From: underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe)
Subject: Re: China/Chua, KhengHwa/Re: An open letter to Emperor Akihito of Japan
Organization: Miners for a Heart of Gold
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 23:38:49 GMT

In article <1992Aug19.225029.13121@leland.Stanford.EDU> chuakh@leland.Stanford.EDU (Khenghwa Chua) writes:
>...
>The Japanese had a strong movement to alter their textbooks' treatment
>of the Second World War, excluding most material related to the
>atrocities committed by the Japanese.  If this is passed, young Japanese
>will never be able to fully fathom the caution that countries in Asia
>exercise when Japan announces a move like sending troops on overseas
>exercises.  

This is so ludicrous.

Let's compare Japanese textbooks to Chinese textbooks.  The latter
is far more distorted.  In fact, due to consistent brainwashing
technques by the Chinese and the dictatorial leanings of Chinese
culture, it is the Chinese who are far more inclined to not fathom
the dangers of military aggression.

I refer to the Econonist.  It is China which has declared that
the Southeast Asian waters "rightfully" belong to China.[1]  Further,
the Senkaku islands, which are in dispute by Japan & China
, have been claimed by Chinese law.  In other words, China has
been the only country in the dispute to pass a law identifying the
Senkaku Islands as being "rightfully" Chinese.  Lastly, there are
many--possibly the majority--of Chinese who favor the use of military
force to destroy the Republic of Taiwan, if necessary, to suppress
any declaration of independence.

([1]SE Asian nations, according to the Economist, are worried 
about China's aggressive movies in the SE Asian waters.)

Don't believe me.  Go read soc.culture.china.  Ask some Chinese
twits about Taiwan and the "proper" use of military force.

Now, with regard to the military threat, China, not Japan, has nuclear
weapons.  China, not Japan, is proliferating nuclear weapons technology
to 3rd world nations.

Japan, not China, has been a democracy for the last 45 years.
Sure, Japan probably poses a greater threat than the USA, militarily,
simply because of how Japan views "why war is wrong".  To the Japanese,
war is wrong because Japanese lives are lost.  Think about what
the means.  In America, we think that war is wrong because _human_ lives
are lost.

Let's do a line by line comparison to too see just how ridiculous
Mr. KhengHwa's reasoning is.

         KhengHwa's "worries"
         about Japan                       China _today_

  1.    distorts history             Maoist indoctrination for all children
                                     teaches kids that Taiwan must
                                        be destroyed if it goes independent
                                     capitalism is rotten unless
                                        Deng says so
                                     distorts all history
                                     ...

  2.  advanced military              has A-bomb
       tech. in Japan                has H-bomb
                                     has neutron-bomb because
                                        Chinese-American leaked military
                                        secrets from high energy lab in CA
                                        to the "mother land"
                                     continues to solicit spies among
                                        Chinese-Americans
                                     ...

  3.  Japan participates             has the largest army in the world
     in RimPac92 military            had military skirmishes with Vietnam
     exercises with USA &            supported military insurgencies in Cambodia
     S. Korea after gut-wrenching    has seized Tibet
     debate in Diet                  has threatened military and nuclear war
                                        if Taiwan declares independence
                                     ...

I admit it.  Japan is guilty of distort it's history books.  But
man!  Japan is not the major military threat in Asia.  China is and
has been for a long time a major military threat.

Comparing Japan and China is like comparing a nation that is imperfect
to Nazi Germany.

Asian-Americans (AA) should support RimPac92 in its efforts to
deter agression, especially Chinese agression, in Asia.  AA
should support the Republic of Taiwan's right to self-determination.
AA should support Japan's claim to the Senkaku islands.  AA
should not support giving any more territory to a nation like
China.  Come on.  Would AA supporting giving territory to Nazi
Germany?  China already has Tibet and Taiwan.

>
>An apology will serve to smooth over some of the resentment in the
>region.  Japan should also present the facts of what happened in WWII,
>and how their campaign of freeing Asia from the colonialists was based
>purely on aspirations of empire-building.  There doesn't need to be a
>scapegoat for the facts to be presented.

I'm still waiting for the Chinese to apologize for the 100 million
people that they killed.  Where are the Chinese tears for the 
Tibetan victims and Taiwanese victims?

>[stupidity deleted]

>As for anti-Japanese resentment in Asia, I think it is still very strong
>even among those in their 50s, who were mere toddlers when the war broke
>out.  I know many of my relatives use derogatory terms to describe
>Japan, and these feelings won't die easily.

Yeah.  Chinese "hard" feelings and bigotry tend to last a long time.
Day by day, I'm beginning to understand why some Orientals, including Japanese,
have such dim views of the Chinese.

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