Asians & WWII

[Jeff S]

Kevin's and several others posts, along with a picture I just received from Bob S of the Hiroshima peace memorial, recently have gotten me thinking about of my interfacing with Asians about WWII.

On my first trip to Japan in 1977, I was working with a Lloyds Register of Shipping representative from Kobe, a really nice old Japanese guy named Kuroishi (Who I immediately dubbed, Mr. Blackstone to the giggles of everyone concerned [Japanese language joke]) Anyway during the war Kuroishi-san was busy in Kobe developing and training in the kaiten (two man kamikaze submarines) awaiting the American Japanese home island invasion in 1945. Coincidentally, during the spring & summer of 1945, my father was a SeaBee in Manila, training for that very same invasion. We both agreed that had the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs been dropped, we would very probably not be alive talking to each other at that moment. It's possible Kuroishi and my father's paths may have crossed in an entirely different way. Somehow Kuroishi seemed like he would have been OK with either outcome, but my father thinks Truman was his personal savior. It's an old time Japanese thing ("to live and to die are the same" perhaps better translated in modern English "death is a part of life")

Anyway, my wife has always been against me visiting the peace memorial in Hiroshima, though I've passed through the city many times on the train. On our trip next spring, one of my  Japanese business friends has offered to take me there one day my wife is busy with her friends, which I'm planning to take him up on. I've met many Japanese who witnessed the detonation at Hroshima and most are eager to talk about it. At first I was nervious about broaching the subject, but I've gotten used to it an now enjoy hearing accounts from eyewitnesses on both sides of the war. Next month one of my nephews is getting married in Hawaii and I'm taking his dad and uncles to Pearl Harbor. There was a time you rarely saw any Japanese there but as I understand it they commonly visit these days.

I am saddened to hear that the great battles of the Philippines are being forgotten in the younger generations. There's so many important world changing events - the Bataan death march, the battle of Leyte Gulf, the brutal Japanese occupation, just to mention a few, that have changed everything in our worlds today. Time marches on and old wounds heal, but never completely disappear. I hear there's a new Japanese TV plant just built in Nanking. If Nanking can bury the hatchet after the events of the 1930s, I guess we can all move on.

For me, one of the more fascinating aspects of traveling to Asia and getting to know the people is to try to gain an appreciation of their viewpoints about the conflicts of the past. Listening to how it was back then sure puts things into perspective. I'm not sure what this has to do with finding an Asian wife, but just about every area in Asia you care to mention has a war history going back not so very far. You'll likely run into relatives and friends of your sweetie who have strong opinions on America and Americans shaped by wartime events of the past. I find most people eager to talk about it and have never run into animosity in a 1 on 1 conversation.

Just some rambling thoughts I though worth posting.

- Jeff S.

[Bob S]

... in response to Asians & WWII, posted by Jeff S on Aug 14, 2002

Don't bypass Hiroshima.  Both I and my fellow teacher Robin agree, Hiroshima is one of the prettiest cities in Japan.  It was rebuilt beautifully.  In many ways it reminds me of downtown San Diego:  a military city (Hiroshima was heavily used by the Japanese military before and during the war) on a bay surrounded by green hills.  Hiroshima also has some beautiful tree-lined avenues that are a rarity in the Kanto area.  And it is mostly laid out in a comprehensible grid pattern like Kyoto or Osaka.  Plus a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean keeps the weather mild unlike the baking Kanto plain.

The Peace Park is also serene and green.  The children�fs memorial is lovely with the hundreds of thousands of origami cranes and not too imposing like the cenotaph.  The Peace Museum is not subtle in its Anti-Nuclear message (and rather quaint in the opinion of this Orange County Republican who attended years of left-wing dominated CA universities), but it is well worth the entry fee to get both their perspective and to glimpse the A-bomb relics.  There are stacks of coins and porcelain cups that were melted together.  There were samples of ceramic roof tiles that were heated till they melted from the inside, the material boiled to the surface, and re-baked, all in a matter of seconds.  And to think humans were under that.  It does give you pause to think.  But what really touched me were the personal drawings of eyewitness survivors who stuck around to try and rescue others.  Their grim stories and simple sketches reached even my hardened cynical heart.  And kudos to whoever designed the Aioi-bashi bridge.  Though almost directly under the blast, it buckled but did not break.

Even within Japan you will get a variety of opinions about the Bomb.  One student referred to it as a crime against humanity.  Another person mentioned that it was an unfortunate consequence of Japan having the wrong people in government at the time.  My girlfriend�fs family is in a unique position to have a rather up-close and personal opinion about it all.  Her mother is a Hiroshima survivor and was 16-yo student conscript when the bomb fell 4 km from where she was working.  She spent a year in the hospital with radiation sickness.  But my GF�fs father is of the opinion that the bomb was an unfortunate necessity to end the war quickly because Russia was getting ready to invade from the north.  If that had happened, the 38th Parallel that divides Korea would today stretch all the way across Japan.  I don�ft doubt that for a minute.

[Jeff S]

... in response to Re: Asians & WWII, posted by Bob S on Aug 15, 2002

It's definetely on my schedule next spring. Will you still be there?

Your girlfriend's family? Is there something you're not telling us Bob?

-- Jeff S.

[Bob S]

... in response to Re: Re: Asians & WWII, posted by Jeff S on Aug 15, 2002

"It's definetely on my schedule next spring. Will you still be there?"

