Japanese Foreign Minister Honors American War Dead

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara visited Arlington National Cemetery to leave a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns on January 7th:

Maehara was in America to meet with Hillary Clinton and other American officials about how to strengthen the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

Here’s a video of him giving a speech in English at the Center for Strategic and International Studies:

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12 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - January 9, 2011 at 4:25 pm

Categories: Politics Tags:

http://garrickgreathouse.com Garrick Greathouse

I’m I the only person that just wants to drop any and all pre 1970′s war guilt? The world is an entirely different level of existence at this point. Teach all of humanities blights in history class, but don’t keep bringing it up for cheap pops and photo shoots.

Haven’t we all moved on? In 2011, Would any American/Japanese man/woman not marry the love of their life just because a distant in-law played a role in WWII?

jcpb

You’re killing the single biggest source of high Chinese TV ratings.

http://www.thesoulofjapan.blogspot.com thesoulofjapan

My question’s simple; Has this idiot ever visited Yasukuni Shrine? Why can’t he honor his own first, instead of his former enemies??

jcpb

Have you ever wondered why nobody outside Japan ever includes Yasukuni Shrine in the list of attractions in their tour guidebooks, and why nobody ever mentions that place until a Japanese politician goes there?

China can never forgive anyone who goes there, plus massive protests spring out throughout the country like woodwork whenever it happens, decrying the apparent rise of Japanese militarism when the truth is nowhere close to what the herd believes in. Yasukuni Shrine is the proverbial four-letter word around here.

It’s kind of funny, however, to see China repeating the same mistakes made by someone else…

http://www.japanprobe.com James

Have you ever wondered why nobody outside Japan ever includes Yasukuni Shrine in the list of attractions in their tour guidebooks,

Fail.

http://books.google.com/books?id=3fqYGB4mxLgC&lpg=PA156&vq=Yasukuni%20Shrine&dq=lonely%20planet%20japan&lr&pg=PA156#v=snippet&q=Yasukuni%20Shrine&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=GU_jKvLzfJkC&lpg=PA1&ots=PpWddCYqu1&dq=Frommers%20Tokyo&lr&pg=PA181#v=onepage&q=Yasukuni%20Shrine&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=o9GDGduDYooC&lpg=PP1&dq=related%3AISBN0470537647&pg=PA68#v=onepage&q=Yasukuni%20Shrine&f=false

Lewis

Interesting speech– a few implicit shots at China (‘countries lacking military transparency’, etc), allusions to the need for an Asian EU-equivalent (promote openness and unity, cooperation over hegemony), and an emphatic reminder of the economic interdependence between the three largest economies, all Pacific powers.
Somewhat surprising to see Korea entirely omitted though, especially given the Japanese government’s recent overtures regarding their joint defense. Addressed in response to a question from an audience member apparently of the same mind, however.

In regards to honoring American war dead and statements such as “when I put my hands together to consult the spirits of Japanese and American soldiers who lost their lives in Iwo Jima…”, surely Japan’s right wing becomes enraged at that sort of thing? I certainly can’t imagine an American politician honoring fallen enemy troops, although I do remember an American commander recently visiting Iwo Jima acknowledging the bravery with which troops on both sides fought.

helical

IMHO, I think you may have the wrong idea about the “Japan’s right wing”.

By no means do I claim to speak for all self-proclaimed right-wingers.
But one of the qualities that is often invoked as a virtue of Japanese tradition and the “Samurai spirit” is to honor even one’s enemies. So if one claims to adhere to traditional conservative Japanese values, I don’t think they should be enraged at all, but rather, they should be commending Maehara for his honorable act.

As an example, there is the march tune still used today in the JSDF and the police, which is based on the war song called 抜刀隊 (Battoutai = Squad of drawn swords).

It was the originally a song contracted out to the French musician Charles Edouard Gabriel Leroux, to praise a special team of police swordsmen.
The team was created specifically to counter the rebels in the The Southwest War in the Satsuma rebellion. The rebels were mainly composed of samurai unhappy with the new Meiji government taking away their way of life and privileges, and in close quarters battles, the government troops and police composed of former farmers and merchants were hopelessly outmatched by the sword-wielding angry samurai.
The new team played a heroic role in defeating the rebels in bloody sword battles, and thus the Battoutai song was made in honor of them. It starts off with the following lyrics (loosely translated by me).

我は官軍我敵は　　天地容れざる朝敵ぞ
敵の大將たる者は　　古今無雙の英雄で
之に從ふ兵は　　共に慓悍決死の士
鬼神に恥ぬ勇あるも　　天の許さぬ叛逆を
起しゝ者は昔より　　榮えし例あらざるぞ
敵の亡ぶる夫迄は　　進めや進め諸共に
玉ちる劔拔き連れて　　死ぬる覺悟で進むべし

I am the Imperial force, my enemy is of the court with no place in heaven nor earth.
The general of the enemy is a hero unmatched through all ages
Following are soldiers all nimble, ferocious, and of unafraid of death
Yet even with courage fit for a demon, those who rebel unforgiven by the heavens
None through the ages have flourished
Till the enemy is vanquished, onward we shall all go
With drawn swords glistening with dew, go forth prepared for death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kaz0S6uMdNY
Song from 0:00 to 2:30, and after 2:30 is the instrumental march version.

For a war song, this seems awfully generous towards one’s enemies.
http://aki-akiaki.blogspot.com Aki

I think few Japanese is enraged by the Maehara’s comment concerning Japanese and American soldiers, because the Japanese traditionally used to honor fallen soldiers of both friend and enemy. If you perform google image search with the keyword 敵味方供養塔 which means “monument(s) for foes and friends” in Japanese, you’ll find many images of old stoneworks. They were constructed after battles and wars to honor fallen soldiers of both friend and enemy. Even after the invasion by the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, the Japanese constructed a huge buddhist temple, Engaku-ji, to honor fallen soldiers of both sides and to appease their spirits.
Jupiter

Thanks for those two informative posts!

Rob A

I feel like the Japanese political system spends altogether too much time reminiscing about past wars and who owes who condolences or apologies.

It happened like 60+ years ago. Yes, it sucked, but it sucked for everyone involved pretty much equally(except maybe the Nazis, they just plain lost).

If you put all that time into political and social policy reform instead of whining about past grievances, I’m sure Japan would be a much happier place and would have the potential to be a very great country.
Pops

Japan is already a great country, but can improve like any other, of course. Regarding the US-Japan Alliance, it too can be improved, and needs improvement. Politicians on both sides of the Pacific need to do better in this. Japanese and American citizens can do their part as well to help develop, foster and promote this relationship in a positive way.
SimonSays

If one was to honour the Japanese war dead because they fought and died for their country, then one should also honour the American war dead, because they fought and died for their country too. Don’t see too much wrong here.

Still, doesn’t take away the fact that Japan is a great country, a rich modern democracy.

Japanese Foreign Minister Honors American War Dead

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