Of course, the focus on warfare by the United States did not simply increase the amount of correct information that was obtained. The fixations on warfare ultimately also led to some shortcomings when it came to understanding Japan. Instead of considering the brutal actions of the Japanese imperial army as a reflection of the effects of war in general, they considered them a reflection of the Japanese people and their own sentiments. Within the first ten minutes of the film, it is stated that the Japanese justify “treachery, brutality, rape, and torture” specifically against non-Japanese people (Know Your Enemy 5:30-5:46). However, such actions were not sanctioned by the Japanese to the extent that this quote would lead someone to believe. …show more content…
Thus, although horrific behavior on the part of the Japanese occurred in instances such as the Rape of Nanking, to argue that such behavior was supported or even sanctioned by the Japanese and Japanese society appears to be an unfair and inaccurate judgement. Through this, the propaganda film’s definition of Japan, its society, and its values are visibly warped by the presence of a wartime lens. A similar distortion can be seen with regards to the propaganda film’s view on education and the youth in Japan, who it argues are hammered into “images of the samurai” (Know Your Enemy 51:20-52:50). Know Your Enemy: Japan thus, in its fixation with Japanese militarization and the Japanese war effort, fails to acknowledge any nuance with regards to Japan’s education. Ultimately, this shortcoming in understanding as a result of fixation also occurs regarding anti-Western sentiment in …show more content…
There was horrific anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States during this time; it therefore makes sense for there to be at least some anti-American/anti-Western sentiment in Japan during this time. However, if one fixates on this idea too much, they will end up with misconceptions regarding Japan, which ultimately appears to be the case in Know Your Enemy: Japan. The film clearly views Japan’s anti-American sentiment as imperative to understanding the country; although the film only has around an hour to convey its message, it makes time in order to emphasize Japan’s rejection of certain pieces of Western culture, including things as seemingly benign as baseball, in favor of more traditional culture (Know Your Enemy 43:10-45:39). This prioritization grants insight into the film’s reliance on this anti-American/Western lens through which it examines Japan. The resulting distortion is perhaps most visible when it comes to historical discussion. The propaganda film describes Japan’s rejection of Christianity as a rejection of the values associated with Christianity, specifically peace, equality, and tolerance (Know Your Enemy 24:55-25:28). It thus ignores the other situational factors involved in Japan’s rejection of the West and Christianity, specifically those involving the Tokugawa shogunate’s attempts to maintain order (Hall Tokugawa 161). A similar inaccurate assertion is made when the propaganda film
Much of what is considered modern Japan has been fundamentally shaped by its involvement in various wars throughout history. In particular, the events of World War II led to radical changes in Japanese society, both politically and socially. While much focus has been placed on the broad, overarching impacts of war on Japan, it is through careful inspection of literature and art that we can understand war’s impact on the lives of everyday people. The Go Masters, the first collaborative film between China and Japan post-WWII, and “Turtleback Tombs,” a short story by Okinawan author Oshiro Tatsuhiro, both give insight to how war can fundamentally change how a place is perceived, on both an abstract and concrete level.
The Japanese, as in document fifteen, said that innovations had to be reported, and listed them right next to factional conspiracies, as if they were both equally bad, showing that the Japanese didn't want to advance technologically, and wanted to stick with tradition. The Europeans, as we already know, where rapidly advancing technologically, because of their fierce rivals with each other, making Japan dislike them even more. The Europeans, who were trying to spread Christianity as well as become rich, thought that the Japanese would convert quickly, as Francis Xavier wrote in document thirteen, “They see clearly that their ancestral law is false and the law of God true, but they are deterred by fear of their prince from submitting to the Christian religion.” This caused them to dislike the leaders of Japan, and when as mentioned in document sixteen, the Closed Country Edict of 1635, this caused them to hate them, because then not only were they denied a lot of trade, but also the spreading of the cul Christianity.... ...
Once significant recurring theme affecting Japanese planning for war was the psychology of arrogance ...
