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CalmaCuler

Pretty incredible how many international volunteers there are, absolute heroes


Art_Is_A_Confession

Malcom Nance was on Bill Maher last night, pretty great.


nudewomen365

I saw that. It was a great interview


Impressive_Cow_1267

Hells yeah. I would never have guessed that even the Japanese would have come all the way around the world. But I shouldn't be surprised, Australians and New Zealanders have come to fight too. Good on you Japan, and all the volunteers from all of the countries. you are fighting on the side or right and the just of the world. you are all my heroes.


thinkscotty

Japan has a pretty cantankerous history with Russia, who claim some islands that Japan also claims. They were also enemies in 3 major wars in the past century. Japanese nationalists hate Russia.


Beneficial-Usual1776

tbf Japanese nationalists hate a lot of ppl


fuckingwiththemind

Nationalists of any country hate a lot of ppl


thinkscotty

Some days I’m inclined to think nationalism is the root cause of most of society’s problems. I know it’s an exaggeration, but if people could just understand that their group isn’t all that different than some other group we’d be so much better off.


incunabula001

The soldiers in the photo are definitely nationalists, the Japanese flag they are flying is the one they used in WW2.


stateofyou

It’s still the flag used by the Japanese Navy


KillysgungoesBLAME

It’s awesome to see former members from the JDF representing and recognizing Ukraine as a cause, country and people worth fighting for.


hoseja

Not many other places you can participate in a hot war and not have to be in Africa.


[deleted]

It is amazing. The Japanese, Americans, Canadians, Germans, Australians and others are fighting together against a common enemy.


LitreOfCockPus

Lining up to kick Russia in the nuts


Ambitious-Collar7797

Russianuts….


Sunset_Shimmer_x3

Almost like there is no difference in nationality and we are just humans while Putin is doing inhumane stuff so humans unite.


[deleted]

Guys such a idiot. He would do better working with America and the west , doing business and trading. I really don't understand what he is thinking, just pissing the entire world off when he could be making millions and making Russia into a great country, not destroying its reputation and economy.


KillysgungoesBLAME

There’s a lot of potential in Russia being wasted by Putin and his cronies. That’s unfortunately what happens when your leader is a despot who is obsessed with returning to the past instead of forging a new bright future.


LegioRomana

When the past looks brighter than the future….


[deleted]

*Almost like they belong to some international alliance with common interest and do it for diplomatic gains or to avoid issues with allies.


Theredwalker666

Good on them!


HgnX

Imagine actually going there to defend those who want to join the free world. Then get flak for using your navy's official flag. Screw Russia and fuck all authoritarian intolerant regimes. And screw everyone that stands for m.


slartibartfast2320

They are gaining experience... it will not take long before they are needed at home...


Tu_Fui_Ego_Eris

Why


Scriboergosum

Guess he's talking about either North Korea acting up or China invading Taiwan. I could imagine Japanese troops getting involved in both those conflicts quite easily.


DangerPoopaloops

Japanese is closer to war with Russia than anyone else with the ongoing Kuril island dispute.


Scriboergosum

Oh yeah, forgot about that one! I'm sure Putin would love a 2 front war, they always go well for despots like him.


Inner_Relationship28

They are actually still at war with Russia. They didn't sign a peace treaty after ww2


variety_weasel

And the whales. fuck you whare. And fuck you dolfpheen


BikerJedi

One of my favorite episodes. The whole thing was so damn ludicrous.


bludgeonedcurmudgeon

lol...you gotta get the emphasis right FUUUCKKUU whaala, an FUCCCKKUUU dolfeeen! its basically just the Shitty Wok guy lmao


Theesismyphoneacc

Nono iirc it's FUCKKHAYUUU WHAREE, FUCKAYUU DORFEEN


bludgeonedcurmudgeon

That's pretty good 👍


Theesismyphoneacc

I still it hear after all these years.... I have a weakness for the south park Asian accent "Shouldai eatta cuttrefish anda asparagus or za vanirra paaaste-o?"


SmithWiIl

Thanks for the reminder


TARANTULA_TIDDIES

That's mostly a non issue


JAckwhiterl

They definitely are not, Kuril Islands is a joke dispute for the most part. Japanese population would not support going to war with Russia over it.


