From: "micky wong" <micky.wong@canrem.com>
Subject: in (partial) defense of r
Reply-To: "micky wong" <micky.wong@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: soc
Date: 24 Jan 93 02:43:55 EST

 Article: <1993Jan22.013952.8571@Csli.Stanford.EDU>
   Subject: In (partial) defense of Rikiya Asano
      From: hiraga@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Yuzuru Hiraga) writes:

>In all fairness (on my part),
>I must say that Rikiya Asano's postings,
>absurd and vulgar as they are (though some have good points,
>and are improving in a number of aspects),
>have started a number of good threads, whether intentionally or not.

>In this sense, I'd say that he's productive, even contributing
>to the newsgroup.
>This marks a critical difference with his dedicated bashers,
>who only prove themselves to be none the better than he is.

>No kidding.

I have no problem with your above comments. What I would like to discuss
is one of your earlier posting with subject name "Comfort Girls".

In Article: <1993Jan2.113249.7490@Csli.Stanford.EDU>
   Subject: comfort girls?
   From: hiraga@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Yuzuru Hiraga)
You wrote:

>In article <1992Dec30.4303.15967@dosgate> "micky wong"
><micky.wong@canrem.com> writes:

>>For today's Japanese youth who was not prepared by their government and
>>the Japanese miniistry of education, about Japan's war atrocities
>>during the WWII, I copied the following from Time's Almanac.

lines of Robert H Brueckner's comments deleted.

>These lines strike me as odd, and although not denying their informative
>intentions, seem to reveal a distorted view. [And Chunde Shi is actually
>not Japanese, at least by name.]

The practice of commenting two persons views at the same time can be
a risky and unfair business, while Robert Brueckner had trouble to
distinguish Chunde Shi's nationality, I had not mentioned Chunde Shi's
name in my posting.

>Why do you think that Japanese people are not informed?

When I posted my article, it was right after Rikiya Asano had posted in
the same thread "Comfort girls", in which he lamented about that his own
government did not prepare him for the atrocities committed by the
Japanese army during Japan's war of aggression against China.

This is why I made the statement: "For today's Japanese youth who was
not prepared by their government and the Japanese miniistry of
education, about Japan's war atrocities during the WWII, I copied the
following from Time's Almanac."

Since you acknowledged that you are a long time observer of Asano's
posting, I'm disappointed that you have missed Asano's posting and
his lamenting about his own lack of information for Japan's ugly past
during the WWII.

>Why should textbooks be the sole source of information?

No body said the textbooks should be the sole source, but for the same
reason that history is taught in formative years, if Japan as a nation
has sincere remorse for her war atrocities, to prevent the crimes be
repeated by Japan's later generations, it should be part of the history
education.

>Don't you think that there are plenty of other sources available, only
>if one asks for them?

What is the percentage of people in general who will maintain a keen
interest of history after leaving school?
How many Japanese had asked by their own initiative?
I have travelled throughout Japan, had worked and befriended with many
Japanese people, not a single one had asked or volunteered information of
Japan's war crimes.

>Just how much of your own knowledge can be attributed to textbooks you
>learned from?  And how much can a school textbook convey, anyway?

I would agree that learning should be life long endeavour, but does that
mean: we can ELIMINATE history education from the elementary schools and
high schools?

>Doesn't it occur to you that much of the relevant information to be
>supplied by Japanese sources,

I'm fully aware of the fact that many decent Japanese people had helped
to RE-DISCOVER the war crimes committed by the Japanese Army during the
WWII, in hope to prevent Japan from repeating the past mistake of
militarism.
But I do not see what is your point here, I hope you are not expecting
that the past victims should be grateful to the descendants of the past
criminals just because some of these descendants or the criminals
themselves were willing to "supply relevant information" of the past crimes.

>and that much of the foreign reactions are also fed back through the
>media?

You are absolutely correct on this aspect.
My sincere complements to the many decent professionals in Japan's News
Media industry.
My special complements to NHK's English program "JAPAN TODAY", it did
an excellent job in the past.

(I feel sad that "Japan Today" can no longer be be found on TV channels
in the Toronto area.)
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