From: c60a-aa@volga.Berkeley.EDU (Ka-Chung Wong)
Subject: Japanese invasion
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 09:20:28 GMT

Orgainzation: University of California, Berkely
Distribution: world
Keyword: Hope



>I'm inclined to think China would have done the same to Japan if
>they'd had half the chance. I don't see any reason to believe that
>Chinese value Japanese lives any more than Japanese value Chinese
>lives. We know your gov't doesn't value its own citizens lives so why
>should we expect otherwise? Lucky for Japan they were on the offensive
                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>instead of the defensive, and that China was still too backward to be
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>a threat.
^^^^^^^^^


I'd like to tell the very poorly-informed Mr. Perry that China is not always 
like the way it is. Since the beginning of human civilization China has
been the most sophisticated and civilized nation on earth.  Until several 
hundreds years ago, Japan was China's subordinate, culturally and politically.
You are assuming that, in invading China and other Asian countries, Japan was
merely doing what China would have done if given the chance.  The fact is 
that, China had the chance to colonize all the neighboring countries but did
not do so, for several thousands of years!  Moreover, Japan is only a hilly 
country with minimal natural resources.  Why would China want to invade her?
Please study some Chinese history before you speak about WWII and China.

>So Tianmen Square is in the Chinese junior high school books now is
>it? The parents who paid for the bullets to execute their sons and
>daughters have been compensated? The agony in their hearts made
>better?  Oh, please. Spare me. You can't even apologize among
>yourselves and you expect an apology from a foreign country. You can't
>even uncover your own coverups and you seek to expose another's.
>That's the point being made.

The June forth Massacre was a bloody and ugly chapter in Chinese history. 
And we shall always remember the blood and lives of the students in China.
And, yes, Chinese are under oppression of the few old men.  Just because 
China is dictated by the communists does not mean the majority of Chinese
would like to see the students died such horrible death.  It is
highly ridiculous to say that since China is so backward and those old men 
are so repressive, and since Chinese are suffering greatly under the current
government, the Japanese invasion is not worth mentioning.  Apologize to 
China does not equal denoucing the human rights.  Also, may I remind you that 
there are a lot of Chinese all over the world, whom suffer greatly in WWII.

........
>Japan has it's faults but has essentially denounced militarism. It
>sounds like they've learned *something*. Where are China's nuclear......
>-- Tad Perry   Internet:    tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu
>               CompuServe:  70402,3020
>               NIFTY-Serve: GBG01266

Had Japan denouced militarism, all the Japanese prime ministers would not 
have paid tribute to the WWII Japanese generals and other military leaders
at one point or the other;  the textbook would not have renamed the invasion as
"enter"; Japanese would have taught their children some truth about the War.

Mr. Perry's meaness and cruelty in his article shocked me.  We are talking 
about millions of lives being murdered and tortured, infants being thrown in
the air and stabbed, women aging from eight to eighty being raped, men being
used in chemical weapons experiments.... 

All that we are demanding is just a simple apology.

We are not promoting hatred.  Rather, we are trying to let the generations
to come to know the truth.  And hopefully, our children do not have to suffer
as our fathers and grandfathers had.

Leo Wong
c60a-aa@volga.berkeley.edu