|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Japan's Impact on the Asian Image
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:00:31 PM)
t has long been seen as the fountainhead of consumer electronics technology. Its cars are consistently among the world's most admired. Its corporations own two major Hollywood studios. Its kiddie culture has all but killed off Mickey Mouse and Barbie. Its $4 trillion GDP is number two behind the U.S. and its workers earn 25% more per head than Americans.
Bravo Castrati!
That's how many Asian Americans see Japan. A nation that should command the stature of a powerhouse -- and elevate the image of all Asians in the process -- possesses the geopolitical profile of, say, Switzerland, a nation a thirtieth its size. Japan's leaders are seen as mere hand puppets in a sad half-century charade of democracy. Its homes are cramped. Its men function as soulless drones whose women fly into the arms of western males. Even its vaunted economy has been on the ropes for ten years and looks ready to go down for the count. What little testosterone it possessed seems to have left with Ichiro.
A nation that should champion the Asian image has only reinforced every insulting stereotype. To many Asian Americans, Japan has done less than its smaller, poorer neightbors. Little Hong Kong exports asskicking action stars. South Corea exports people who take hooey from no one. Taiwan exports tech entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley. Impoverished China, Vietnam and even nutcase North Corea showed balls in standing up to the west. But mighty Japan? Spiritually it seems never to have recovered from its defeat in World War II.
Is Japan carrying its weight or slacking in the Asian image department?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
js castigates me for understating the suffering which the Japanese inflicted on Corea. Compare the number of Coreans killed (or enslaved) by the Japanese between 1894 and 1945 (include the 1592-1598 invasion for good measure, if you so choose, js) and the far vaster number who died in the course of Kim Il-sung's insanely ill-advised attempt to reunify Corea by force of arms.
The Coreans enjoy exhibiting their old scars and are under the incomprehensible misapprehension that everyone else relishes hearing all about their misfortunes. Nobody cares about these old hurts, other than Coreans!
The fact that women from Taiwan and locations all over the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere were conscripted as 'comfort women' is virtually unknown, and certainly unacknowledged, in present-day Corea.
Incidentally, the non-Japanese 'comfort women' supplemented a large number of Japanese prostitutes dragooned into service, mainly (but not exclusively) from Kyushu.
As for Japan's meaningless (and literally insular) territorial squabbles with all three neighbors, no comment is necessary. No Japanese has ever mentioned Dok-to / Takeshima to me and the only people who care about the south Kuriles (the 'Northern Territories') are the appalling Rightists who try to make everyone's lives miserable with their sound trucks.
Agreed, Coreans in Japan are in an unenviable situation, but few seem in a tearing hurry to move to Corea, unlike the Coreans in Sakhalin. Although Coreans in Japan are poorer than most of their ethnic-Japanese, they are still richer than most Coreans in the R.O.K. (I have lived in both countries, but have traveled little in Corea). A few Corean residents of Japan, the pachinko billionaires, are very rich indeed.
Koizumi is no fool or extremist; going to the D.P.R.K. while still in office was a fine gesture. His visit to the Yasakuni Shrine had more to do with internal L.D.P. strains and stresses than any real belief that war criminals should be revered.
As for the textbook issue, I am wholly in agreement with js; however, the reassuring fact is that very few Japanese of the younger generation care a **** about their history, good, bad or indifferent. Only people like the Irish, Serbs and - unhappily - the Coreans enjoy making a fuss about historical rights and wrongs.
William Corr
sonoekurimoto@yahoo.com
Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 14:56:24 (PDT)
[195.73.19.211]
KD,
I kinda see it too, twins separated at birth. Each missing that gene the other one has...like one is country mouse and the other is the city mouse.
Imagine, if history took a differnt path, hmmm, sort of like a kimchi devil with polite manners...jes don't call me - garlic breath...heheh.
Supposedly, if my history is correct, there were three major warring tribes in K, two tribes unified into K, the third tribe's ruling class migrated to Japan and at the least heavily influenced the J power structure. It seems only natural that K was more advanced at that time, as technology and culture was travelling in a easterly direction - from middle east to india to china to korea...
