Monday, February 26, 2018
Heroes of Imperial Japan
Heroes of Imperial Japan
So, I was thinking earlier in the week about the apparent tendency for Japan to brush the evils of World War II under the carpet, and wondering about the lack of Japanese war heroes.
When I say Japanese war heroes, I dont mean "inflicted n amount of damage on his adversary", what Im thinking of is Japanese people who risked their lives to stand against the evils of Imperial Japan, first hand.
Doing a Google search on "Japanese world war 2 heroes" doesnt really return a lot, though it does necessitate a -american because it turns out there were lots of Japanese american war heroes, and since they were almost all military this kind of falls under the "inflicted n amount of damage on his adversary" kind of heroism.
Perhaps the problem here is that Im imagining some sort of Oscar Schindler character; an ordinary person who rises above his surroundings, transcending the pragmatism of his character to keep the dark at bay...
But then again, why shouldnt there be someone like that in Imperial Japan? The Japanese are equally capable of doing good, example: Chiune Sugihara. But while he opposed Japans actions in Manchuria, he didnt help there in the same way he saved lives in Lithuania. That said, the work he did in Lithuania was spectacular, that link is really worth the read.
Trying a different tact, I tried to find out who Imperial Japans domestic enemies were. Being a highly militaristic society in WW2, I reasoned that the kind of people getting tried for treason were probably the same people trying to stop Japans aggression in China.
As it turns out, I had more success than Id expected with that train of thought, and pulled up the name Sanzo Nosaka. Nosaka heavily criticised Japans involvement in China, and even went so far as to help setting up a spy network in Japanese-occupied China. The idea of heralding this man as a hero seemed not too far off, until reading that he effectively had his (adulterous) friend murdered. Then there are his links with Stalins regime... Hmm, perhaps not a brilliant example after all.
But if nothing else, this did introduce me to the fact the Japans (underground) communist party was opposed to Japans role in China, and supported the independence of Japans overseas colonies.
Im not overly keen on communism myself, it reeks of schoolboy naivety that somehow that 1% of greedy people will stop seeking power (what I like to think of as "floater" politics*), or that the greediness inherent in all of us will just disappear with a change of government. However, it is somehow endearing, and the thought of a hero that wants everyone to be equal in society is poetic, if nothing else.
*Yes, its toilet humour!