John Dower's War without Mercy describes the ugly racial issues, on both the Western Allies and Japanese sides of the conflict in the Pacific Theater as well as all of Asia before during and after World War II and the consequences of these issues on both military and reconstruction policy in the Pacific. In the United States as well as Great Britain, Dower dose a good job of proving that, "the Japanese were more hated than the Germans before as well as after Pearl Harbor." (8) On this issue, there was no dispute among contemporary observers including the respected scholars and writers as well as the media. During World War II the Japanese are perceived as a race apart, a species apart referred to as apes, but at the same time superhuman. "There was no Japanese counterpart to the "good German" in the popular consciousness of the Western Allies." (8) Dower is not trying to prove how horrible the Japanese are. Instead, he is examining the both sides as he points out, "atrocious behavior occurred on all sides in the Pacific War." (12-13) Dower explores the propaganda of the United States and Japanese conflict to underline the "patterns of a race war," and the portability of racist stereotypes. Dower points out that "as the war years themselves changed over into an era of peace between Japan and the Allied powers, the shrill racial rhetoric of the early 1940s revealed itself to be surprisingly adaptable. Idioms that formerly had denoted the unbridgeable gap between oneself and the enemy proved capable of serving the goals of accommodation as well."(13) "the Japanese also fell back upon theories of "proper place" which has long been used to legitimize inequitable relationships within Japan itself."(9) After...
In the first few chapters the words chosen seem as if Bradley is praising Japan by giving a lot of information from the Japanese side of things to show how bad the Americans were, “ While America cheered the fliers as its best and brightest, the Japanese had a very different view.....airmen who dropped napalm on defenseless civilians living in paper houses were the non human devils.” I personally think that Bradley is just stating the truth while others would look at this and ponder why would he say this if he is American wouldn't he want to leave all that out to make us look better. The way the author chose to write this was to show both sides of war and not just taking one side. He does say one thing about Japan which praises them and then contrasts it to America making it seem worse from that side.
The Ottoman empire had a long history of using foreigners as slaves. The Janissaries were boys taken from the Balkans to be soldier-slaves for the Ottomans. They took these boys from their homes and used them as a cavalry in their strong military. Near the end of the empire, the Janissaries had gained much power which eventually aided in the fall of the empire. The Ottomans were not scared of the outside world. They continued to expand their vast empire, almost until it fell. The Ottomans spread themselves out and had many various cultures and people living within their empire. This is very different from how Japan came to later view and treat foreigners. Under Nobunaga, Japan traded with foreigners and was tolerant of new religions. However under the Tokugawa shogunate, the empire completely changed these policies. The Buddhist uprisings in Japan had ended, so the need for Christians in court was nonexistent. Along with this, the people of Japan became more dedicated to their faith than to the shogun. They would refuse to follow some orders of the shogun if they believed it went against their newfound religion. This greatly angered Tokugawa and he began to persecute the Christians. He eventually led Japan into a period of isolationism. Isolationism has been long used in history, even in the United States. Before entering World War II, the United States took on a policy of isolationism to protect themselves. Japan turned away from the world as a way of keeping themselves safe from foreign invasion. Unlike the Ottomans, Japan never let foreigners gain significant power, and when it seemed like they may the shogun essentially removed all foreigners. Japan stopped trading with foreigners almost all together, save for the Dutch at a small port. No foreigners were to step on Japanese land. Japan shut themselves out of the rest of the world to protect
In 1941, the number of Japanese Americans living in the continental Unites States totaled 127,000. Over 112,000 of them lived in the three Pacific Coast states of Oregon, Washington, and California. Of this group, nearly 80% of the total resided in the state of California alone (Uchida 47). In the over imaginative minds of the residents of California, where the antipathy towards the Asians was the most intense, the very nature of the Pearl Harbor attack provided ample-and prophetic-proof of inherent Japanese treachery (Uchida 68). As the Imperial Army chalked up success after success on the Pacific front, and also as rumors of prowling enemy subs ran rampant throughout, the West Coast atmosphere became charged with the fear that there was an impending invasion. They had an unbelievable suspicion that Japanese Americans in their midst were organized for a coordinated undermining activity (Uchida 90). For the myriad of anti-Oriental forces and the influential agriculturists who had long been casting their eyes on the coastal area of the richly cultivated Japanese land, a superb opportunity ...
Japanese soldiers were trained in all types of conditions to prepare for war. People in Japan grew up with very nationalistic ideals. Many were passionate for their country and would sacrifice anything for their Emperor, even their own lives. This concept was reinforced during many Japanese soldier trainings. They were taught to never give up or surrender to the enemy. At this point, dropping the atomic bomb was needed to end the war in the Pacific, as it is the only way to defeat the Japanese. As the Japanese are very prideful in ethics, a war would occur on Japanese soil if it were not for the bomb. Japanese men would fight American troops, and ultimately, the Japanese would win the battle (The 1). The attacks on Pearl Harbor exemplify their dedication towards the war. Moreover, one can see the extent of nationalism through the negative effects of the Kamikaze pilots. They sacrificed their own lives for the better¬ o...
