Progress, kindasorta

[con's fly is open]

Japanese PM offers apology
Monday, August 15, 2005 Updated at 1:12 AM EDT
Associated Press

Tokyo — Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologized for Tokyo's wartime colonization and invasions in Asia on the 60th anniversary of the country's surrender Monday, pledging that Japan would never forget the “terrible lessons” of the war.

Mr. Koizumi, in a written statement marking his second apology for the war to Asian neighbours this year, expressed his “deep reflections and heartfelt” sorrow for the damages caused by Japan during its conquests of the region during the Second World War.

The statement, however, mirrored the apology issued in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the war's end by then-prime minister Tomiichi Murayama. That statement was criticized as insufficient by critics in Asia who say Japan has not atoned enough for the war.

Mr. Koizumi's apology also came amid intense speculation over whether he would visit the Yasukuni war shrine Monday. The shrine honours Japan's war dead, including executed war criminals, and China and South Korea have criticized Mr. Koizumi's previous four visits.

“Our country has caused great damages and pain to people in many countries, especially our Asian neighbours, through colonization and invasion,” said Mr. Koizumi's statement, which was handed out to reporters at a daily morning briefing.

“We humbly accept these historic facts, and would like to express once again our deep reflections and heartfelt apology, and also express our condolences to all victims of the war, both at home and abroad,” he continued.

“We will not forget the terrible lessons of the war, and will contribute to world peace and prosperity,” the statement said.

Mr. Koizumi made a similar apology for the war at an Asian summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, in April, in hopes of quelling anti-Japanese protests in China triggered by Tokyo's approval of history textbooks that critics say whitewashed Japanese wartime atrocities.

While Mr. Koizumi made his apology, thousands of Japanese thronged the grounds of Yasukuni to pay their respects to the country's fallen soldiers. The shrine contains lists of 2.4 million fighters who died in wars starting in the late 1800s.

[acjade]

My favourite aunt, 'Auntie Eileen' forever rest her soul in Peace was married to one of seven Irish brothers. One of the brothers, Lennie, lost an arm and a leg in New Guinea fighting the Japanese. He won them back winning the Lotto twice. How's that for statistics?

I still miss Auntie Eileen. She was my real mother. And McKay she had nine kids of her own. She was warm hearted and made cakes with enough batter for every kid to get a patty paper of raw mixture and a generous lick of the bowl.
She was a beauty, too. Sadly she dropped off the planet way too soon.

[con's fly is open]

The Asian theatre is a tragically neglected part of World War II, which, and I probably speak for all of us, I have studied extensively. That China lost as many citizens as Russia was a fact I learned after coming here. I know a fair bit of Japanese atrocities, but precious little of the Chinese resistance.

[acjade]

Turn on your TV.

[Mr Nobody]

[con's fly is open]

I don't understand Swahili, Basque or Chinese, smartypants.

[LJ]

Any apology by the Japanese will NEVER be enough for the Chinese.

Chinese nationalism depends on this, if Japan became a friend, they'd have to find another enemy quickly or risk internal division.

[Lotus Eater]

My father was a pilot in WW11 and was selected to fly the 'heavies' from Oz to Japan for the signing of the peace treaty. I really wanted to watch at least the end of the 2 hour doco that CCTV9 was running just to see if I could see him (probably not, but at the end of the war my brother was in a movie theatre and the movietone news had him on it!). But I was sharing with my Japanese friend and figured it was not politic to make this request, given the anti-Japanese tone of the earlier news reports.

I travelled with Germans and Japanese this trip (plus a Finn) so had fun pointing out that even combined they couldn't beat an Aussie! (We are friends - it worked, OK?)

My ex's father was on the Kokoda trail. Anyone read "Last Blue Sea". His brother was a POW. My mother was an Army nurse - who contracted appendicitis the day before she was supposed to sail for Singapore. One of my friends is Vivienne Bullwinkel's niece-in-law.

My father's family was large enough to have sons in both WW1 and WW11! All returned home safely.

My Japanese freind tells me that the term of 'endearment' for westerners in Japane is "Hairy Chinese".

[Mr Nobody]

My mum was about 15 during German occupied Guernsey, until about 1947 or so. They didn't hand it back for two years after the war was over.

We come from a military family. Lots of military, none of whom died in conflict. Either we are good, or cowards. Personally, I bet the latter. We can all shoot really well though.

My sort of Uncle kinda relative was Air Marshall Hugh Dowding of the battle of britain fame. (have to go back to Victorian era where the war hero brother of one of my ancestors married into the royal family, and their descendants. My father's great uncle or something. My father's brother was a sniper in ww2.

My father was a first an engineer type, fixing big guns, then later a barber.

I take after him.

[George61]

You're a barber???

[Mr Nobody]

Silly man.

No, I would do anything to get out of being shot at, even cutting hair. Cowards run in my family.

[Lotus Eater]

I thought he meant he was a barbarian - so I was loathe to comment!

[Mr Nobody]

You should see me in a fur loincloth weilding my longsword. I have a helmet, too. I have pics somewhere of my armour and stuff, but I am not wearing it at the time.

[acjade]

My father and mother were both in the airforce during the Second World War. My father dropped out of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and enlisted as soon as war broke out in Europe. Most of his relatives were in Ireland, Scotland and England.

My paternal grandfather was killed in the First World War . In Eygpt.

All my uncles served in the Second World War. New Guinea, Malaya, Europe.

My mother's father faked his age and sailed off to France at seventeen to join his two older brothers. His oldest brother was at Galipolli and was taken prisoner by the Turks. He lived on maggots to survive and was always a little strange. The other brother came home safely but my grandfather had his leg blown off.

My grandmother's only brother James Henry Lyons was killed in France two days before the end of the war. He was twenty years old.

My Great Grandfather, on Dad's side of the family, was an official war artist. He was knighted for his paintings ... not just the War ones. He also married an American widow thirty years younger than he was and outlived her. She had a lot of affairs including a torrid romance with Michael Collins whom my great grandfather painted on his deathbed. My GG's portraits of his wife posing as Kathleen Ni Houlihan still decorate the Irish currency.