Emperor, empress head to Philippines in latest stop on peace parade

“We in the Philippines are OK with Japan becoming a normal power,”

So long as they don't try to colonize us again.

SerranoJan. 25, 2016 - 10:02AM JST “We in the Philippines are OK with Japan becoming a normal power,” So long as they don't try to colonize us again.

They want Japan's help to keep from being colonized by China.

Oh how different Japan would have been if this emperor had been PM. There would have been more honesty in accepting Japan's wartime aggression, and it would have been a much more peaceful Asia.

I think he feels as the son of the wartime emperor that he realizes Japan has failed to live up to it's past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, wants to revise Japan’s war-renouncing “peace constitution”, seeing it as an embarrassing remnant of its WWII defeat and occupation by the United States.

Why cant fools like abe see the obvious, that LOSING WWII was the single BEST thing to happen to Japan!! The peace & prosperity afterwards would NEVER have happened in Japan won in the Far East & SE Asia(perish those thoughts!)

Bottom line is Japan got PEACE & PROSPERITY because it LOST WWII!!!!

'Peace Parade' is a poor choice of words for the title. I sat with my in-laws over the recent holidays and they watched a program of him visiting Palau and Peleliu, which was one of the fiercest battles of the Pacific war. The in-laws had never heard of it and were quite shocked that I knew it well, so for THEM, the Emperor's tour is partly the education they have never had about WW2.

As an aside, shortly after that, they were watching one of those fluffy, flowery Japanese travel shows where a fresh faced young thing visits exotic locations, eats food, looks at the blue sky and the green sea and says....kimochii a lot. Except that she just happened to be on Tarawa. As it dawned on me where she was I became quite dumbfounded by the scene playing out before me. No mention of the war whatsoever, and I can only assume no-one associated with the production knew, or, they simply chose to completely ignore it. It was bizarre.

My wife quickly picked up on my shock horror and so again, I explained to the family that Tarawa is an infamous WW2 battleground.

You could hear the crickets......

I think he feels as the son of the wartime emperor that he realizes Japan has failed to live up to it's past.

Igloo,

INDEED I think he does, too bad most Japanese cant see this, especially the right wingers!!

@Tamarama

The in-laws had never heard of it and were quite shocked that I knew it well, so for THEM, the Emperor's tour is partly the education they have never had about WW2.

It's a topic I avoid altogether as I've found the average Japanese person knows next-to-nothing about Japan's role in WWII. Even the parts that are 'taught' are somewhat... let's say 'liberally interpreted'. I think this lack of knowledge & acknowledgement is the basis for a lot of territorial tensions between Japan & the outside.

Tamarama,

So TRUE!! I see this repeatedly here. All the blurbs about the trip to the Philippines & its so obvious that Japans poor education has caused tremendous damage & lost opportunity over the last 70+yrs!!

Japan is apologetic about their aggression

No that`s just the emperor at the moment

Here are some extra exclamation points (!!!!!!!!). I wouldn't want anyone to run out.

It's a topic I avoid altogether as I've found the average Japanese person knows next-to-nothing about Japan's role in WWII.

Yeah me too. It just happened that it was on TV, they were watching it, so the 'conversation' started from there. But the blackout on WW2 history is so complete that they literally have no idea of any of it, and seemingly no curiosity to go and learn about it either. It really is very, very strange.

To that end, I applaud the Emperor. At least he is putting into into lounge rooms around Japan.

The Tarawa thing was just parallel universe stuff.

It's a topic I avoid altogether as I've found the average Japanese person knows next-to-nothing about Japan's role in WWII

Sighclops,

Too true! The other thing is most tend to take it rather personally & immediately think you hate Japan, very easy to damage even destroy personal relationships here sadly! Touch on these topics at your own peril with a spouse or BF/GF etc

The other thing is most tend to take it rather personally & immediately think you hate Japan

Yes, that is a very unfortunate attitude. Too many people have a knee-jerk reaction

“We in the Philippines are OK with Japan becoming a normal power,”　So long as they don't try to colonize us again.

It is Spain and USA not Japan that colonized the Philippines, Study history Serrano.

What was Japan doing in the Philippines between 1942-1945 Tina? Do tell

What was Japan doing in the Philippines between 1942-1945 Tina? Do tell

Kicking yanks out. So why do you ignore the fact that it was US that colonized the Pilippines but blame Japan?

Kicking yanks out, in order to assume the role of benevolent benefactor? Ah.....

Now about 18,000 Japanese live in the Philippines. So I think Japan should be able to be friends with the Philippines with the emperor going there for the first time

Christopher GlenJan. 25, 2016 - 06:24PM JST What was Japan doing in the Philippines between 1942-1945 Tina? Do tell

The Japanese occupied the Philippines, never "colonized" it. They invaded the PI because it was a US COLONY, taken over from Spain as a spoil of the Spanish-American War. And US control was far from perfect, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War

Despite immense suffering by Filipinos during WWII, especially those who fought for the United States, post war relations between PI and JPN have never been completely hostile as the Philippines was a colony of two Western powers until the Japanese invasion. The current Emperor and Empress visited the PI back in the 1962s as Crown Prince when WWII wounds were still fresh, and have remained ambassadors of peace throughout their reign. What Japan was doing in the Philippines in the 1940s is past history, What China is doing in the Spratleys today is the current concern for Filipinos.

Kicking yanks out. So why do you ignore the fact that it was US that colonized the Pilippines but blame Japan?