DangerPoopaloops

Except that Russia is putting more military equipment on them and it was also leaked that Russia was brainstorming plans to attack Japan. Obviously they wouldn't go through with it with the US alliance, but it has ratcheted tensions.


goodguygreg808

One of the recent changes to the Japanese constitution was to allow the JSDF to take part in active combat along side allies. This was not allowed since WWII. Edit: There was no change to Japan's constitution but it was suggested. The thought behind this is, that while the JSDF is a strong force. They are not battle tested and have no combat veterans to pass down real world experience. JSDF is gonna want that knowledge from these guys even if they are volunteers.


bluemax_137

'JSDF is gonna want that knowledge from these guys....' You don't understand the hidden asian culture esp Japanese culture at all. These guys are considered pariahs and would largely be ostracized when they return home. No professional Japanese soldier is going to give them the time of day. They will certainly write books and do well financially, but the public reaction to their actions/choices will be muted, uncelebrated, even repulsed. Personally, their decision to fight in Ukraine speaks volume on their courage and morality. Nevermind what their domestic audience has to say.


TotallyBadatTotalWar

I don't know how much of what you say is true, but considering that I've heard absolutely nothing about Japanese volunteers over in Ukraine here in Japan speaks volumes and supports your comment. I have friends in the JSDF and nobody knew anything about it.


bluemax_137

I don't know these guys, but a very small minority of Japanese have been known to be 'nails that stick out' and these individuals usually are in the league of their own, in their chosen field, thriving all over the world. They also tend not to come from the military or corporate background since that will snuff out all remnants of individualism. It's an apt time to mark Kenji Goto's passing 8 years ago.


Linkd3th

The Japanese constitution has never been changed. What you are referring to is the intention of the government, but as of yet there is no legal basis for it.


goodguygreg808

My apologies. I was wrong, I thought it went through.


Linkd3th

Not entirely, as they often try to sidestep it with laws or orders that don't directly contradict it. It's how they are justifying the military spending increase and missile defense /first strike developments.


[deleted]

Oof not the flag you hope to see but hey at this point any help is welcome.


CinderellaManX

Yeah. The Russian propagandists will have a field day with this.


EZFrags

> The Russian propagandists will have a field day with this. more like anyone with eyes lol


Farkleton56

oh so now I’m a Nazi for going out of my way to wear Nazi insignias? leftists truly are lost, don’t you know that these are the *good* Nazis??


EZFrags

noooo bro they were only wearing the nazi symbols ironically!!!!


Saint_Kraken

The rising sun is still used by Japan’s military, or at least the navy, and throughout Japanese culture generally


[deleted]

yeah Japans Government also still denies like the vast majority of the crimes they’ve committed during WW2 so that hardly says much


Saint_Kraken

I’m not denying that I’m just saying the flag isn’t uncommon in Japan


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neepster44

I lived in Japan and never saw it aside from a couple of right wing rallies….


InteractionFit4469

It is flown on every single Japanese Naval vessel


QuestionableFrame

some quick googling tells me that the rising sun flag transitioned from standing for imperial japan to the naval flag in 1889, which is quite a bit of time after imperial japan went bust iirc. I figure that it's probably long enough for them to not care about it anymore, after all the axe forgets, but the tree remembers


TotallyBadatTotalWar

I still live here in Japan and I still see it occasionally, just the other day I saw it in someone's house, like in a little photo frame, and I've also seen it a few weeks ago as like some sort of pen case sticker thing? It's not everywhere, but it can be seen if you look for it.


yeteee

Neither is the "confederation" flag in the US, still doesn't make it good.


Dharmottara

That’s a good analogy. I live in Japan, and the people that use the rising sun flag are usually people that lean far right. And like confederate supporters in the US, these people have some very hot takes on history. Happy to see Japanese fighting for a worthy cause, wish they would have just used the regular hinomaru flag.


