Recently, I read “Finding Iris Chang” by Paula Kamen. It was very helpful in preparing myself to better understand Iris Chang and her book, “The Rape of Nanking.” I had no idea that Chang was only 29 when she published “The Rape of Nanking” in 1997. Nor was I aware that she had committed suicide at the tender age of 36 in 2004. I had a vague idea that Chang’s book was about the Imperial Japanese Army’s (大日本帝国陸軍) wrong doing in Nanking. I surmised, therefore, that it would be a tough book for me, a native of Japan, to plow through. And it was.
What an eye opener and how awful the crimes against humanity committed by the people with whom I share the same ancestry. I am sad that I will never have an opportunity to get to know the author in person. There is only one word to describe her work. Superb.
I am doubly disappointed that writing a book on the Bataan Death March proved to be too distressing for her to keep going. The fruit of her labor on this topic would have brought some justice, finally, to the Filipino and American soldiers, many of whom lost their lives at the cruel hands of, who else, the Imperial Japanese Army.
What is especially striking about “The Rape of Nanking” is how much research had gone into it. Chang sets the tone for her book by first presenting the Japanese history – starting with the arrival of the four black ships from the U.S.A. in 1853 – preparing the readers to begin to understand how the seeds of such atrocities came to exist. More than anything else, I appreciated her sincere efforts to stay (1) neutral as a journalist and (2) focused on the facts.
The photographs are gruesome. The brutality was so horrific that it makes the Nazi atrocities look less cruel by comparison – if that’s even possible. They are no different than what the Muslim Extremists have been inflicting upon other human beings since the seventh century and still going. Those Japanese soldiers – who had committed such horrific crimes against humanity in Nanking – reminded me of circus elephants that go berserk when they finally snap after enduring years of abuses by humans. Let me explain.
Japan is an extremely structured, hierarchical society. Everyone (who has gone through the same school system) understands the rules. It is a well-organized, efficient society. It can also be a cruel place for those who do not or cannot fit the “norm” for whatever reason. Behind closed doors, those who are the lowest on the totem pole end up becoming victims of physical and psychological abuses over a long period of time. Guess what happens when they (the abused) become soldiers and are exposed to the enemies that the society of their origin deems non-humans. They become the abusers, often more brutal than ever. In a nutshell, that’s what happened in Nanking.
In Japan, with a possible exception of a brief mention of the Pearl Harbor attack, none of the brutalities inflicted by the Imperial Japanese Army upon the rest of Asia and prisoners of war is taught in school. I know this because I received most of my education in Japan, starting from kindergarten through junior college. In fact, I learned about the brutalities of the Imperial Japanese Army much later in life in the U.S.A. when I began reading books on Japan’s war-time history. For instance, based on “Hirohito” by Herbert P. Bix, I wrote a four-part series of the book review in 2014. Talk about cognitive dissonance and awakening!
The Japanese government, to this day, refuses to acknowledge what really happened during World War II. Consequently, most Japanese citizens remain uninformed of its war-time atrocities that their forefathers had inflicted upon the rest of Asia and POWs (from Europe, U.S.A, and Asia).
After World War II, most Japanese Class A war criminals remained unpunished and went on to hold high positions in government and corporations. One such example is Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, who is the grandfather of the current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Today, I’m wondering how Japan’s brutal history has escaped the American media attention for the most part, in contrast to how the Nazi war crimes are often referenced as a prime example of evil. My guess is that America may feel tremendous guilt about the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As Chang points out, Germany has long acknowledged its crimes against humanity. In stark contrast, Japan has not.
By not teaching the ugly truth of Japan’s history to its youth, it is as if the Japanese government’s wish is that everyone forgets about it. Such a tactic may work for Japanese citizens who were born after WWII and blissfully remain uninformed – as I was. Had I not left Japan, I would probably never have had a chance to open my eyes to what really happened. Those who were inflicted such unspeakable cruelty by Japanese soldiers, however, are not likely to forget about it. Even after they pass on, their descendants will remember the horrors through word of mouth.
Without a formal and sincere apology, I fear that some future generations of Japanese – who do not understand why there is such simmering anger among many Asian countries against them – may end up paying a huge price for it. For example, despite an international uproar, doesn’t it make you wonder why China is forging ahead with the creation of man-made military bases in the South China Sea? Doesn’t such aggression remind you of the Imperial Japanese Army that was intent on expanding its territory in Asia at all cost in the 1930s?
It would be naïve for anyone to think that China is not remembering the deep wounds having been inflicted upon its citizens in Nanking by the Japanese. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, it would behoove Japan to follow in the footsteps of Germany. In other words, learn what atrocities Japan had committed against others, stop denying them, profusely apologize to the victims and descendants (not just in China but in the rest of Asia and POWs from the rest of the world), ask for their forgiveness and, most importantly, start teaching in schools the history without glossing over the gruesome facts. Obviously, these actions are much easier said than done. It is an extremely tough pill to swallow for Japan; it certainly is for me as an individual. But if we believe in karma, better late than never.