When most American people think of Germany, they think of sports cars made for the autobahn, sauerkraut, Adolf Hitler, and the Holocaust. Compared to Germany, when most American people think of Japan they think of sushi, Godzilla movies, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. World War II was such a significant event in history that almost 70 years after it came to an end, today’s younger generations often associate former Axis controlled countries with the war. People around the world are filled with disgust and immense hate when they hear the name Hitler, mainly because of his leadership under the Holocaust; which was the discriminatory mass genocide of 11-17 million people, the vast majority of which were European Jews. Hirohito, former Emperor of Japan, should strike a similar bell with people when they hear his name because Japan carried out genocide on Chinese civilians and soldiers in World War II. Japan’s attack on the Chinese city of Nanking, was one of the most atrocious events in history. This event has been named both the Nanking Massacre and the Rape of Nanking. The torturous, violent techniques used by the Japanese army upon Chinese civilians and soldiers including dehumanizing them, addicting them to drugs, and other perverse and violent acts, are some of the most grosteque methods ever recorded that could only be thought of by sadistic Japanese soldiers. The events committed by the Japanese army in Nanking, are equally as disgusting as the acts that Nazi Germany committed and should become a major topic involved with World War II in the future, despite the lack of light shed on it in the past for various reasons.
Dower begins by examining the propaganda churned out by both war machines (including a Frank Capra documentary, Know Your Enemy - Japan) and discovers two underlying patterns of stereotyping. "In everyday words," he writes, the "first kind of stereotyping could be summed up in the statement: you are the opposite of what you say you are and the opposite of us, not peaceful but warlike, not good but bad...In the second form of stereotyping, the formula ran more like this: you are what you say you are, but that itself is reprehensible." (30) In this case, American's commitment to individualism became rapacious self-interest in the eyes of Japan, while the Japanese commitment to collectivity became herd thinking to Americans.
The “Gentleman of Western Learning” presents arguments centered around the political ideology of pacifism and can be seen as the “idealist” of the book, advocating ideas out of his time, seemingly to be a man of vision in today’s context. He proposes the abolishment of the Japanese military and believes that a moral defense built through the virtues of liberty, freedom, equality and fraternity would be more than sufficient to safeguard the nation’s shores and interests (Pg. 51). His cause for unilateral disarmament is indeed noble, though sadly, a pipe dream in his era.
Although Christian missionaries were welcomed in the 1540s by the Japanese rulers, Christianity was banned after the unification of Japan under a single shogun. The missionaries were welcomed primarily because they came with traders who brought weapons for the Japanese. During the Shimabara Rebellion, a large number of Christians rose up in a revolt that was violently put down. Silence is set in the aftermath of this rebellion - an atmosphere of vengeful
Killing thousands and thousands of men, The attack went down in history as one of the most horrific events by man in history, and also the day America lost its innocence. These are a few of the many reasons why producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay decided to make a film about this terrible disaster. Though when deciding to make the film they wanted to insure that the film was historically balanced, encompassing not only the American. perspective, but the Japanese as well. To make sure they managed to fulfill this idea, they had many Japanese advisors on hand throughout. the whole duration of the film, giving their opinions on how to do it.
The embarrassing defeat of China directly influenced Japan to voluntarily accept Western culture. Both Japan and China adopted bits and pieces from Western culture and adapted it to their traditional culture rather than becoming Westernized. The Boxer Rebellion is proof of China’s refusal to accept Western culture, in particular for Christianity. The slaughtering of practicing Christians, both Chinese and Western, is a very distinct rejection of Western religion.
Since eighty percent of Japan’s population was born after the war, most Japanese people do not understand why neighboring countries harbor a grudge against them. This is because the government of Japan did a great deal in order to silence or conceal the truth of what Japan had done. The history textbooks were altered in a way that some can cover all of World War II in just 19 pages. Out of those 19 pages, only four footnotes were directly related to World War II events such as the “Nanjing Massacre”, the “Comfort Women”, “Bringing Korean and Chinese people to work in the mines”, and one last line about “Hiroshima and Nagasaki”. Furthermore, teachers in schools often leave World War II for the last unit, when students are all but ready to jump out of the classroom and sprint outside to embrace the summer. This blatant censorship can be found everywhere in Japan.