Mitsubishi corp appologises to american POW's for slavery.
Although positive it's representatives which appologised not the actual persons involved at the time the crimes were commited.
-
Select language
Mitsubishi corp appologises to american POW's for slavery.
Although positive it's representatives which appologised not the actual persons involved at the time the crimes were commited.
@Mike: they're dead, nothing can be done about it. The important thing is what Mitsubishi are doing today under current management, and the degree to which their previous actions have contributed to their position today - THIS is what they're responsible for, nothing more - as a corporation may be a 'legal person' according to the law, but in fact we all know that it is always real people who act and who bear the responsibility for their actions.
how do you know they are dead??
OK, maybe a handful are still breathing at age 90.
Couple of the ones "still breathing" (Alien's words, not mine or articles.)
The thread title is rather generous. Japan, to my knowledge, has never formally apologized - although the west commonly acknowledges that Japan's faux apologies were in fact apologies - with the general consensus of the west being "get over it". Kudos to Japan for cleverly wording their apologies and suckering most of the globe.
Translated, Japan's apology for war crimes, targeting civilian populations (murder), heinous torture (bio and chemical experimentation on live humans), and general slaughter of prisoners of war - goes like this:
"We sincerely regret your pain."
Some Japanese leaders have expressed genuine personal regret over the war - but those are NOT national apologies - for over 70 years, Japan has refused to acknowledge its war crimes (ostensibly waiting for all its victims to die). This is akin to a murderer, refusing to acknowledge he/she murdered your family, but "sincerely regretting your pain". As a personal civilian - the current leader of Japan consistently demonstrates willful denial of Japan's war crimes by venerating war criminals publicly, as a private citizen. This would be akin to Obama, laying wreathes at the tombs of Hitler, Goebels, and other barbaric dictators, in his personal capacity as a citizen and should in no way be construed as national policy. What utter manure.
The majority of westerners simply can't understand the subtle difference between an actual apology and Japan's national deft avoidance of responsibility. It's apparent in its schoolbooks - most japanese have no clue about WW2, just like most americans (for centuries) had no clue about the US government's policies of murder through starvation and disease, forced relocations, and generally genocidal treatment of native americans, or that Chinese built the most treacherous, dangerous, and difficult portions of the American railroad system - the former backbone of American economic booms.
Kudos to Mitsubishi for actually acknowledging at least a portion of its dark part of its wartime history - its rather late - but better late than never - and it's a good start - we should begin to see more companies within Mitsubishi's keiretsu system (relationships of companies) stepping forwards, with similar announcements.
Although tensions remain strong between China and Japan - I'm guessing Mitsubishi's personal acknowledgement will make the firm less susceptible to political sanctions.
There's a possible reason for Japanese to deny everything for so long.
In addition to the "saving face" the Japanese top scientist and other high officials were being helped denying or neglecting responsibility of wrongdoing during the war by the American military intelligence.
I'm certain this "Big Brother on thier side" helped justify the Japanese in denying everything.
The reason for the American military to help deny and not prosecute these individuals was an incentive and deal made with the Japanese to keep nuclear, chemical and other technology form escaping Japan to other countries including Russia who was quickly becoming an enemy.
This "incentive deal" was fueled by post war occupying American forces discovering advanced nuclear technology in Japan.
Now, with hindsight, we know Russia had their nuclear program in full swing during the war.
@mike4g_air
Actually - I was led to believe that the USA waived most of the Nuremberg war trials for Class A Japanese offenders, because of their terrifying fear of communism (Soviets and China), so they waived to war crimes trials for Japan (of which there were obviously many) to rapidly stabilize the area (Japan), to maintain a heavy footprint to offset the rising tide of regional communism.
The USA also stood to gain tremendous intel from Japan's prolific and horrifying human experiments in chemical and biological warfare - which incidentally, Japan also still denies.
As a people group - Japanese people are generally fantastic - I learn a LOT from interactions on both how NOT to be an A-hole and how to be an A-hole, but politely. The government, however is another piece of cake - their behavior is equivalent to Germany continuing to deny the holocaust, torture, and abominable human trials.
Japan would NEVER have been enabled to behave like this, if not for the consistent support of my freely elected democratic government, but I'm an idealist and I don't have political or economic responsibility for the USA or the world, so despite my personal misgivings - I'm not even remotely qualified to comment on US foreign policy, aside from a heavily biased perspective on what's right and what's wrong, morally and ethically.
An apology is only possible when one side is willing to make it and the other side is able and willing to accept it.
Japanese governmental behavior today is the thing to focus on. In the past horrible things happened. Watch for horrible things happening today, & don't go around blaming 100s of millions of people, who weren't even born, for the past - those who weren't there couldn't possibly have been responsible. The idea that 'Japan' or 'China' or some other nation is like a person and has friends and can speak and is immortal like God etc. is very, very serious mass sociological headwarp. It is unfortunately nearly universal, and all ruling groups love it, since they are the ones who can choose what the nation, and/or the corporation, 'says' - and does.
As for the guy who spoke www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33584704 - good for him, if he meant it - of course most statements by most such people are all about calculation and manipulation rather than about honest communication - we all know this, don't we?