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Viewpoints A response to Chinese hooligans, Japanese rapists, American bigots.
Viewpoints A response to Chinese hooligans, Japanese rapists, American bigots. | A response to Chinese hooligans, Japanese rapists, American bigots. |
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Unlike the author of the 'Chinese hooligans, Japanese rapists, American bigots' piece I believe the only correct response to the recent anti-Japanese demonstrations is one of condemnation. What else could justifiably be proposed?
I also cannot concur with the author's belief that this was some sort of spontaneous outpouring of anger, which wasn't orchestrated by the state. The stoking of populist nationalism has often been used by tyrannical states as a smokescreen to hide complex social and economic difficulties, which certainly seems to be the case here. In some Chinese cities the protests led to Japanese students and tourists being set upon by mobs, while Japanese business and consulates were attacked as the police differed to intervene. Do we not feel as outraged by such violent acts of racism because we see the agitators as 'one of us'? Meanwhile, the rest of the interested world was perplexed as to why Japan's occupation should seemingly out-of-the-blue generate so much anger in 2005, sixty-five years after the crimes took place. Perhaps the state did not pass on to the demonstrators the fact of Japan's seventeen high-level apologies to China since 1972, or the fact the text book that they were protesting about was being used in just 18 of Japan's 11,102 high schools and had been publicly denounced by Japan's leading teachers' union. Of course the anger and resentment has always been there, the difference this time being that these were the first demonstrations not only allowed but also encouraged by the Chinese authorities. Some have seen the demands for apologies as being tied to China asserting itself on the regional stage, with disputes over gas, oil and fishing rights still to be resolved. As pictures of the worldwide demonstrations illustrate, some protesters have widened the scope of the anti-Japan stance to protesting against Japan's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council. Somewhat disingenuously they have chosen to use pictures of the crimes Japan committed in the 1930s as if to say this is what will happen again if Japan have more of an international presence. Japan is one of the most pacifist, non-aggressive countries in the world and its people want it to stay that way with the government's military spending staying steady for the last few years. However, China's spending in this area has been growing rapidly. China is not threatened militarily, so why would they need to dramatically increase their armed might? In this case is it not Chinese state that is the aggressor with nationalistic pronouncements, aggression towards its neighbours and large military expenditure? The protests are yet another round in the age-old China v Japan battle and an attempt to put Japan in its place. However this round has a special ugliness about it, in lancing old wounds revealing latent distrust and loathing of a peaceful neighbour. |
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