japanese military treatment on p.o.w's// civilians...

[blood and iron]

The Japanese are best known for their history concerning the treatment of prisoners of war and ordinary every day civilians that they stumbled across during there strategical slaughter of the pacific.
So, is what they did JUSTIFIABLE? I think not.
Through constant brain-washing, the supreme rulers of japan were able to use there army as meir puppets, knowing that these puppets would do ANYTHING they were told.... to the last detail.
NOW i am relying on your feed back to make up my own opinion on the japanese.
One thing though... i dont think that there is one auzie digger out there that likes "those slanty eyed yellow bellied animals"
This is all i have to work on as it was my grand-fathers <Lt Ronald Hearn of the 2/13th>view on them.
Thanks for your input.

Pte Hearn

[Tom Houlihan]

Bearing in mind that I personaly think that the way the Japanese conducted themselves was barbaric, I think that one needs to look at their culture to understand a lot of what they did.
Having read a little, I have a smidgen of an understanding of their centuries old concept of Bushido, and the divinity of the Emperor. Having spent some time in Japan, I have seen the discipline, selflessness, and obedience that is inherent in the Japanese people.
The Japanese culture had been developing for centuries. Honor, or the lack of it, were key in their society. In their minds, defeat was dishonor, period. It had nothing to do with race, nationality, or anything like that. So, for example, the beheading of prisoners, to their way of thinking, was allowing an honorable means of punishment, for dishonoring themselves.
Again, I am not condoning what they did, just trying to put it into context, I guess.

[David Thompson]

blood and iron -- You may find the following thread of interest. There's a pretty large collection of links to other sites on it (at p. 2) discussing the Japanese treatment of allied POWs:

Japanese War Crimes Trials
http://www.thirdreichforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18895

[Paul Timms]

I saw a programme that said in WW1 their treatment of German prisoners was so good many stayed in Japan after the war. The Bushido code business is cobblers, their attitude basically was changed by anti foreign military extremists between the wars. I cannot verify this , anyone else have input ??

[wildboar]

The Japanese are best known for their history concerning the treatment of prisoners of war and ordinary every day civilians that they stumbled across during there strategical slaughter of the pacific.
So, is what they did JUSTIFIABLE? I think not.
Through constant brain-washing, the supreme rulers of japan were able to use there army as meir puppets, knowing that these puppets would do ANYTHING they were told.... to the last detail.
NOW i am relying on your feed back to make up my own opinion on the japanese.
One thing though... i dont think that there is one auzie digger out there that likes "those slanty eyed yellow bellied animals"
This is all i have to work on as it was my grand-fathers <Lt Ronald Hearn of the 2/13th>view on them.
Thanks for your input.

Pte Hearn

The Japanese treatment of pows was worst and inhumane.
the japanese commited many inhuman crimes agaisnt pows.
when i asked indian veterans of wwii they said that japanese were worst in treatment of pows

[kittycat]

Well, I don't really like the term 'slanty eyed' & 'yellow' but calling them "animals" are pretty much right (I mean for the soldiers at that time).
They have no respect for the other races. They kill civilians in the countries that they have conquered for no reasons. Eg. there was an incident in China where this Jap soldier had stabbed a pregnant Chinese woman in her stomach and took out her baby because she couldn't bow down to him.
They have also performed alot of testing of biological testing on the people but they are now denying it despite that there is proof.
Oh yeah, I heard that they don't teach their involvement in WWII stuff at schools and that some people are running around saying that Westeners claims of their evils in WWII are not true.

[demonio]

Bearing in mind that I personaly think that the way the Japanese conducted themselves was barbaric, I think that one needs to look at their culture to understand a lot of what they did.
Having read a little, I have a smidgen of an understanding of their centuries old concept of Bushido, and the divinity of the Emperor. Having spent some time in Japan, I have seen the discipline, selflessness, and obedience that is inherent in the Japanese people.
The Japanese culture had been developing for centuries. Honor, or the lack of it, were key in their society. In their minds, defeat was dishonor, period. It had nothing to do with race, nationality, or anything like that. So, for example, the beheading of prisoners, to their way of thinking, was allowing an honorable means of punishment, for dishonoring themselves.
Again, I am not condoning what they did, just trying to put it into context, I guess.