On another note:
It's kinda interesting the uniquely J spirit-art that is comes over American mainstream - their anime, the matrix movie which is from their ghosts-in-the-machine comics and now the "Ring" movie which is based on a J movie..not to forget the Ninja Turtles!
Whereas K and C has not done anything in this avenue...I ain't talking about kungfu either.
nyhongoboy
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 20:30:48 (PDT)
[24.90.59.127]
kimchi devil,
This should help explain:
"The theory that Korea and Japan were descendants of one ancestor was the historical reasoning behind the Japanese annexation of Korea. Specific and accurate details as to what kind of special relationship there was between the two kingdoms should be found. It should not be forgotten that a simple recognition of the special blood relationship between the two ruling families served as the reason for the strong to take over the weak."
LAKA
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 13:18:32 (PDT)
[63.206.24.50]
To William Corr,
"Which Corean administration, whether in Seoul or Pyongyang, will ever state clearly that the Coreans have inflicted far more death and destruction on their own nation than any foreigners ever have?"
Obviously, you are very ignorant about Korea's history. Nothing can compare to how the Japanese tried to destroy the Korean people and their culture. Young girls, barely in their teens, were kidnapped to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. The Japanese banned the teaching of Korean in schools. Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese surnames. Japan tried to claim Dok Island as their own, but they failed. They changed maps so that the Sea of Korea would be renamed the Sea of Japan.
There is heavy discrimination against Koreans in Japan. In terms of housing and jobs.
Beat Takeshi, a prominent director, who is a quarter Korean said that when he got in trouble, his mom would say, "Of course, what can I expect? Your father is half-korean". He said it was only until his forties that he felt confident in stating his Korean heritage. A lot of mothers claim that their children must be part Korean when they get in trouble. Of course, no one with pure Japanese genes would get in trouble.
If Japan were really sorry for the past, why did Koizumi visit the war memorial for those who persecuted Koreans? The Japanese gov't thinks that saying sorry is enough. Well, it isn't. They need to back up their words with their actions. They need to return all the things that they stole from Korea as well as make financial restitution to the victims and the Korean gov't.
Did you know that Japan stole most of the Korean pottery during the occupation? Now Korean scholars must go to Japan to study this pottery. Japan also stole a lot of other national treasures from Korea like books, but do they return them? No, they say that it is theirs to keep.
If Japan is truly sincere about making amends, they need to change their history books to make them historically accurate. After Japan does all of this, then it is up to its victims to decide whether to move on. But Japan is not near this point, so this option cannot even be considered.
I know that the new generations of Japanese are not guilty, but this does not mean that they bear no responsibility. They could still do all of the above. Even if they did not commit those atrocities, the younger generation still benefits from them. If your parents steal to give to you, you still benefit from their stealing.
js
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 11:58:28 (PDT)
[63.199.243.141]
"Japan is still there to provide a more sane asian image"
??? Are you implying china is there to provide a insane asian image? What harm has china done to the outside world?
So US is certainly showing the world a very "sane" image with insane sniper/s shooting around in Washington D.C., and war clamours on Iraq?
JJH
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 03:13:32 (PDT)
[202.62.139.136]
>>>I was from a south east asian country,where ethnic Chinese (my ethnicity) are resented for the silliest of reasons.>>>
Well ethnic chinese in Southeast Asian countries tend to be the wealthiest and most educated minority over there, so it's no surprise. Of course, that is no reason to persecute, but there are reasons why it happens.
