Pacific Movie Theaters

Looking back on the 20th century, do you think Japan is too easily forgotten?

In school and pop culture it seems the Nazis get all the attention. Tons of movies, tv, books, history channel, ect devoted to the evils of Nazi Germany. In some people's minds WW2 seems to be all about The European theater. Many people I have spoken to usually refers to the Nazis as the top dog of war crimes. Yet, I also find that there is almost an ignorance or willingness to overlook Japan. However I find that even the SS troops at their worst would have had difficulty matching the brutality, racism, and fanaticism routinely displayed by the Japanese military; their cruelty towards, and frequent mass slaughter of prisoners of war and civilians; their wanton destruction of cities, towns and villages; their rape camps; even cannibalism. Do you that Imperial Japan's atrocities are overlooked by people in the west? Why does the European Theater stick out in American minds and media, when thinking of ww2, far more than the pacific theater? What do you attribute it to? To hell with clint eastwood, I take it he never heard of the The Kokoda track Wow, you guys are proving my point. Look, even Nazi officers helping out the Japanese felt uncomfortable with there actions. Using live Chinese people for bayonet practice, burning prisoners alive, Doing massive biological experiments on people, eating villagers in Borneo, building cities of sex slaves in Korea........why make excuses for this stuff?

Public Comments

1. The Nazis were white, so it's politically correct to focus all the hostility on them. Not that they don't deserve it, but the PC rules means you can't treat them the same as Asians. By default, all whites are evil anyway, and all Asians are good no matter what they do. When the movie "Letters from the Russian front" comes out It'll prove me wrong, I guess.
2. Conservative American Clint Eastwood hasn't forgotten. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-28-2006-97542.asp Eastwood Attacks Japan War Myths Eastwood said his time on Iwo Jima had forced him to re-evaluate the one-dimensional portrayal of America's former enemy in so many war films. 'There were good guys on one side. Life isn't like that,' he said. He describes Red Sun, shot in Japanese and with a largely Japanese cast, as his attempt to understand the country's soldiers. 'I think those soldiers deserve a certain amount of respect,' he said. 'I feel terrible for both sides in that war and in all wars. A lot of innocent people get sacrificed. It's not about winning or losing, but mostly about the interrupted lives of young people. These men deserve to be seen, and heard from.'
3. I think we should move on yes...the things Japan did were atrocious but that was during world war two and that was a long time ago...we should not hold grudges. I think I would rather the U.S. be Japan's allie than enemy.
4. Spielberg did do that movie about japan in ww2. what about when the USA govt held all the japanese who were living in the USA in camps? we never hear about that!!
5. Because no body can prove and demonstrate the fact that whole Japan (I don't mean a portion of army) did cruelty, destruction of cities, organized rapes or sex slavery, and cannibalism. Of course a portion of Japanese troops might had done wrong and bad things. However, it was the era of war and most other great powers, such as France, Germany, Russia and UK were also keen on colonizing of Asia, Portugal and the Netherlands had long history in Asia as well, and there also must be tragic local conflicts. It is not about who was the worst or better. Actually Japan, not Japanese army, hadn't demolish whole the cities in Asia. Japan was NOT assuming Asia as their colony like the West, and they rather invested tons of money for each area. For eg, the invested money for Korea was bigger than the inward (domestic) investment at that moment. They rather hoped to build modern cities for Asia to catch up western nations. And actually they made it while they had power in Asia. See the pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/37332502@N00/ You are focusing only bad point of Japan, and just believin in other ppl's "hearsay" or pictures. No verification with other datas or other point of views in your mind, are there? You should study whole history with the point of view with "pros and cons" again. Historians and researchers in the west know the pros and cons of Japan's policy at that moment. They are fair. And the pictures or movies about Japan army which the US or China released( or are going to release) are edited with gathering the worst points only. Face and chase the data. Animosity and hatred create nothing.