I disagree about it having nothing to do with race. The Japanese thought they were culturally superior and interestingly they are said to be the purest race on earth. They used to call the chinese "Sick man of Asia" due to the yellow appearance of their skin.

[kittycat]

They used to call the chinese "Sick man of Asia" due to the yellow appearance of their skin.

arr...you sure about that? I have heard other names but not that... & don't Japs also have 'yellow' skin? They are mostly likely a bit paler....but northern chinese are heaps pale too.

[David Thompson]

kittycat -- Please do not use terms like "Japs" here. Take the trouble to spell out "Japanese." We don't want folks to think we're racist here.

[demonio]

They used to call the chinese "Sick man of Asia" due to the yellow appearance of their skin.

arr...you sure about that? I have heard other names but not that... & don't Japs also have 'yellow' skin? They are mostly likely a bit paler....but northern chinese are heaps pale too.

Hi Kitty cat. Good to see a Sydney Girl here.
Ive heard a few racist expressions but it's probably inappropriate to discuss here. You have a bit of a point about what you've said above. I suppose it makes as much sense as hitler regarding blonde blue eyed slavs as inferior.

[Kal_El]

Lord Russel of liverpools book "The Knights of Bushido" has some interesting point to the cultural and politics behind the japanise treatmeant of POWs in ww2.

When i get back online at home, ill check it.

Regards

Morten

[demonio]

Bushido is a big part of what influenced the Japanese treatment of POWs

According to Bushido Law an enemy deserve NO mercy. If they surrender they also surrender all their honour and are not worthy of being treated decently.

An enemy is expected to kill themselves or fight to the death to maintain honour rather than to surrender. This is considered very honorable.

[David E M]

Hello, 'Blood and Iron', I am going to presume here that you are an Australian. You should perhaps read "End of a Hate" by Russell Bradon, an Australian POW of the Japanese.
'Those slanty eyed yellow bellied animals' is something I have a problem with.
You are asking for feed back, but you seem to already have made up your mind.
I have never, anywhere, at many RSL's ( Returned Servicemens League ) heared the Japanese soldiers described that way, My brother in law who fought behind the Japanese lines in Burma never used that phrase.
Another book currently available in OZ is 'The 13th Mission' by Robert A Martindale' its about Omori prison in Tokyo.
Can I suggest you make an effort, and get to know something about the Japanese?.
I have lived and worked in Japan, YES! there is descrimination, YES! they do think 'SOMETIMES', they are the most superior race on earth.
But then who doesn't?
They were magnificent soldiers, militarily, basic discipline was great, morraly woefully pathetic. Some of them are now admitting the crimes, and perhaps what is good is that they now realise what they did was wrong.
But THE POINT IS they did not all create war crimes, they did not all do bad things.
If you are in Australia, go to Thailand and listen to the locals, go to the Phillipines and listen to them. I know of a village in the Phillipines where a group of Japanese return every year, to help out, see what they need, because when these Japanese soldiers were on the run from the Americans, the villagers helped them out.
So have a look around, and try and get rid of your hate, it will make you a better soldier, I know, I've been there.
Cheers DEM.

[kittycat]

kittycat -- Please do not use terms like "Japs" here. Take the trouble to spell out "Japanese." We don't want folks to think we're racist here.

ooopss...sorry...didn't mean it in a racist way of course, but just got used to it in class (not meaning it in a racist term again)...anyway, next time I'll take the time to actually spell out 'Japanese' instead of what I used above...which I can see as been seen as racist to some people

Oh yeah, I realised that I had made grammer mistakes in my previous message...damn.

[kittycat]

They used to call the chinese "Sick man of Asia" due to the yellow appearance of their skin.

arr...you sure about that? I have heard other names but not that... & don't Japs also have 'yellow' skin? They are mostly likely a bit paler....but northern chinese are heaps pale too.

Ive heard a few racist expressions but it's probably inappropriate to discuss here. You have a bit of a point about what you've said above. I suppose it makes as much sense as hitler regarding blonde blue eyed slavs as inferior.

all this inferior, Superior race thing is completely stupid I reckon.