has legs.

With all this considered, I'd say a museum that shows Japan being aggressive against East Asia would not be good for them when it comes to swinging public opinion in favor of a full-scale independent Japanese military. They can't have public going "well, last time we had a military...." and seeing what good it did them.

On a side note, I wonder if Japanese people know about the Manchurian Incident.
 
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto

Name seemed familiar. Oh yeah that guy.

He was the youngest governor in Japanese history before becoming mayor of Osaka, and last year said Japan needed "a dictatorship".
In his latest comments, quoted by Japanese media, he said: "In the circumstances in which bullets are flying like rain and wind, the soldiers are running around at the risk of losing their lives,"
"If you want them to have a rest in such a situation, a comfort women system is necessary. Anyone can understand that."
 
I believe exhibits should not represent the view of one side when there are diverse perceptions (on the war).”

Oh yeah? Should Unit 731 be regarded as paragons of science with that kind of reasoning?
 

Aizo

Banned
How many people do they say died in Nanjing nowadays? They never live up to war crimes.
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Pretty sure I saw some propaganda stuff in the WW2 museum in New Orleans. Naturally it was majorly racist. But those things are part of war history so they should be included.

I was impressed that the Disney Family Museum had items on display related to Der Fuehrer's Face.
 

massoluk

Banned
As much as I would like to dogpile on the condemning of Japan, I find it kind of hard when American states downplay slavery, the Civil War, the Japanese internment camps, etc.

It seems like all countries want to pretend their poop doesn't stink.

Yeah, my country (Thailand) was actually allied with Axis and invaded Indochina with the help of Japan, but I was never taught those lesson from primary school to high school, had to learn about them myself much later. We only got away with it when WWII because we had active underground resistance.
 

Ryuuroden

Member
This is completely incorrect.

The government doesn't make me believe what they want me to believe and you can get a much larger veriety of books then even some European countries. You are looking at completely different scales here. You can easily find as many viewpoints as you want in the USA. So much so that it causes issues even since we don't even censor blatent lies

It is practically impossible to win a libel /slander suit in the USA. Much easier in Europe.

Good example would be the swift boat story on Sen Kerry in 2004. It was a complete fabrication Yet it could not be banned or censored or sued over.
 
As much as I would like to dogpile on the condemning of Japan, I find it kind of hard when American states downplay slavery, the Civil War, the Japanese internment camps, etc.

It seems like all countries want to pretend their poop doesn't stink.

When I was in middle-school, educators visited our school and put heavy chains on our legs while they told us about the slave trade. I'm from Kentucky.

Also, I don't think the US downplays Japanese internment. The US govt went so far as to publicly redress and pay reparations. I think most people are under the impression that conditions were actually worse than they were. It was surely an injustice, but I've seen it used rhetorically as a rebuttal against judging Nazis harshly for the holocaust way too many times in my life. "Yeah, but the US had Japanese internment camps!" And don't get it twisted, as I know how GAF does. I think it was surely cruel, inhumane, and spit in the face of everything America is supposed to represent, but I really don't believe we downplay it. If anything, we own up to it to seem contrite while downplaying other less-visible atrocities around the world.
 

Korigama

Member
“This looks better now,” Matsui told reporters. “I believe exhibits should not represent the view of one side when there are diverse perceptions (on the war).”
Yeah, diverse perceptions on how you can go about pretending nothing happened.
 

Ryuuroden

Member
When I was in middle-school, educators visited our school and put heavy chains on our legs while they told us about the slave trade. I'm from Kentucky.

Also, I don't think the US downplays Japanese internment. The US govt went so far as to publicly redress and pay reparations. I think most people are under the impression that conditions were actually worse than they were. It was surely an injustice, but I've seen it used rhetorically as a rebuttal against judging Nazis harshly for the holocaust way too many times in my life. "Yeah, but the US had Japanese internment camps!" And don't get it twisted, as I know how GAF does. I think it was surely cruel, inhumane, and spit in the face of everything America is supposed to represent, but I really don't believe we downplay it. If anything, we own up to it to seem contrite while downplaying other less-visible atrocities around the world.

Yeah, the bigger issue I have with the USA is how it downplays the history of some of its strategic allies like Turkey rather than how the USA treats its own history
 

JSR_Cube

Member
Japan always goes to the beat of its own drum, especially when it comes to WW2. It really is crazy from our point of view but not from theirs. There is quite a conservative movement in Japan, or was at least when I lived there. I find that most Japanese people don't agree with these views but they won't say much when it happens either.
 
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