Japan presents such a different way of looking at conflict because you've got a dichotomy: the treatment of allied prisoners of war by the Japanese and the harsh conditions in Thailand, Burma and Japan itself, and the flip-side of that being the suffering that the Japanese experienced both through the firebombing campaign and the atomic bombs, so it's a very interesting contrast.

Monday 04th August, 05:55 AM JST

Dan Phillips, deputy director of an innovative education project called ‘‘Their Past Your Future’’ led by the Imperial War Museum in London. As part of that program, two dozen 17-year-old British students will visit Hiroshima to attend the annual August service marking the anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city, to gain a unique perspective on the issue of conflict. (Kyodo)

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6 Comments

Alphaape at 08:24 AM JST - 4th August

I think it is a good step to make sure that the youth of the world remember WW2. But, I bet if you ask the grandfathers and great-grandfathers of these youth, especially if they were unfortunate enough to be stationed in the Far East in WW2 what they felt about the Japanese they may have a different story to tell.
MeanRingo at 10:43 PM JST - 4th August

I think that Japanese students should also be sent to Europe (without the tools needed to deface national treasures of course) and see what else was being fought for in WW2. Let them see what Japan's allies perpetrated and what they were fighting for. It might make them feel less the victim and more the aggressor nation that Japan was.
usaexpat at 11:34 PM JST - 4th August

I think this is a good take on WWII. A little balance is much needed as all sides seem to believe still that they were blameless for the bloodshed or that they were justified in what they did. All sides have dirty hands and it's good for the youth to learn the truth from all sides so that we don't repeat the atrocities of WWII.
minkaboo at 01:23 AM JST - 6th August

MeanRingo: What do you mean, "Let them see what Japan's allies perpetrated and what they were fighting for?" And you want your kids to know of Japan as the "aggressor nation that it was?" Explain your reasons.
RepublicofTexas at 01:27 AM JST - 6th August

I believe that what Japan did during WWII was horrible and should never be forgotten, but I wish that people would understand that just as not all Germans were Nazis, not all Japanese were militarists.

it's a very interesting contrast.

I think it shows that war is filled with suffering on all sides and that there is no real winner or loser in war, everyone loses.

(without the tools needed to deface national treasures of course)

If you look at the graffiti, the Japanese graffiti is by far a minority on Santa Maria del Fiore.
minkaboo at 04:12 AM JST - 9th August

RepublicofTexas, I wish the Japanese people would understand that it's not Japanese young people who are blamed for what happened in the past but for their actions TODAY, by trying various ways to forget and change historical facts. I'm sorry, but there is no similiarity between how the German government handled their war crimes compared to how the Japan government handled it. German government is opened about their history and show Nazi films daily in their evening t.v. What education do the citizens receive nowadays? Are they taught the extent of their war crimes? This is what I would like to know.

"I think it shows that war is filled with suffering on all sides and that there is no real winner or loser in war, everyone loses."

I agree with you on this. But everyone loses differently.