Konichiwa

Welcome readers from the land of the Rising Sun, the great nation, ally and friend of the United States; Japan.

Japan plays a pretty big part in World War 1990: Battle of the Three Seas, why not drop a line here or look us up on FB?

Tuesday Tally

Douglas MacArthur Edition

General MacArthur's top five deeds and acts:

1-Going on the Offensive: Rather than sit back and defend, MacArthur decided to fight for Australia in New Guinea.
2-The New Guinea Campaign: After the bloodbath at Buna, which I should note gets mention in A March Through Hell, MacArthur realized that the best way to fight the Japs was to bypass their strongholds. In A March Through Hell, Sgt. Sam Sparta has a lot of choice words for 'that son-of-bitch, MacArthur.
3- Liberating the Philippines: To hell with his ego. MacArthur was absolutely right. By going to the Philippines America showed Asians that we would fight and stick. He liberated thousands of POWs and millions of people who had been under America's sovereignty.
4- The Reconstruction of Japan: MacArthur rebuilt the country without alienating the populace and turned it into an American ally. He handled the situation with the emperor perfectly.
5-Inchon: Rather obvious, but still, he executed an amphibious landing far to the north of the front and virtually destroyed the North Korean Army.

*MacArthur was no HQ general. He visited the front often. Heck, in the Meuse-Argonne he went forward to find out what was wrong with his own 42 Division's advance only to be 'captured' by a patrol from the 1st Division, which mistook MacArthur for a Kraut.

No Need to Apologize

So the Japanese Prime Minister is visiting Pearl Harbor, which I admit is a little weird. When my wife and I went to Hawaii in 2000 Japanese tourists were at Pearl harbor. Hell, Japanese tourists were everywhere. One afternoon I was the only American on Waikiki.

The signs to Pearl Harbor were printed in English and Japanese.

You didn't have any trouble finding it the first time, did you?

Then again it has been 75 years.

The Japanese government has announced that Prime Minister Abe wont's apologize:

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will honour war dead but won't apologise when he becomes the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor this month, a top government spokesman said on Tuesday.
The move follows Barack Obama's historic May trip to Hiroshima, the first by a sitting US president, where he spoke of victims' suffering but offered no apology for dropping the world's first nuclear bomb.

Why should he? 

Maybe the British should apologize for torching Washington in 1812? I know, France could apologize to Germany for Charlemagne's war against the Saxons in the 8th century.

I'd like to apologize to Amy Goodale for breaking her heart in 1989.

Abe's visit is a nice bit of reciprocity after Obama's visit to Hiroshima.

What good would an apology do? Was Abe a guard on the Bataan Death March or something?

We have moved on.

After the Tsunami hit Japan I explained to my daughter that Japan and America used to be bitter enemies. Now we were allies, and not just allies but friends.  Our two nations and peoples actually like one another. That's not only remarkable after WWII but after the Japan Bashing of the 80's and early 90's. Younger reader(s) should see 'Rising Sun' for context.

So, Prime Minister Abe, visit Pearl Harbor, lay wreath, say a few words and move on.

You have nothing for which to apologize.