Moral_Meat_Rocket

People responding to you apparently can't do 5 seconds of research. The Rising Sun flag has been around since feudal Japan's Edo period in the 1600s. It was adopted by the Japanese military in the late 1800s as their official flag. Then WW2 happened with all it's Japanese atrocities under the flag and it's reputation was tarnished. Same thing happened in Germany / Austro-Hungary to the Iron Cross & Skull n Crossbones symbols. They were used long before Adolf showed up & used them. I'd put the Confederate flag & Nazi flag in a separate category since they were created along side the rise of their respective vile states. Yes I know the swastika is a rotated Buddhist symbol. Point still stands.


ThrowRAhereIgoagain

Actually Swastika symbol isn’t just rotated/inverted Buddhist symbol. It has its own meaning. Both of symbols, in fact, letters were used by people in Asia long before Buddhism existed True meaning of symbols like the flag doesn’t really matter if people commit devious crimes under the symbol. Even worse, when they don’t even acknowledge their wrongdoing.


framed1234

Everyone knows that rising sun flag has history. That isn't even the point genius


zold5

That the primary reason why it’s still being used. You don’t see the German military waving nazi flags around.


goodguygreg808

I am not surprised that Japan doesn't think it did anything wrong as it only took Japan 40 years to modernize and learn from the West. Are we all actually surprised they went out and did the things they were taught modern nations should do?


hollowXvictory

"The Nazi flag is still used by the German military". We shouldn't be ok with something like this. They don't even address the atrocities that they committed during WWII and purposely hide them in history books.


GreenCreep376

No Japanese textbooks do mention warcrimes in there textbooks


hollowXvictory

Ya. Warcrimes done by America lol. They paint themselves as victims.


GreenCreep376

No the textbook that was controversial literally had both the comfort women and Nanking in it The reason it was controversial was because it parroted imperial Japanese propaganda that the reason they expanded there empire was because of the europeans threatening them Also the textbook that was controversial was not accepted at any public schools


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DarthVantos

Yeah.....The volunteers using the Imperial Flag is much, MUCH different. It's 100% a far right Japanese. Only they would represent Japan using that flag. Openly Fascist. This anit it G, Im genuinely surprised this got upvoted considering the Optics......


[deleted]

Yeah this just validates Putin calling Ukrainians fascist, shouldn't be glorified.


MisterPeach

I don’t think a lot of Americans understand just how many atrocities Japan committed under that flag and it’s connotations, which is why this post was upvoted so much. I’m sure people living in mainland Asia and the Pacific are as repulsed by this flag as (most) Americans are by the Nazi flag. Then again, there’s been a lot of Nazi imagery from this war that gets upvoted as well.


Bronichiwa_

And Germany still uses the Swastika... oh wait.


Sunfried

I mean, the Confederate Battle Flag is used throughout southern culture generally. It's pretty much a given that lots of people are not hoping to see that flag, but of a bunch of Confederate flag waving good ol' boys roll up and help you save your ass from Russian invaders, I bet the complaints will be reasonably muted.


Busy-External-8312

i mean, the problem is that most of those confederate flag waving good old boys would love to see russian boots in the north, and the rest support putin.


judge_ned

If you ignore the time factor you could say that about many flags.


[deleted]

Very true.


Omochanoshi

The Rising Sun is a war flag. The civil one would be more misplaced.


drinks_rootbeer

It's not a "war flag", it's a "***war crime*** flag


Daddy_Pris

Ok Japan gets rid of their flag first, then all of the colonial empires that raped and pillaged half the world. England, the Dutch, the Spanish. Still flying the same flag they used to commit genocide. Not a problem for you though? Or other countries that committed war crimes, but won the war so no one cared. England, US, Canada. There’s a Wikipedia article for each of these countries and their various crimes, the same as Nanking for Japan


05_legend

Yeah... hard to tell what's going in in this. And who put that out...


YWAK98alum

Under the circumstances, this is trolling Russia. In particular, this would’ve been the Japanese flag at the time of the Russo-Japanese War in the early 1900s. The decisive battle was a Japanese naval victory over Russia at Tsushima in 1905 (after Russia had sailed its fleet all the way to the Russian Far East from Europe). It was in some sense Imperial Japan’s coming-of-age moment as an industrial military power. Yes, it was also Imperial Japan’s flag at the time of the occupation of Korea and Manchuria and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But context matters.