Tinaw,

Its common knowledge the Philippines was a US colony. While the IJA was "kicking out the Yanks" how many people did Japan kill???

Hint, in Japan its NOT common knowledge, even after 70+yrs!

Its common knowledge the Philippines was a US colony. 

No its not. The majority of the average Americans will not know this. What is your basis for saying such a thing?

While the IJA was "kicking out the Yanks" how many people did Japan kill???

Another brainwashed American who believes their country is an angel and blame everything on Japan. It seems blaming Japan is US foreign policy.

Common sense, its NOT a secret the US was in the Philippines THATS why, simple known fact, something Japan should try on for size!

I will give you that young people everywhere are often loth to learn history, doesn't mean its not there though in the books, media etc (like in Japan!)

Philippines was colonized by Spain for more than 300 years and by America for nearly 40 years.

BUT! HISTORY IT IS! In 1935, the Philippines was granted Commonwealth status with Manuel Quezon as president. He designated a national language and introduced women's suffrage and land reform.[124] Plans for independence over the next decade were interrupted by World War II when the Japanese Empire invaded and the Second Philippine Republic of José P. Laurel was established as a collaborator state. Many atrocities and war crimes were committed during the war such as the Bataan Death March and the Manila massacre that culminated during the Battle of Manila. In 1944, Quezon died in exile in the United States and Sergio Osmeña succeeded him. The Allied Forces then employed a strategy of island hopping towards the Philippine Archipelago, in the process, retaking territory conquered by Imperial Japan. Eventually, the largest naval battle in history, according to gross tonnage, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, occurred when the Allied Forces started the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese Empire. Allied troops defeated the Japanese in 1945. By the end of the war it is estimated that over a million Filipinos had died.

If Japan wasn't guilty of anything they wouldn't have made any PEACE OFFERING THING! NOR APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING! Having said that though, I am not blaming Japan nor accusing it of anything. In fact, I do appreciate the country in general.

I am happy about this as one FILIPINO who is working in Japan now. Having them there visiting my beloved home makes me feel proud. I am hoping that this will lead to a more amicable relationship between the two countries. We have to move forward while giving honor to those who suffered during the dark period of war among countries.

We will never be successful if we keep dwelling in the past and keep holding grudges against those who have wronged us.

Again, its not common knowledge that the Philippines was colonized by the US

Yes it is

All I'm saying is to provide some kind of evidence supporting this statement without it being "because I say so."

Shud have been ( UN-like in Japan)

its not common knowledge that the Philippines was colonized by the US

Of course that is common knowledge. It also has no relevance at all to the question about how many Filipino people Japanese troops killed while "kicking yanks out".

Cleveryani,

GREAT post!! Yumster100 pls take notes and LEARN something!

@GW,

I learned about the colonization during undergrad. The Spanish-American war is an obscure war unlike WWII or Vietnam. Thus, I called you out on providing some back up regarding your statement that it was "common knowledge" which you still failed to provide. Before you accuse someone to learn something, have some decency to respond back with an answer instead of posting in caps.

Yumster, this little sidetrack of yours about whether or not the US colonisation of RP is common knowledge (it is) is completely irrelevant to the question of how many Filipinos were massacred by Japanese troops in the 40s. Stop trying to change the subject.

the Allied Forces started the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese Empire.

But it was US not Japan who had colonized the Philippines.

I am not blaming Japan nor accusing it of anything.

You are, Cleveryani.

I am hoping that this will lead to a more amicable relationship between the two countries.

After what you have said that? No thank you.

Let us move on folks.. If Filipinos have moved on and are doing their best in making strong ties with the Japanese despite the lamentable past, why can't we!

Let's laugh instead!

The Filipinos had lived in the CHURCH for more than 300 years and 40 years in HOLLYWOOD!

We are happy people and that is all what matters!

@,yoshitsune,

I'm not trying to change the subject at all. I'm addressing only one issue: that US colonization of Philippines is not common knowledge. Nothing more. No where did I say that Japanese troops didn't kill Filipino troops or whatever you want to believe. When making blanket statements, I expect some backing of such claims when called upon which you and others are failing to provide magnificently.

How does that answer the question?

Yumster,

Then please explain why everyone on this thread KNOWS about it?? Again we come back to knowledge of the common type!

Cleveryani,

Another good post, we should try to move on more & just be happy( & I include myself there LOL!),sometimes its hard when you see so many who don't know or have grown up being lied to........

When making blanket statements, I expect some backing of such claims when called upon

Well then please apply your own expectations to your own blanket statement that "its not common knowledge that the Philippines was colonized by the US". That quote is cut & pasted from your own post, and it is a blanket statement is it not? What backing can you provide for it?

@tinawatanabe We are all entitled to our own view points and I respect yours. But you can't just copy a part of the whole article and based your opinion form it. It would be so much better if you try to comprehend the whole context then react.

If I say, I am not blaming Japan nor accusing of anything, I MEAN IT! I don't and I will never do. Friendship between the two countries has been developing dramatically. If fact, the Japanese government is hiring millions of Filipino workers for the next few years.

We love Japan in so many ways and we will always do!

The Spanish-American war was in the 19th century. It was three and a half months long, and casualties were a fraction of those of WWI or WWII.

Why are you expecting people to know much about it?

All readers back on topic please. Posts that do not focus on the emperor's visit will be removed.