Bad Blood Across The Water - Japan And China
By billywest • May 5th, 2008 • Category: politics
People in various countries all over the world are aware of the history of hatred and violence between Japan and China. Iris Chang’s, “The Rape of Nanking” is an international best-seller and has opened the eyes of many to the alleged atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers during Japan’s occupation of that region of China during WWII. In recent years, Japan has come under fire again and again in the world spotlight for events that played out in WWII. For example, there was a push last year for the Japanese government to more readily admit the Japanese military’s usage of so-called ‘Comfort Women’ (referred to as sex slaves by Chinese and Koreans and merely prostitutes by many Japanese), which added to then Prime Minister Abe’s headaches (or stomachaches, as we later learned). Also, due to the enshrinement of convicted war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine, former PM Junichiro Koizumi was jeered by the Chinese government for his repeated visits to Yasukuni, despite protests from China and South Korea.
Well, these days, China is under fire for its treatement of Tibet as one of its territories instead of as a sovereign nation. Of course, China insists that Tibet has always been a part of the mother country, but as protests continue around the world, including repeated disruptions of the Olympic Torch Relay, it is unlikely that the Beijing Olympics this summer will go off without any major hitches. While we can see news footage of angry demonstrators protesting and crying “Free Tibet!”, we can also see news footage of rallies in China where rabid nationalists and seemingly everyday citizens alike express their continued hatred for Japan.
In Japan, you can also find a deep-rooted dislike for all things Chinese if you ask around. According to a recent poll carried out by Mainichi Shimbun, 51 percent of Japanese people polled said they think that Japan should take a stronger stance toward China. Of course, the Tibet problem was cited as one of the main reasons why a tougher stance should be taken. But, another major reason cited was the perceived unsatisfactory way in which the Chinese government handled the tainted exported gyoza issue.
A good question is: To what extent are people being manipulated by the news media on both sides? Relations between the Japanese and Chinese governments are starting to warm up in the remaining days prior to a summit on Wednesday where Prime Minister Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao will release a joint document regarding the current state of affairs between the two nations. However, it seems that many citizens in both countries don’t feel so warmly towards each other. Looks like the news media is not on the same page as the two countries’ national leaders are.
What do you think?
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billywest is a resident of South Tokyo and lives on the Toyoko line.
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Bad Blood - Japan And China…
With Japan-China relations warming up a bit, it’s too bad to see that many everyday citizens in both countries still aren’t feeling much love of each other. Is all this contempt really justified?…
I get the feeling that in Asia, grudges are held onto like traditions.
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It’s going to be a long wait before Japan and China have respect toward one another. With the rules of engagement in Asian society, both nations will simply harbor most of the bad blood until something awful happens. Like the answer in the poll says, “It’s complicated.” But both nations are at fault.
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We have probably learned 99% of what we know about other countries from the media, so yes, they play an enormous role in molding one country’s perception of another. Imagine how much love we’d have for other nations if the news painted a positive image of them. Unfortunately, mainstream media isn’t a non-profit industry, so their motivations aren’t exactly pure. Check out this article by the New York Times about the U.S government manipulating public opinion. It would be ignorant to assume Japan and China don’t play the same games.
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Thanks for the link, Nick. I think a lot of Americans are quite aware of how much the media is used as a manipulation tool. I mean, conspiracy is an everyday word in the American lexicon. That’s why shows like The X-Files were so popular. The trouble is that too many Americans have become either too jaded or just plain confused and don’t know how to filter out the BS.
In Japan, people are far less cynical and the level of naivete about world affairs is often quite shocking. I mean, here you can turn on the TV in the evening and find two quiz shows testing the kanji knowledge of Japanese celebrities running at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, one thing I truly like about Japan is how much they love and respect their own culture and traditions. But, it also stunts personal growth, IMO.
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There are overzealous nationalists in every country including Japan. However, extreme nationalism seems to be growing in China which I think will only cause problems. The Chinese government is partially to blame for the rise. They encouraged it as a way to maintain their grip on power. However, they also know that extreme nationalism can spin out of control and they need to manage it.
There is a growing dislike for things Chinese in many countries. When people find poisen in their Chinese made gyoza in Japan or their beloved pet dies from contaminated Chinese ingredients in American pet food, it tends to cause a certain amount of dislike for Chinese products.
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Thanks, tornadoes. You know, I’d love to spend a few months in Shanghai or Beijing and see how much the overzealous nationalists actually do influence everyday life there. It seems like people just ignore the black vans here.
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Germany did terrible things in France not long ago … and we are each-other best commercial partners now.
Being still mad at things that happened more than half a century ago is plain stupid. And screaming about revenge for things you weren’t a victim of is just … hateful and disrespectful, after all 99% of the people that lived this events are dead now … both victims and criminals.
But it’s true that Germany didn’t enshrine Hitler’s remains either. So basically what I’m saying is that both Japanese and Chinese are being idiots over this and that Medias are shamelessly adding fuel to the fire.
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I have been to Japan many times but have yet to witness the black vans.
Nationalism is strong in the US as well for most of the countries history actually. It’s just called patriotism.
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I do agree with Simaldeff somewhat. Yes the war was terrible but it happened over 60 years ago. It’s time for China to move on already.
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