Great quote by Orwell. I guess the guy who wrote 1984 knew a thing or two about government control. In Japan, as in most countries, the government has the power, and they’ve demonstrated it by their disregard for history. We see this reflected in the people educated in their school system.

I agree that whoever has power defines what counts as true or false. It’s an unfortunate characteristic of the way things work, which is yet another reason why people who respect truth need to influence those in power or become powerful ourselves.

In terms of domestic politics, controversies like the Prime Minister’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine and how Japanese school textbooks characterize WWII not only can be mobilizing issues for the Right Wing but also are related to Japan’s remilitarization as a “normal nation” and debates about changing the pacifist constitution.

Another dimension is geopolitics and Japan’s relationship to an emerging China as well as South and North Koreas, which is an even more complex matter.

And in terms of the truth more broadly, what do you think of the idea that whoever has power defines what counts as true or false to begin with?

This is the “history is written by the victors” argument and is best expressed by George Orwell’s famous quote: “He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future.”

You’re right. Actually, in the movie “What’s Wrong With Frank Chin,” there’s a Cantonese reading of the Mulan poem; I think that’s the one.

For Chinatown cowboys who can’t read Chinese (I have no idea what a Chinatown cowboy is, but it sounds good), you can see the same text with translation under the wikipedia entry for Hua Mulan, along with a brief history of the surname question.

Mama Nabi,

I’m hoping that things will change in the future. Japan is suffering from a population decline like no other industrialized nation in the world. They’re going to have to invite immigration because there aren’t enough people to do the work that needs to be done. Hopefully this influx of immigration will change the game a bit.

木蘭詩
唧唧復唧唧，木蘭當戶織，不聞機杼聲，惟聞女嘆息。
問女何所思，問女何所憶，女亦無所思，女亦無所憶。
昨夜見軍帖，可汗大點兵。軍書十二卷，卷卷有爺名。
阿爺無大兒，木蘭無長兄，願為市鞍馬，從此替爺徵。
東市買駿馬，西市買鞍貉，南市買轡頭，北市買長鞭。
旦辭爺娘去，暮至黃河邊。不聞爺娘喚女聲，但聞黃河流水鳴濺濺。
但辭黃河去，暮宿黑山頭。不聞爺娘喚女聲，但聞燕山胡騎鳴啾啾。
萬裡赴戎機，關山度若飛。朔氣傳金析，寒光照鐵衣。
將軍百戰死，壯士十年歸。歸來見天子，天子坐明堂。
策勛十二轉，賞賜百千強。可汗問所欲，木蘭不用尚書郎。
願馳千里足，送兒還故鄉。爺娘聞女來，出郭相扶將。
阿姊聞妹來，當戶理紅妝。小弟聞姊來，磨刀霍霍曏豬羊。
開我東閣門，坐我西閣床。脫我戰時袍，著我舊時裳。
當窗理雲鬢，對鏡貼花黃。出門看伙伴，伙伴皆驚惶。
同行十二年，不知木蘭是女郎！雄兔腳撲朔，雌兔眼迷離。
雙兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌。

I agree – this day and age? No excuse for ignorance OR perpetuance of it.

http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/11/revisionist-nanking-film-now-playing.html

(I too knew about this before, but I also forgot…)

You’re totally right. It’s all about truth.

In addition to the internet, these Japanese government officials also get messages from other countries as well. China is constantly demanding an apology. U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, while in the State Assembly, was instrumental in making clear the U.S. position on the atrocities, drafting a resolution calling for Japan to apologize. It’s crazy to see the Japanese government continuing to deny these war crimes. Germany took action right away–it’s illegal to own a copy of Mein Kampf in Germany, and they’ll lock up anyone who even tries to argue in defense of Nazism.

Coming clean would help Japan too. How can a country become a big player on the world stage when their leaders can’t even face the truth?