Yeah, I'll be here at least through the summer.  Beyond that, I'll be playing it by ear.  My mom is not well back in CA, so I really don't want to be stuck here if things take a turn for the worse back there.

"Your girlfriend's family? Is there something you're not telling us Bob?"

You remember my penpal who came to visit me last spring?  She was only in L.A. for a couple days.  Well, I went down to visit her in her hometown during Obon.  We decided to step the relationship up a notch.  Sadly it is still an LDR with me in the Kanto region and her in the Chugoku region.  I'll try to find the time to write up my travel tale to Hiroshima, Miyajima, et al this weekend and e-mail it to you.

[Jeff S]

... in response to Re: Re: Asians & WWII, posted by Bob S on Aug 15, 2002

Omoshiroi, desu. I'll be awaiting your e-mail.

-- Jeff S.

[The Walker]

... in response to Asians & WWII, posted by Jeff S on Aug 14, 2002

Vicky's mom called unexpectedly. I hope it is nothing bad.

I can tell you that older Filipinos remember what occured during the Japanese invasion and occupation. Vicky's Uncle was a Philippine Scout(teenager) who went underground after Bataan and fought the Japanese visciously until MacArthur returned. They traded an eye for an eye, and as the Japanese butchered Filipinos, they did the same and worse in return, atrocity for atrocity.

The Philippines teaches the history of WWII but most of the people, especially the younger ones, dismiss it as having no relevance today. How little they know.

Older Filipinos may do business with the Japanese, but they do not like them. You will never find a Japanese businessman invited to Uncle's home, as other businessmen sometimes are. And if one of the family ever married a Japanese, he'd probably disown them and then have a stroke.

Personally I don't have any anomisity for the Japanese. My Mom does because one of her uncles was used for sword practice while he lay wounded on Tarawa, I believe. As a professional soldier I worked with them as an ally and I had a Japanese military man/diplomat as my best man. Vicky's Uncle never turned a hair (since he was not a part of the family). I think it is the only time a Japanese man has ever been to a family function at all. Uncle was polite to him, but he was a hit with some of the younger members of the family. However none of the senior females danced with him. That Uncle tolerated him was a very nice compliment to me. I did not know for sure until long after the wedding how he felt about the Japanese.

Don

[Tim]

... in response to Asians & WWII, posted by Jeff S on Aug 14, 2002

Good thoughts, but I think the residents of Nanking are FAR from reconciliation with the Japanese. They are just greedy for any kind of foreign investment. The survivors of the Japanese occupation and "rape" of Nanking are still trying to negotiate with Japan for reparations.

My observations about mainland Chinese and history is this: the younger generation fears (what to their mind is) America's growing militarism, and the older generation fears and hates Japan for what occurred during WWII.  

Both young and old Chinese share a basic resentment and uneasiness about foreign governments, due to the fact that China was so often occupied and humiliated by foreign powers in the last 200 years or so. Everyone there wants reunification with Taiwan, even by military means if all else fails, and the USA's military support for Taiwan is a big reason they feel negatively towards us.  

Regards, Tim

[Windmill Boy]

... in response to Asians & WWII, posted by Jeff S on Aug 14, 2002

Jeff

I  recently  received  an  E-mail  fom my  friend  Toshi  in  Osaka.  he had  mentioned  that  he  watched the 57 th peace  celebration  ceremonies  held  in  Hiroshima and  televised accross japan  I  believe  on August  6 th.   He  said  he  watches  it  every  year.  What  struck  him  this  year  however  was  a  delegation  of  World  Trade  center  Survivors  who  attended  the  ceremony.  He  thought  that  was  really  powerfull  and  adds  a new  dimension  to  the  rememberence.

I  told  him  that  unfortunately   in  America  the  significance  of  the  day  August 6 th  has  largely  been forgotten.   I  am  scared  to  say  that  many  american  younger  than  25  like  their  filipino  counterparts  as  kevin  mentioned  are  oblivious  to  the  past  events.

It has been interesting  to  hear  responces about  the  war  from  some some  Japaneses women  I  have  talked  to.  One  girl  told  me  that  she  was  decended  from  samuri  and  that  her  Grandfather  fought   against  the  Americans.  She  told  me this very appologetically.  I  said don't  worry  I  don't  hold  you  responsible  for your  grandfathers  actions.  And  besides  my  family  were  living  in  Holland  during  the  war  and  dealing  with  the  occupation of  the  Germans  at  the  time.  While  my  coworker  Maki  has  told  me  that  her grand fathers  were in  the  diplomatic  core  and were  pacifists and against  the  actions of the imperialist  machine.  Everyone did not agree with  the emperors and  the warlord's  actions.

I don't  know If  I  will  visit Hiroshima  on  my  trip  and  If  I  do  I  probably  want  to  see  other  things  instead of  the  peace  park.  however  I  am  interested  in  Visiting  Nagasaki  I  have  seen  a  picture  and  it  looks  like  Auckland  or  San Francisco  in  its  geography.

You  might  like  to see  the  recent  japanese film.  
DR. Akagi  (1999 or  2000)  it  depicts  a  doctors  persoanl drive  to understand  find  the  cure  and  stamp  out hepetitus during  the  war  he  is  close to  okoyama.  Apparently  this  had  a  great imapact on  the  general  population.The  movie also  has  some  great Jazz  in  the soundtrack  too.

Windmill  Boy