[Michael]

While the Nazi Germans are justifiably regarded as brutal aggressors - invading neighboring countries and murdering more than 10 million civilians in the Holocaust, less attention has been paid to the atrocities of the Japanese forces in World War II, which were as equally repulsive in many cases. Some people even regard it as "politically incorrect" to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day or to be anything but opposed to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought an end to World War II in August 1945. In light of the above, why does there appear to be such a disparity in the contemporary treatment of the Nazi German vs. WW II-era Japanese legacies?

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Name : Michael, Gender : M, Age : 30, City : Manassas, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : History teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mary]

I haven't thought about this too much, and I can't even begin to speculate why Americans would have a problem with this, but my embryonic understanding of Japanese culture would indicate that the Japanese themselves barely recognize what their government did in those countries (unlike in Germany, where folks are not allowed to forget all the gory details, though many choose to deny it nonetheless). To discuss WWII in Japan brings tension in a society where harmony is always supposed to reign, and to denounce what previous governments did in the past would be like dishonoring their ancestors. Either way, it is extremely shameful. I get the idea they would rather pretend it never happened. And since the victims, such as the Korean women who were forced to become sex slaves of Japanese soldiers, apparently didn't have the same kind of people fighting for their cause after the war the way Jewish leaders have fought so hard for recognition of the Holocaust (which might have otherwise been covered up and forgotten) and its victims, they were ignored and forgotten ... until recently. But maybe the U.S. government ignores it because they can; and also for the same reasons it ignores human rights abuses in China and formerly in Indonesia (East Timor was ignored for what, 20 years?)- to maintain harmonic trade relations. That's the bottom line. As a result, the public is perhaps less informed about the events that actually occurred. I know I am.

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Name : Mary, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : Kanazawa, State : NA Country : Japan, Occupation : English Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[A.C.C.]

The simple fact is that Japanese aggression, while horrible, was not a systematic attempt to wipe out a group of people, as was the Holocaust against Jews, Gypsies, Poles, gays and others. As far as the A-bombings, the historical evidence we have shows they were unnecessary. One of the best-known American historians, Ronald Takaki, showed in his book that generals Macarthur, Marshall and even Patton were opposed to using the A-bomb and thought Japan would surrender without an invasion in a few months. Truman's claim of a million lives saved was an outright lie. His motive for using the bombs, by his own words, was really to try to frighten the Soviets into behaving.

As far as unequal treatment goes, how many German-Americans get blamed for Nazism? Did anyone ever tell Norman Schwarzkoff to go back to where he came from or publicly call him 'kraut' on the anniversary of D-Day? Things like this happen all the time, not just to Japanese, but to all nationalities of Asian people, done by those who still hold a grudge for Pearl Harbor. Why the unequal treament? Simply because Japanese are Asian and Germans are 'white.' Part of why Japanese atrocities get less attention is that they were done against other Asian people.

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Name : A.C.C., Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : W Lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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