Nationalism and the talking umbrella

Wasuerki san has been rather quiet of late. Of course, now Hayley`s gone back to England for her sisters wedding (congratulations Laura & Mark), the bakegasa has re-affirmed its prescence like a bitterly jilted john. This week, it`s been all I can do to get away from the thing. When I`ve spent the day at elementary schools, chasing kids with as much energy as I have biomass, the last thing I want to do is talk about history with "someone" who can only get offended by my opinions.

Take for example all this broohaha over the PM Koizumi visiting Yasukuni, wherein are enshrined Japanese soldiers of WWII, including several convicted of war crimes. Repeated criticisms from nations considering themselves victimised by Japans` actions in the war has not stopped Koizumi from making a visit each year. He has responded by saying that he`s doing it as Junichiro Koizumi, rather than as the Prime Minister of Japan. Protestations from other Asian countries aren`t being dealt with on a diplomatic level.

I personally think that a politician can`t keep his personal and private life separate (Bill Clinton might have got off much lighter in tht case), especially when making such a controversial move as that.

Wasureki san on the other hand is incensed that one should even criticise Koizumi over this affair. It argues that other countries honour their war dead, and that Japan is no worse, in regards to war crimes, than any other nation. Oft overlooked when denouncing the evils of Nazi Germany is the fact that Britain invented the modern concentration camp during the second Boer War.

The bakegasa is also keen to point out the post WWII Constitution of Japan, effectively written by General Douglas MacArthur after the nations` defeat. Article 9 specifically demands that Japan surrenders the right to a military, except for self defence purposes. A unit of the SDF is currently in Iraq under the protection of Coalition forces.

Wasureki san argues that article 9 cripples Japan, renders them impotent internationally, and that the American military prescence makes the country nothing more than a gigantic aircraft carrier. Japan is limited when it comes to forming a foreign policy independant of the United States. The right wing Revisionist Party seeks to strike article 9 from the constitution, or maybe even re-write the whole thing. If Wasureki san had arms, I`m sure it would vote.

A recent issue in Asia is that of the approval of certain text books for use in Japanese schools, that gloss over or omit the atrocities committed by the military before and during WWII. The umbrella & other voices from the right believe that the current perception of Japans` conduct has created a culture of shame which erodes the spirit of the nation, and consequently, the ideals held dear. I will not play devils advocate over this issue. No country should forget their history, no matter how shameful.

But the broader issue isn`t quite so simple. Isolated for so many years from a rapidly changing world, Japan has had a unique history. The indigenous culture fomented in private for over two-hundred years before modernity came a`knocking in the form of Commodore Perry and his Black Ships.

Previously, only limited trade with the Portuguese and Dutch had been allowed. In all other respects, Japan was a closed country. It seems that Perry was charged with making Japan and offer she couldn`t refuse. Certainly, much of his diplomacy took the form of veiled threats, as he suggested that the next industrial nation to arrive on their doorstep with a battleship might not be as friendly as the US. This indirect directness more than likely struck a chord, and thus was Japan unwillingly introduced to the world.

Wasureki san was still part of a tree at that point, but I can detect a certain resentment. What really resonates is the post WWII occupation. Even today, Japan is proud of a culture which, despite external influences, is uniquely hers. For many, the defeat of a fiercely nationalistic stance and the Emperors subsequent renunciation of Divinity probably came as quite a blow. Having the constitution re-written by an occupying power can`t have made them feel any better. Maybe part of me can understand the animosity received by Gaijin from some of the elderly.

The bakegasa argues that recent issues like Koizumis visits to Yaukuni, the inclusion of the aforementioned textbooks and the re-adoption of the National Anthem & flag as state symbols are merely assertions of Japanese confidence, and that as far as war crimes and nationalism go, Japan is no worse than any other country. I think it`s important to remember that she`s no better either.