Why Japanese so very cruel?
Historically, culturally, psychologically...what are the reasons for their extreme cruelty to prisoners as well as those they conquered?
shareI can only speculate, but I believe it isn't specific to Japanese. In every war there is extreme cruelty. History is written by the victor, so many cruelties aren't recorded or remembered. I'm not sure if Japan has properly worked through their holocaust. But they certainly aren't alone or special.
I guess it boils down to three things:
1. culture and brainwashing of being superior among inferior races (rationalization of cruelty)
2. systematic and planned eradication or subjugation (not just random war crimes)
3. unquestioning submission to superior officers (bushido? code)
The scale makes it more shocking, but imho isn't really relevant. The rescuing allied forces in the end are displayed as honorable etc. but don't believe that any nation is immune to reverting to barbarism. Our civilization is just a thin mask that can quickly crumble away. When water or fossil fuel or food will get sparse you will see new wars just as horrible. Or maybe we won't? Maybe the drones and killing machines of the future will kill quick and painless.
The interesting contrast between the German and Japanese atrocities is that the German stuff was much more hidden. People have the impression that the holocaust was openly known to everyone, but the Germans took great pains to tell the population that they were shipping undesirables off to newly conquered territory to the east, to live seperately from Germans.
Whereas the the Japanese, their atrocities were rarely hidden. Entire military units would make a contest out of beheading prisoners. They'd round up women and children into a tall building and set it on fire and watch them jump from the roof in desperation. Their newspapers would cover these incidents and it would be celebrated back home.
Not to downplay the evil of the Germans at all, but the Japanese never get their due - I consider them to be as evil or more than the Germans, but you almost never hear about it, whereas you've heard about the holocaust at least 100,000 times in your life.
In addition to that, the official policy in Japan is dangerously close to the equivelant of holocaust denialism, whereas at least the Germans are thoroughly ashamed and sorry for what they did.
False equivalency. Japanese used prisoners for meat, routinely conducted bayonet practice on POWs and civilians (including infants), did horrific scientific experiments on live prisoners, etc.; it goes on and on. None of the Allied forces acted like this, and justifying the Japanese actions with the argument that "everyone does it" is disingenuous and disgusting revisionism.
shareSorry, I'm not trying to justify anything. The Japanese still need to deal with their *beep*
I'm simply saying it's easy to say "those Japanese are cruel" or "the Germans are evil" but that in itself is borderline racism. Sure there are cultures and ideologies that promote these kind of horrible atrocities more than others, but my point is that you can see this stuff in all cultures.
Just look at the horrible lynchings in the USA, the French in their treatment of their colonies. Or the English. Or the atrocities when Yugoslavia collapsed. Or ISIS.
1. culture and brainwashing of being superior among inferior races (rationalization of cruelty)
2. systematic and planned eradication or subjugation (not just random war crimes)
Sounds like a lot of historic encounters between a lot of different cultures. To give one example, this perfectly describes the approach of European colonists toward the native North Americans. The number of dead may even outnumber any other well known atrocity, depending on how you keep track. There's more than enough cruelty to go around.
Tell me the truth. Are we still in the game? share