Archive for August, 2009

Morris R. Jeppson talks about apologizing for the atomic bombings

The Mainichi recently interviewed Morris R. Jeppson, one of the last surviving members of the B-29 crew that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Here’s an excerpt in which he addresses the the issue of apologies:

Mainichi: In thirty or forty years, when those who experienced World War II have passed away, if the American President or many ordinary Americans decide the U.S. should apologize for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how would you feel about that?

J: I think that one’s easy to answer. If it’s done once for an apology for something like that, think of all of the other things over history that should be apologized for, applying the same rule. It’s just not necessary. War is war. There was a good reason for it, put it into history books or whatever. But nobody down the road has any right to apologize for something that happened in the past.

This question comes up in the U.S. all the time. … (Like slavery,) it’s history. It’s all laid out. Why should anybody today apologize for anything that happened 150 years ago? It isn’t necessary. It’s giving somebody 150 years later a right to make this apology. No, they don’t have a right to make an apology.

Mainichi: So you think that even in the future, American presidents should not apologize.

J: No. Never.

Mainichi: But if any American president apologized in the future, you would not like it?

J: I would be indignant. It’s a matter of what right does he have to (apologize) for something that all these people fought for and died for on both sides. The Japanese thought (the war) was the right thing and doing good for them. It wasn’t the right thing for anybody. But it happened, and you don’t apologize for history.

Read the rest of the interview: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

[hat tip to Zero]

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Junichiro Koizumi + Elvis statue

The former Prime Minister known for his love of Elvis Presley attending the unveiling of a statue of “the King” in Kobe:

The statue lost its home when Love Me Tender, a Presley specialty store in Tokyo’s Harajuku district named after the singer’s 1956 hit, closed in January.

Its new home is the Kobe Harborland commercial complex in the city’s Chuo Ward.

The statue was completed in 1987 following donations from Koizumi, singer Akiko Wada and other celebrities.

Koizumi said Sunday that being a Presley devotee helped him score points in diplomacy when he ran the country.

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Best of Japan: Tropical-like Island of Niijima (only 3hrs from Tokyo!)

The other week I read the Metropolis Magazine’s article on Niijima so I decided to go.  It was a very beautiful and strange experience.  This Island is located about 3hrs from Tokyo by a fast ferry.  (The slower one takes 6 hrs!)  They have an amazing surf beach.  It is technically part of the Tokyo Prefecture.  I found the overall business mentality to be a bit odd.  For example they don’t rent surf boards at the “Surf Station” by the beach.  Surf board rentals are expensive, 4,000 yen for short, 5,000 yen for long board for about 5 hours.  To spend the night it costs about 5,000 yen.  But to rent a car it’s 8,000 yen for 6 hours.

They also have a free outdoor Onsen/Hot Spring!  And they have an internationally renowned Glass Art Museum.  (I know, because I went there to use the toilet!)

If you want to go to Niijima, here’s the link to the place we stayed and ferry information.

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Contributor Bio – I was born and raised in Tokyo. I have spent over 15 years in Japan. Schooled in NYC. Used to be a dual citizen, US and Canada. My Grandpa’s military and he married a Japanese women. Today I hold only the Canadian passport.  I have two YouTube channels where I post videos frequently.

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Japanese Drug Awareness Video

To illustrate what it must have been like when idol Noriko Sakai used illegal stimulants, FTV aired this scene from a drug awareness video produced by Japanese police:

The message – inhaling “aburi” will make you hallucinate and maybe even kill you.

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Akagami – the red papers that sent Japanese to war

The other night, TBS aired an excellent documentary/drama about a man who delivered draft notices during the war:

As the 64th anniversary of Japan’s surrender approaches, the special memorial programs about World War II come faster and thicker. This week’s big event is a docudrama called “Saigo no Akagami Haitatsunin” (The Last Red Letter Deliveryman; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.). “Red letter” refers to the draft notices received by men during the war. These were hand delivered by special deliverymen. It was considered a great honor to receive a call to service by the Imperial Army, and families would celebrate out in the open, but, understandably, many recipients and their loved ones secretly dreaded the arrival of such notices.

In the drama portion of the program, Hidetaka Yoshioka plays the deliveryman, who distributes draft notices in a small village in Shiga Prefecture. The documentary portion traces the fates of the men who received notices and then left for battle.

Here are a couple excerpts you might find interesting:

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1. A young man goes to war, followed by his brothers

In this clip, we are shown a community celebrating the drafting of a local boy into the military. It takes place in 1939, a period when Japan was not yet at war with the United States. The boy’s brothers and parents seem sad for him to go, but there is an overall atmosphere of pride that he will go to serve his country.

The last portion of the clip takes place in the later years of the war after things have turned against Japan. The younger brother of the boy drafted in 1939 has been drafted. Few people are there to celebrate, and his parents pretty much understand that there will be little chance of him returning alive.

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2. The resentment of a community

In this clip we see the way the draft notice deliveryman is treated by his neighbors. It is only 1942, yet the draft has taken a tremendous toll on the community. Wives are left alone with small children while their husbands are sent to war, and almost everyone has had relatives drafted into the military. The draft notice deliveryman is treated with hostile glares every time he walks through town.
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Like most Japanese TV programs about the war, it seemed it was meant to reinforce pacifist ideas and remind younger generations about just how horrible it was when Japan last fought a war.

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Guardian Angels talk about foreign drug dealers in Tokyo

One of the morning news shows yesterday interviewed some members of the Guardian Angels about foreign drug dealers:

The segment was a part of their coverage of the Noriko Sakai drug scandal, the most important news of the day (information about the big earthquake that occurred in Shizuoka that same morning was put in the scroll bar below).

The Guardian Angels say that there used to be an area along Shibuya’s Center Gai in which foreigners of Middle Eastern origin were known to sell drugs. The area is now clear of public drug dealing, perhaps because of some sort of crackdown by the authorities. It is speculated that drug dealers must have moved their operations elsewhere.

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