Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Last Sunday, I went to the public conference building in Tokyo. One room was rent by Japanese peace group named "No more Nanjing."

The purpose of the room renting was to show a very shocking Hollywood produced documentary film "Nanking" and hold the public hearing of the masscre survivor from Nanjing. Plus public speech by journalist of Japan's mainstream newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun.

The below is the preview of the film. The film was shown in the U.S. and China.

 

 

It was the first showing in Tokyo, Japan. Very first one in Japan was done in Fukuoka, Japan on 7 of December.

The film started with the speech of memoires of westerners who stayed in Nanjing during the occupation by the Japanese army.

The speeches are made by the actors who disguised as actual characters in that event.

In August 1937, Japanese army grounded on Shanghai and started invasion of China. They bombed Nanjing (Nanking) which was the capital of China at that time. In November the troops arrived in Nanjing and occupied the city. They looted, raped and killed Chinese citizens there.

 

The westerners set up the safety zone to protect Chinese. American college teacher, Minie Vautrin acted by Mariel Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's grand daughter defended young women from rape by Japanese.

The actual footages, real talking of survivors and soldiers are also shown. The survivors talked about their rape experience or what happened in front of them such as their parents or brothers or sisters being murdered in front of them. The soldiers talked how and why they mass-murdered thousands of POW or innocent citizens and raped women.

There is not much new to me because I've got involved in this peace activity and learned the history of Sino-Japan war in 1930's. 

It was cruel, our people in fact did terribles things to neighboring nations before WW2 ended.

The survivor who talked to the audience (approximately 200) in the conference room was the old Chinese woman who experience rape by Japanese soldier. She was raped and survived in the hell. But even after the war was over, she had to go through very hard time because her husband treated her so badly because she was found not virgin. She never could tell him why she was not. After the age of 80, she decided to speak up.

 

After her testimony, Japanese journalist, Mr. Yoichi Jomaru made a speech on the role of his company in the war. During the war time, especially embedded journalists were not allowed to report anything unfavourable to their troops, they had to act as PR section of the military. But the media themselves actively became backers of their troops. That exactly happens even in present time when freedom press is insured.

 

Some right wingers criticize me and other peace activists for revealing such unfavourable stories of Japan's history. I do not get along with them. I love my country. I am proud of being Japanese. That is why I am involved in this activity. By doing so, we can appeal to the world including Chinese people, we are no longer brutal like that in the film, we know the facts, so we do not do that again.

 

And we all wish for the world peace and happiness of all the people on the earth.

 

Response to Christopher's question:

Rape is crime in modern Japan and even before the war ended it was a crime in our terriorty or outside. What the troops did in China was against Geneve Convention and even the marshal law of the imperial army.

The comic you suggest is not popular in Japan but maybe among porno comic maniacs, not among ordinary comic fans.

On December 6, Saturday, I went to Yokosuka Navy Base to see Japan's most unwelcome, dangerous and useless American ship.

 

It was public showing and festival day. I got on the CVN 73, USS George Washington. It was huge aircraft carrier. It contains huge nuclear reactor. It is like Chernobyl or Third Atomic Bomb in Tokyo Capital Region. The U.S. Navy is threatening Japanese citizens lives.

Actually it was fun to visit there, all the things there were dynamic and very new to me. Luckiely I could see Mt. Fuji from the runway on the roof.

The below is what I videotaped.

But this is not Disneyland. I don't want the U.S. navy stationed in Japan. They are not safe things as you know what happened in San Diego.

The presence of U.S. navy is not working as deterrance like the Cold War era. Soviet Union fell apart.

China seemed to be new threat but China is a biggest financial supporter for the U.S. They are the biggest buyer of U.S. Treasury bonds. They buy Boeing, Intel chips from the U.S. China and the U.S. are close friends.

In fact just 2 days after the public showing Chinese ship entered Japanese sea illegally. Meaning they are not afraid of U.S. military at all.

The other notable threat is North Korea but the U.S. ended designation of "North Korea as terror supporting Nation" recently.

It is appearant the U.S. is not enthusiastic about North Korea issues such as abduction of Japanese citizens and nuclear weapon development.

They should leave Japan ASAP. Actually once Japanese government stops providing aid to them, they would immediately leave here.

The only reason they stay is Japan's financial aid.

See this videoclip to know how unwelcome the ship is.

 

That was DVD of the reality program broadcasted in U.K.

Ordinary people experience early 20th century life of rich family who owns a very big country house and their servants for 3 months.

They live exactly the same style as the old days wearing the same clothes.

The gap between the family and the servants was very obvious. The servants have to work all day long without day-off.

The family never know how hard their life is. That is like working poor of present days. They had work in such terrible condition with meager pay. Not only that, in those days there was no law to prohibite such slave-like treatment. Even if servants got sick, their masters can easily lay them off.  

The other interesting thing is that how the relationship of Britons and colonial Indians in those days. It was imperialist time.

Great Britain colonized India. Indians seem to have had very hard time by British imperialism. But interesting thing is some Indian people admired British Empire. Some of the parliament members were Indian at that time.

  

Exploring old times is really fun thing. It is like doing time-travelling.

 

My interests in history inspired me to write some interesting novels such as below.

 I am planning to write novel which a story takes place in 1930's Germany when Nazi came into power. A young Japanese woman and a Jewish man met in Berlin. They fell in love but Nazism got in their way. What do they do?

 

Or I may be writing a story that takes place in 1950's America. Young Japanese Fulbright exchange student rent a room in a middle class American couple. He was treated well by them. But the couple had some problems. He tried to help them out.  

 

Or two young Japanese men came to London in late 19th century to study very sophisticated western science and culture. One was a big admirer of Western civilization and the other was very samurai-minded man who prided himself as Japanese but at the same time he thinks he should learn great things from the West for modernization of Japan. They met a British man who was Western supremacist who looked down upon other civilizations. They had to deal with him.

Wouldn't that be interesting?

50 days after the departure from Yokosuka base since the deployment in September, the dangerous and troublesome ship came back.

CVN 73, USS George Washinton, Nuclear Aircraft Carrier which navigate by nuclear reactors. They are deployed in Yokosuka which is near Japan's capital Tokyo.

They know they are not welcome by the citizens in Yokosuka.

Then they came up with very stupid idea, that is inventing "Navy Burger" and release it as the city's new highlighted good like "Navy Curry" whose recipe is modeled after Japanese imperial navy's curry meal and it has been popular for many years.

The mayor and chief commander of Yokosuka base jointly presented the burger to be released next year.

 

American beef would be contained? No thanks, I don't want to get mad cow disease. Even it contains safe Aussie beef like McDonald in Japan. I still want to refuse it. Not only because I am not hamberger eater but I keep resisting CVN 73, George Washington because of the fear of radioactive release by an accident or earthquake.  

 

They have done similar thing already such as free stupid comic books, which the story is untrue and very propagated.

Do they think people are easily distracted by such foolish event?

The only way they can be welcome is cancel the deployment and leave Japan as soon as possible.

Well, what we can do is demand our government to stop funding foreign troops stationed only for cheaper expense.

 

Dear Jim,

Interesting fact: China is largest foreign owner of U.S. treasury bonds. Japan is No.2 owner.

China buys more U.S. goods such as Boeing and intel chips than Japan does. Everyone knows that the U.S. wouldn't help Japan even if China attacks Japan. U.S. commander, Mr. Keating said they would like to help Chinese army build aircraft carriers. Great! We would be defended by the army that is helping our enemy.