Whoi knew a bunch of Japanese textbook could cause such trouble?

[Kidlicious]

If the Chinese, especially their govt, want to complain about extreme Japanese nationalism and anti-Chinese hatred that currently exists I will give a ****. But this is just crap about the textbooks. I don't care.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
what Japan did in Asia is a still a searing memory - its amzing really because it made European colonialism seem not so bad - we get off lightly

Talk to the Indians about that. There's a movement in India to replace Ghandi as the country's greatest hero with Chandra Bose, the collaborator who raised a Japanese sponsored "Indian National Army" during WW2.

[Tingkai]

I understand why the Chinese are complaining about the Japanese text books and if Chinese consumers want to boycott Japanese goods, that's their right.

The Japanese government created this mess and now they are making it even worse by authorizing today, gas drilling rights in a section of the East China Sea that is claimed by China. Of all the stupidity! This is throwing gas on a fire.

[Drake Tungsten]

Oh I know grudges are held in various parts of Asia - but it took the Japanese to show just how bad colonialism could be. It made the European powers look better than they deserved.

You're right. The European powers saved all their really nasty behavior for Africa...

[Drake Tungsten]

In 1998 or thereabouts it came the closest, when non-LDP parties were in power. Unfortunately, after that, the entire politcal scene in Japan veed clearly to the right.

They were probably tired of apologizing to a country that is obviously never going to consider any apology given to be good enough...

[mindseye]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Um, no. There's no expletive there.

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Lets see. The first "character" look like the letter "Y," which isn't Chinese AFAIK. Okay, it can be a very badly written ya. The second one is indeed bi. However the term ya bi doesn't mean anything. OTOH, bi and the last character ("die") makes sense together.

My dictionary says the first character is "ya", meaning something like "low status", as in "ya tou" (slave girl). The second character is "bi", which means "vagina" or "c*nt", as in "niu bi" ("ox c*nt, a common enough Chinese curse term).

The phrase "ya bi" literally means something like "low-down c*nt", but the way it's used in Chinese is probably closer to American English "f*cker" or "b*astard". It's a strong expletive, I just confirmed this with one of my students.

So my original translation of "Ya bi wang!" as "Die, f*cker!" next to Koizumi's X-ed over face was correct.

You know, I teach English to Chinese everyday, but it's not often I teach Chinese to a Chinese!

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


When I said none, I meant there was none coming from somebody (Emperor or Prime Minister) who did it on behave of the entire country. In 1998 or thereabouts it came the closest, when non-LDP parties were in power. Unfortunately, after that, the entire politcal scene in Japan veed clearly to the right. Probably having something to do with the long term recession in the country - and that is what scares others. This whole thing has a eerie, chilling parallel to the events in Japan in the early 1930's.

Japan has an out of control army in Manchuria? Japanese politicians are being assasinated by militarists? Japan is racing to build up its military and threateneing the regional balance? (well ONE country in Asia IS doing that last , but it isnt Japan)

[mindseye]

I've been reading so much on this lately, I can't recall if it's been mentioned yet in this thread: less than 0.4% of Japanese schools have adopted the textbook in question.

From what I can gather, the voice of the Japanese ultra-rightists is amplified by the international press to something well beyond their actual influence. I would love to hear from those who know something about this.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove


Talk to the Indians about that. There's a movement in India to replace Ghandi as the country's greatest hero with Chandra Bose, the collaborator who raised a Japanese sponsored "Indian National Army" during WW2.

This is interesting, because Braun, the German diplomat, said that Bose's Indian national army was the central reason why Britain quit Indian.

BTW, what happened to that army when the war was over?

[Ned]

Here is a link to the history of Bose, known as Netaji, who died at the end of the war in a plane crash. (He was a leader of the Indian National Congress who initially went to Germany in 1941.) http://www.vho.org/GB/Journals/JHR/3...ra407-439.html Apparently, the Brits put officers of the Free Indian Army on trial at the so-called Red Fort. (The Free Indian Army was primariy composed of POWs from the British Indian Army.) News of the trial spread throughout India and the prisoners national heroes to all those who wanted an end to British rule. This also made the Brit controlled Indian Army unrealiable and an armed revolt seemed possible.

"Apart from revisionist historians, it was none other than Lord Clement Atlee himself, the British Prime Minster responsible for conceding independence to India, who gave a shattering blow to the myth sought to be perpetuated by court historians, that Gandhi and his movement had led the country to freedom. Chief justice P.B. Chakrabarty of Calcutta High Court, who had also served as the acting Governor of West Bengal in India, disclosed the following in a letter addressed to the publisher of Dr. R.C. Majumdar's book A History of Bengal. The Chief Justice wrote:

You have fulfilled a noble task by persuading Dr. Majumdar to write this history of Bengal and publishing it … In the preface of the book Dr. Majumdar has written that he could not accept the thesis that Indian independence was brought about solely, or predominantly by the non-violent civil disobedience movement of Gandhi. When I was the acting Governor, Lord Atlee, who had given us independence by withdrawing the British rule from India, spent two days in the Governor's palace at Calcutta during his tour of India. At that time I had a prolonged discussion with him regarding the real factors that had led the British to quit India. My direct question to him was that since Gandhi's "Quit India" movement had tapered off quite some time ago and in 1947 no such new compelling situation had arisen that would necessitate a hasty British departure, why did they have to leave? In his reply Atlee cited several reasons, the principal among them being the erosion of loyalty to the British Crown among the Indian army and navy personnel as a result of the military activities of Netaji. Toward the end of our discussion I asked Atlee what was the extent of Gandhi's influence upon the British decision to quit India. Hearing this question, Atlee's lips became twisted in a sarcastic smile as he slowly chewed out the word, "m-i-n-i-m-a-l!"[46]

Majumdar, R.C., Jibanera Smritideepe, Calcutta, General Printers and Publishers, 1978, pp. 229-230, (quotation translated from original Bengali).

[Drake Tungsten]

From what I can gather, the voice of the Japanese ultra-rightists is amplified by the international press to something well beyond their actual influence.

Well duh...

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

You're right. The European powers saved all their really nasty behavior for Africa...

There as well European colonialism looks positively benign compared with some of the viscious and corrupt regimes that have taken over - Mugabe being the most well known example right now.

[Drake Tungsten]

I don't know about that. I'm not sure the people of the Congo, as bad as their situation is now, really look back fondly upon the Belgians...

[Alexander's Horse]

the Portuguese were pretty bad too

[Drake Tungsten]

Yeah. They were my next example, should one be required.