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Inspecting the troops

27 Comments

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inspects members of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) during the JSDF Air Review, to celebrate 60 years since the JSDF was founded, at Hyakuri air base in Omitama, northeast of Tokyo, on Sunday. About 740 personnel and 82 military planes took part in the ceremony.

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Why not go the whole hog and rename it the Japanese Army, Navy and Airforce?

Or is that a bit too soon, Mr Abe?

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

And this awful flag. It's like the german army would still use the Nazi flag.

-8 ( +6 / -15 )

(Please note the following contains heavy use of sarcasm and may not be suitable for all viewers. The views below may not be in line with your political views should you be from one the mentioned parties contain within. Please read at your own risk.)

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That loud ringing you hear is not in your head, it's the telephones at Abe's offices and that's China and South Korea calling to protest the use of that flag by a war monger hell bent on waging war against them again! Seriously, just you wait and see, the headlines are coming about Abe and that flag waving be a provocation for a potential start of a war.

Maybe before China and South Korea get on the phone, they should first get their houses in order and clean up the corruption that runs rampant in their circles before they attempt to tell someone else about what they 'perceive' to be wrong in someone else's country. Just an idea, an obvious one at that but not so for the idiots that would call from China and South Korea to launch such protests.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Andreas Zachcial,

You said it!

http://english.anti-risingsunflag.net

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

I was able to view the Air Review in person today. It was a great opportunity to see the Koku Jietai showing their equipment and their professionalism. I'm always honored with the treatment the Koku Jietai show to their guests.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Andreas Zachcial BertieWooster

You two are all wrong. Swastika in Germany is NOT equivalent to rising sun red flag in Japan. The rising sun red flag had been used BEFORE WW2.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%AD%E6%97%A5%E6%97%97

Its design is originated coming from a pure art. year 1850 http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%AD%E6%97%A5%E6%97%97#mediaviewer/File:%E6%B5%AA%E8%8A%B1%E7%99%BE%E6%99%AF_%E4%B8%89%E5%A4%A7%E6%A9%8B.jpg

If you clam Swastika is same as Rising Sun, Show us folloing.

->was Swastika flag used before NAZI?

If it was used for Nazi exlusively, which is not the case for rising sun flag, then your idea Swastika=Rising Sun is wrong.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

If it was used for Nazi exlusively, which is not the case for rising sun flag, then your idea Swastika=Rising Sun is wrong.

What are you talking about? The swastika was used for hundreds if not thousands of years before the Germans gave it a bad image. But the fact is, its image became tarnished during the war. Same as the image of the Rising sun flat became tarnished during the war.

0 ( +5 / -6 )

Pray that the top hat's the only historical reenactment.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Andreas Zachcial

And this awful flag. It's like the german army would still use the Nazi flag.

Well, it certainly didn't take long for someone to bring up this idiotic and historically inaccurate notion yet again...

4 ( +8 / -4 )

USNinjapan2: the Raising Sun flag is a war flag from the Edo time. Then it became an imperialistic flag with its WWII highlight. This relique should stay in the museum of the Humankind stupidity.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Open Minded,

Yes, exactly. It is a war flag.

The Rising Sun Flag (旭日旗) was originally used by feudal war lords in Japan during the Edo period. On May 15, 1870, as a policy of the Meiji Restoration, it was adopted as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army, and on October 7, 1889, it was adopted as the naval ensign/war flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Of course, the Rising Sun Flag is not exactly the same as the Nazi Swastika, but it brings up bad memories for those who suffered at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Forces in Asia in the same way as the Swastika brings up bad memories of people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis.

It is illegal to display the Swastika in Austria and Germany. By the same token it should be illegal to display the Rising Sun Flag in Japan.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

if the flag is a historical significance, why not use it for special events? over here in the states, our country has went through many different flags. they usually depict the changing status of our country. We should learn from history, not hide from it. if this flag was only used in time of war, maybe it's time it was used in time of peace.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Of course, the Rising Sun Flag is not exactly the same as the Nazi Swastika, but it brings up bad memories for those who suffered at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Forces in Asia

This is an extremely important point, in my opinion. Those who like the Rising Sun Flag have to acknowledge what it represents in the minds of the many victims of Japanese aggression of past decades. We have similar issues in the United States with flags like the ones the Confederates used during the Civil War and what those symbols represent.

Another symbol, which is not visual but aural, is the music of Wagner, which preceded the Nazis but was used by them in the concentration camps -- and so is not played in Israel today. We have to consider what these symbols mean to the victims.