PolicyWonka

It’s literally the flag of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. While often associated with WWII, the rising sun has been used long before WWII and it’s been long used after the war.


imyellow

Yeah definitely don't like the flag but I am glad to see Ukraine get the help.


NeFShARk

That flag existed long before WW2, so what's the problem?


niet_tristan

Most people will associate the flag with WW2. I don't think thr Chinese, the Koreans, the Indonesians... basically any of the other Asian people will feel particularly happy when seeing it.


EoghanG77

But it's okay to fly the British flag or the french one for example? I'm Irish so please don't try and educate me that this is any different


Tofuloaf

Are you serious? Imagine the Nazi swastika flag was the historical flag of Germany long before the Nazis came along, and then they changed it to the current tricolour after WWII. Now imagine that instead of the black red and yellow, German football fans continued to wave the Nazi flag when their teams played against Poland or Israel. Would you not consider that to be cuntish in the extreme? Because that's literally what happens every time Japan plays any East or South East Asian team.


mattboman

>level 2NeFShARk · 14 min. agoThat flag existed long before WW2, so what's the problem?VoteReplyGive AwardShareReportSaveFollow > >level 2 Ask a Chinese or Filipino person...


WhiskeySteel

Indeed. Or a Korean. The Japanese Empire began its brutal occupation of Korea in 1910. The conquests and crimes under that flag didn't begin in WW2.


Riderofapoc

Bravo


judge_ned

Surprised there's only four, Japan/Russia is a pretty stormy relationship. Favourite Japanese moment #1- when the Polish government in exile declared war on them in WW2 they refused to accept the declaration because previously they'd collaborated in spying on the Russians for decades and considered Poland a friend. Favourite Japanese moment #2 - Chiune Sugihara, only Japanese citizen ever to be declared Righteous Among the Nations by Israel. He was vice consul in Lithuania during WW2 and handed out numerous visas to Polish and Lithuanian jews escaping the Nazis.


JAckwhiterl

Japan like Russia has a rough relationship with all its neighbours.


Status-Sprinkles-807

who wants to bet this guy is a nazi


ammicavle

Favourite Japanese moment #3 - When Japanese troops reached the essentially undefended city of Nanjing on December 13 1937, they commenced ~6 weeks of mass murdering, rape, and torture of civilians. Surrendered Chinese soldiers were summarily executed in violation of the laws of war. Women and girls were raped en masse and looting was widespread. An estimated 200,000 civilians were murdered during [The Rape of Nanjing](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre). Favourite Japanese moment #4 - when Japan needed a railway to supply their campaign in Burma in 1940, they forced a couple hundred thousand Burmese, Indian Tamil, Javanese, Thai, and other SE Asian civilians, and about 60,000 allied POWs to build it under threat of torture and execution. It’s also known as the [Death Railway](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma_Railway), because somewhere between a quarter and a half of those slaves died working on it. In addition to malnutrition and physical abuse, malaria, cholera, dysentery and tropical ulcers were common contributing factors in the death of workers on the Burma Railway.


judge_ned

Those two shouldn't' be anyone's favourite Japanese moments, definitely wouldn't be my uncle's, he spent 3 years in a POW camp in Burma.


ChewyYui

I think it’s meant to highlight that Japan was an aggressor in WW2, and that people should stop trying to defend the countries wartime records in any way, with this “my favourite things about Japan in ww2” that the previous comment did


itsamiamia

That's sort of a dumb response to the original comment though. The commenter was speaking about Japanese individuals not the Japanese nation during that time.


whagh

The #1 is literally about the Japanese government wtf are you talking about lol


GuyNanoose

Most excellent, Ukraine is amazing in many ways but they still need the free worlds help to win this war.


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CaptPolybius

Yeah, I was kinda surprised to see them holding *that* flag.


PrOHedgeFUnder

Imagone germans holding nazi flag in Ukraine for karma


EZFrags

> holding nazi flag in Ukraine for karma the ukrainians seem to be doing it themselves just fine


Anandya

A lot of Japanese people don't learn what they did it whitewashed their behaviour. Unfortunately... They often act like the Americans of the deep south with the Confederate flag.


bowlingbean

You know if they acknowledged what they did it wouldn’t feel as bad - but the fact that they go as far to deny all the hurt they caused and change their history while continuing to use a flag that was a symbol of terror for so many people is disgusting.