K-Dog
Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 15:00:26 (PDT)
[138.23.59.245]
njhomeboy,
Yeah, their silence really is deafening. One thing I'm a bit puzzled about was during japanese occupation of corea, they had forced coreans to take on japanese names and were in the process of erasing corean history from the books. On one hand, the japanese looked down on the coreans as a lower form of life, and yet on the other hand, they wanted coreans to 'be' japanese. What gives? I don't believe they did this with anyone else (chinese), though I could be mistaken. Should we see this as some kind of complement or an insult? maybe an awkward way of accepting the fact that coreans and japanese are ethnically the same, without having to admit to it? I'd have to say, a combined corea-japan in this day and age would've been quite formidable, had history chosen a strangely different path.
kinda leaves me scratchin' my head.
kimchi devil
Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 03:43:45 (PDT)
[152.163.188.71]
You are not the only one, Mrs Kaneko. Racial hatred exists everywhere and it's always too impossible to change people's bigoted attitudes even when you have done nothing wrong or harmful to other races in your lifetime.
I was from a south east asian country,where ethnic Chinese (my ethnicity) are resented for the silliest of reasons.I used to wonder why this had to happen to us, why did they attack my home,why must I be treated like a second-class citizen in my own country, what have I done or what had my ancestors done to deserve this kind of treatment?
There were just too many "why's", but I have never found the real satisfactory answers.Finally,I came to a point when I learned that you cannot please everybody,even when you have already done your best to convince them you are "different". Either you let these folks make you feel like you are born guilty, OR you simply let go of your "why's",tell yourself you have done all you can and it is beyond your human abilities to change them.
Even if others hate me or my race, I won't assume all apples in the basket are rotten. There are many nice people out there who would never penalise you unfairly for things you didn't do.I've moved to another country and I'm much more happier now.
Water Lilies
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 20:34:59 (PDT)
[210.187.156.188]
This is going back a bit but America gets its oil from Venezuela. Middle E affects US because they more easily affect prices. Anyway, if Europe and Japan fall (economically) due to oil shortages, US economy gets affected too.
Anyhow, with N.Corea being the new bogeyman and China/Taiwan always with the threats, it's a good thing Japan is still there to provide a more sane asian image. I guess S. Corea too.
As a side note, Japan had already moved towards industrialization before WWI (around the Russian vs. Japan war). So America can't get total credit. They only get credit for helping rebuild what they blew up.
huu76
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 16:45:07 (PDT)
[64.231.106.146]
Japanese are self righteous.... Japan image?? was there ever one ?? maybe
" the 51st american state wannabe, american arse kissing, think their better then any other asian nation" type of image?? thats all i can think of??? the japanese at my school just prove my statement.!!! every other asian nation group.. interacts with one another and pts concerts and hows together except the japanese... they say stuff like we're not into that or we dont have enough talent.... ~~ ok understandable!!! but then again they go and put on a "JAPANESE SHOW" and wouldnt be part of the "ASIAN SHOW" oh man oh man.. that was messed up!!! hypocrites!!!! and the whole thing about japan being sooo upset about north corea kidnapping 13 people??!?!?!? what the heck?? didn't japan kill/rape/kidnap millions of other asians plus hawaiian residents and i'm sure more... throughout history??? HYPOCRITE!!
ps... i'm sure not every japanese person is this way but ..from what i've seen... this is all i got to say
asia!
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 13:20:52 (PDT)
[216.12.28.151]
"the Han Chinese pull their colonial settlements out of Tibet and East Turkestan"
How funny some people will raise this issue as a means to defend japan.
So when will the british descendents retract from the land of america, australia or whereever they colonised before?
"the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution caused more deaths than all foreigners ever have."
Then why fight a war on terrorism? About 3000 US died from the 911 attack,
I bet definitely more people got killed by their fellow american than this. So will this justify the inhumane terrorist attack? Then why should people retaliate against alien invasion and assault. Since more people got killed by their compatriots shouldn't people announce wars on their countries at first? I know you are talking about apologies here, but if the mere reason not to offer any official apologies is that the fatality caused by a country's own people is higher than foreigners, then the same logic apply to war as well. Why don't fight your own people first since they seem to be the more guilty one.
Mrs. Franchesca Kaneko, you are right. They should move on. People are not guilty for what their ancestors had done. But we should always remember this mistake and never repeat it again.
JJH
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 10:37:50 (PDT)
[202.62.139.92]
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|