Perhaps, in a few decades, Wagner's music will once again be acceptable everywhere. As for the Rising Sun flag, as long as idiots in Japan employ it for their ultra-nationalist purposes people will view it the same as the way the KKK uses the symbols of the confederacy.

over here in the states, our country has went through many different flags. they usually depict the changing status of our country

As you know, there is one flag which carries extra weight and should not be considered as just a historical symbol.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

As for the Rising Sun flag, as long as idiots in Japan employ it for their ultra-nationalist purposes people will view it the same as the way the KKK uses the symbols of the confederacy.

The Confederate flag is a very good analogy to the Japanese military flag. Many people today can overlook how these symbols have been used for twisted purposes in the past because they are employed by people for a more general unifying purpose for their group now. The US flag was also used by the Klan but it cannot be tied solely to the effort to preserve slavery as was the stars and bars. The Confederate flag is the failed symbol of the US civil war. The Japanese military flag came about during the Meiji period which led to military expansionism and ultimately the horrors in the Pacific and east Asia during WWll. It should have been retired and never used again.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

If someone claims, German national song, "Deutschlandlied" by Joseph Haydn , should be banned, because offensive, and it brings up a memory of NAIZI, How would you counterclaim??

There was a history where this song was founded by people as an art, and this song was used as NAZI for a certain period of time.

If Rising sun flag has been used only for Japanese military and represents Tojo-administration exclusively, it should be banned.But the thig is it has been used as a pure art even before WW2, and i think IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!

[ArtWork] http://file.onepiece.ria10.com/fukei0013la.jpg

[ArtWork] http://www.geocities.co.jp/NatureLand-Sky/3011/2010kujira-ten-can15-2.jpg

[ArtWork] http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Lucky_Gods'_visit_to_Enoshima.jpg/200px-Lucky_Gods'_visit_to_Enoshima.jpg

FIsherman praying for a good haul http://www4.kjclub.com/UploadFile/exc_board_6/2011/10/03/131764028768.jpg

Politically left newspaper, Asahi Shinbun, company's flag http://blog-imgs-65.fc2.com/m/i/x/mix2ch/tumblr_m8o1hqyhAV1qz6di7o1_1280.jpg

These above has NOTHING TO DO with japanese military.

Strangerland

You meant to say only its part of it, tilted cross portion , without white circle and red background design. I don't think in German, there is a history where Swastika as a whole image has been found by public as an pure art.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

You meant to say only its part of it, tilted cross portion , without white circle and red background design.

I said what I meant. Your addendum is irrelevant. The fact is, the symbol existed before the Germans, yet the Germans tainted it. Same as the Japanese tainted the rising sun.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

the Japanese tainted the rising sun.

The rising sun is not tainted, South Korean's view is tainted. If not, why did SK not say anything about it until recently?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The rising sun is not tainted

Blinded by the right.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Strangerland, You didn't answer my question. Why didn't SK bash the rising sun until about two years ago? So, it is SK's view that's tainted thanks to anti-Japan education. If the flag is tained, I'm sure everybody can see it.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Strangerland, You didn't answer my question. Why didn't SK bash the rising sun until about two years ago?

1) I heard about the negative image of the Rising Sun flag when I first came here 20 years ago, and have heard about it regularly since then. The Japanese themselves dropped the flag after the war because of its negative associations. So your question is based on false assumptions from the start, which is why I am not going to answer it.

2) There is no denying that the rising sun flag was used by the Japanese military, against countries against which the Japanese perpetrated invasions. You appear to be deluded enough to think that such a flag will not cause bad feelings in these nations. But you're kidding yourself.

As I said, blinded by the right.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Strangerland What can you get from hurting Japanese people's feelings by bashing the flag? You are only increasing the hate among Japanese toward SKoreans. You are hurting the relation of the two countries and business.

1) This does not explain why SK did not say anything until recently. 2) Every country uses their flags in war.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Strangerland What can you get from hurting Japanese people's feelings by bashing the flag? You are only increasing the hate among Japanese toward SKoreans.

I'm not causing anything. It's bigotry on the part of rightist Japanese that causes hate of South Koreans by the Japanese. It's an unwillingness to accept that Japan was wrong in the past, and an unwillingness to try to do what they can to fix the feelings caused from those actions.

This does not explain why SK did not say anything until recently.

This comment is based on a false premise.

2) Every country uses their flags in war.

And sometimes they drop them as well, as a result of the atrocities committed under that flag. Which brings us right back to the Nazis and their swastika, and the Japanese and their Rising Sun.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Strangerland,

"Blinded by the right," is brilliant.

I love this line.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

"Blinded by the right," is brilliant.

I love this line.

Thanks! I was pretty proud of it when I thought of it too :)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The Japanese themselves dropped the flag after the war because of its negative associations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Maritime_Self-Defense_Force

"Blinded by the right," is brilliant.

So you're racist AND ignorant? Congratulations.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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