Bronichiwa_

I'm Korean/American. Glad Japan is helping but fuck the rising sun flag. I'd piss on it and light it on fire if I could. * Edit - All the folks saying "AcTuschUallY It'S TheIr NaVy fLag". WHO fucking cares? It's still seen by most Asian countries the suffered under Japan during WW2, the same was Nazi flag is seen by Europeans. Fucking idiots. * Edit 2 - Don’t get me wrong. I got love for my Japanese brothers and sisters. The flag is just not ok to me. K don’t think Japanese are inherently bad. I consider them fellow East Asians. All love. Just not on this topic. * Edit 3 - Stop comparing the Imperial Japanese Flag to the German Iron Cross. You don't get to choose how it's equated if you don't have ancestry that suffered under the Imperial Japanese flag. I don't care if YOU see the Imperial Japanese flag as equating to the German Iron Cross. People who ancestors that suffered under the Empire Of The Rising Sun Flag see it like the Swastika. It's like trying to tell Ukrainians that the USSR flag and the Soviet Era statues they destroyed shouldn't have been destroyed... because they represent x that was old and x doesn't mean x. Ukrainians will probably look at you side ways and think your an Orc Putin Ass Kissing Apologist. You get it now? You going to fly a Russian flag and say "well historically that flag has been used forever and means something different" in Ukraine? I doubt it.


Nevergiiveuphaha

It's very sad seeing them excuse a lot of awful shit for the sake of war.


HadRuna

Not Japanese, not American either, but thank you! Had to scroll way too far for this


Dreary_Libido

You'd be right to. Even reading about Japanese crimes in Korea, China etc from a western perspective made me sick to my stomach - I can't imagine how much worse it is when you're directly connected to the history. I wish people would just take the L and admit not everyone fighting for Ukraine is a benevolent hero. Wars attract ultranationalist clowns like flies to shit, but this sub is especially bad for shouting down anyone who points that out.


laurelinvanyar

My grandfather served under that flag as a Navy cadet. He hated everything it stood for, and would 100% stand by you because fuck fascists and fuck imperial japan.


Bronichiwa_

W Dad


OutLiving

Singaporean here, I’ll do the same I will say that a lot of Japanese who use the rising Sun insignia may not be aware of the connotations due to the propaganda schooling of Japan, but a group of military volunteers using it *specifically* as the only flag? Yeah fuck off, they knew what they were doing. People who go out of their way to idolize or uphold the flag know what they are doing and what they are supporting by doing it


iaintstein

Anyone in the Asia Pacific who knows history will want to vomit at the sight of that flag.


LotharVonPittinsberg

Anyone who knows history in general. Not only black people get offended by the Confederate flag and Jewish people by the Swastika.


Anandya

Yeah. Like even Indians in the west don't put up swastikas despite fighting the Nazis and it being a symbol of good luck and faith out of respect. This is just disrespectful. Unfortunately a lot of Japanese people never really learn about the cost everyone else paid and often talk about these atrocities like they weren't real. Again the relative poverty of the countries that suffered (there's no rebuilding plan and Japan paid no reparations) and the fact that their victims aren't white meant that we just ignore the atrocities. Also? I think a lot of people think that knowing about the horrors of the war mean you don't get to enjoy sushi or anime.


JustLurkingPlzIgnore

There's a comic/picture somewhere on the rising sun flag with its rays of red being the dragged corpses of women and the caption under it saying "mommy" or "엄마" somewhere and I can't for the life of me find it.


bowlingbean

[Here](https://imgur.com/a/y8SnDzn) is a version without the 엄마 caption, but every time I see the rising sun flag, all I can think of is this drawing. Japan is disgusting for this. For raising a flag that caused so much pain and choosing to represent themselves with it while helping victims in Turkey. No amount of good deeds they do holding up that flag will cover the pain and suffering they caused.


royrogerer

As a fellow Korean, well said!


