Thoughts on Anti-Japanese Actions

As far as news go, there aren't much bigger these days than the ongoing anti-Japanese demonstrations which broke out earlier this month when the Japanese government gave its approval to a junior high history textbook that, according to its critics, "downplays the 1937 'Nanjing massacre' in China, ignores the sexual slavery of women for Japanese soldiers, and presents Japanese actions as aimed at liberating other Asian countries".

Latest developments:
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, speaking today at the Asian-African summit in Jakarta, reiterated former PM Tomiichi Murayama's 1995 remarks, stating, "In the past, Japan through its colonial rule and aggression caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility and with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind." [CNN.com, zaobao.com]
Close to 170 Japanese Diet (parliament) members or their aides visited the infamous Yasukuni Shrine this morning in observance of the annual spring festival. The Yasukuni Shrine is, of course, home to over 2.3 million Japanese soldiers who died in World War II, including over a dozen class-A war criminals. This visit is sure to spark further conflicts between China and Japan. [CNN.com, zaobao.com, asahi.com]

And of course, we already know about the battle of wills being staged in the General Assembly of the United Nations, with Japan, Germany, Brazil, and India bidding for permanent seats in UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposed model A reform to the Security Council, and the U.S. and China - both currently permanent members of UNSC - opposed to Mr. Annan's "artificial deadline" set for September. I'm not particularly interested in this piece of drama, since it is chiefly a political matter.

Regarding the history textbook in question, here are some "facts" I found:
Though given away for free, the textbook is used in only 18 of 11102 junior high schools in Japan.
Denounced by the leading national teacher's union.
Supposedly well right of mainstream opinion.
Of its 236 pages, only 20 are devoted to the buildup to and the period of WWII, a span of 25 years marking the height of Japanese expansionism and militarism.
The aforementioned 20-page section defends Japan's military action as a last-resort solution to their lack of resources, as well as an "attempt to liberate Asia from western colonialism".
Makes no mention of front-line brothels or the hundreds of thousands of Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese women forced into sexual slavery.
Refers to the invasion of China as "a request for passage", and to the Nanjing Massacre as "an incident causing the deaths of many Chinese".
Japanese officials claimed that the text screening process is only intended to eliminate factual errors and unacceptable interpretations; it does not mean the government "agrees with everything on every page".
[CNN.com, zaobao.com]

While reactions to this deplorable textbook have been understandably riotous, there is no need to resort to violence, whether in destroying Japanese storefronts or causing them personal harm. If you feel boycotting Japanese products will send a message and force the hands of those in charge of right-wing corporations sponsoring the publication of this textbook, I say go right ahead. But threatening the safety of others will not help your cause, and only gives the Japanese government an excuse to turn down any requests. Now it's Japan's turn to demand an apology from the Chinese government for organizing (or at the very least permitting) anti-Japanese demonstrations.

As anyone who's ever been in a relationship should know: the easiest way to fish for an apology is not through stubborn protest, but sincere humility to meet the other halfway. Even if China had every right to demand an apology for Japan's war crimes, their barbaric actions against Japanese civilians have stripped them of said rights.