"Where else would you go when you have an ax to grind?"

Friday, May 27, 2005

Massacre? What Massacre?

Japanese politicians continue to revise history to smooth over what the media here often refer to as "that spot of unpleasantness back in 40s." One alleged human being from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party - Masahiro Morioka, the parliamentary secretary for the Health Ministry - criticized the Chinese government for demanding the Japanese Prime Minister stop visiting the Yasukuni Shrine where the souls of Class A war criminals are specifically enshrined along with the rest of Japan's war dead.

"Class A war criminals are treated as bad people because of fear of China,"
Morioka said. "War criminals were categorized as Class A, Class B and Class C at
the Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals. They were categorized by a one sided
tribunal led by the Occupation forces at which crimes against peace and humanity
were created"

"A war is a part of politics, and it is in line with an
international law. The Diet unanimously agreed to pay pensions to the families
of Class A war criminals who have died. They are not seen as criminals in this
country." "
(Saturday, May 28 Daily Yomiuri)


I recommend the excellent Wikipedia entry on the Nanjing Massacre as a starting point in explaining why Morioka is an idiot. The Tokyo Tribunal did not behead prisoners or bayonet infants or particpate in gang rapes. It didn't invent comfort women, Unit 100, Unit 731 or the Bataan Death March. Morioka is a facist apologist who deserves to be pilloried in the press and beaten like a rented mule at the ballot box. Unfortunately neither will happen.

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