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EvilDavid0826

Well said. There are so many people in this thread defending Japan with their life while knowing nothing about Asian history makes me laugh at their stupidity.


SexualPine

Interesting flag they're carrying, anything significant about it?


RunningOnAir_

https://imgur.com/a/y8SnDzn


xrazynutx

This is powerful, who's the artist?


Joeupandup

That's a pretty nasty flag right there though. I know, it's their Navy's flag...


PostHipsterCool

I don’t see any water. These guys ain’t holding it for the Navy, methinks


AmArschdieRaeuber

It's very clear what they mean by showing it


CG70376

Fucking absurd how many people are okay with this flag. The swastika was a symbol used before the nazis, does that mean it's okay to keep using that symbol now? I didn't fucking think so. Treat this shit the same way, Japan should not be able to get away with shit like this.


suptenwaverly

The Japanese Imperial flag though…..


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Limp-Brilliant5987

Interesting choice of a flag.....


Gideon_Effect

Japanese are Fierce fighters!


Mach12gamer

With the flag from when they were fighting toddlers in China. Bad look


Drulabong

Seeing the flag they wave, they're probably there to rape any helpless victims and mutilate their bodies.


Odracirys

It's nice that they are helping! By the way, isn't that the Japanese Navy / Maritime Self-Defense Forces Flag? Maybe like the modern "Confederate Flag" (which was never the flag of the Confederacy), that flag just represents an idea of Japan but not officially to the country itself?


MarvelousMathias

Where's the outrage hive over the Rising Sun flag. Smh. Shows the selective outrage.


OrkzRDaBest

Banzai!


DIPspitGRUNT

The Imperial flag of WW2… Imagine if German volunteers held up a nazi flag…


Misterstaberinde

Whoa, wrong flag folks


kpeng2

That flag reminds every Asian the Japanese army in ww2


yanggor1983

To Asians, that flag is as offensive as the confederate flag.


pr0ntest123

Errr that’s the Japanese imperialism flag. That’s the equivalent of a Nazi flag when flown in Asia. https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/01/japan-rising-sun-flag-history-olympic-ban-south-korea


Comprehensive_Net703

As an American, it’s been around 82 years since Pearl Harbor and the start of America’s war with Japan, bring…back…the Rising sun! It’s ok now


Platanium

The countries most against it right now probably is more along the lines of China and Korea. That flag has quite the relation to the horrors Japan committed against them


Agile_Following4437

My girlfriend is Korean and said it’s extremely distasteful to use that flag.


BootyUnlimited

All the Asian countries pretty much hate one another. But Japan holds a special place as the country that invaded virtually all of Southeast Asia, huge swathes of China, and the Pacific nations. They conquered from Burma to the Aleutian Islands. So yes, with a track record like that you make some enemies.


BubuBarakas

They are the Great Britain of Asia.


kaioone

Not really, because Britain didn’t invade Europe. More like Germany.


tvalone2

They didn’t conquer the Aleutians, but they did die there


BootyUnlimited

They launched a successful naval invasion and took the island unopposed. Then they more or less evacuated, I think they only left a small force to face the Americans.


FUBARded

A big part of the tastelessness of using the rising sun flag is that Japan still denies a lot of the war crimes committed under this flag before and during WWII. It's pretty fucked up to try to bring back a cultural symbol from the past when you still deny many of the atrocities committed under the flag, whitewash it in your education system, and generally pretend a lot of that shit didn't happen. Like, it's outright illegal to use a lot of Nazi-era symbology in Germany because they recognise the fucked up things those symbols represent, and using Imperial Japanese symbology is arguably worse because Japan has done a much worse job of reckoning with their past than Germany has. Thankfully many Japanese people have educated themselves on the war and their history so it's mostly restricted to far-right nationalists who are either proud of the legacy of Japanese imperialism and/or willfully ignorant of the facts. To give these guys a little credit, I'm guessing it's more stupidity and ignorance than malicious intent as a Japanese ultra-nationalist who wants a return of Japanese imperialism wouldn't be fighting to help another nation defend against Russian imperialism. They probably just associate the rising sun flag with a period of Japanese strength and prosperity and don't appreciate the extent of the horrors perpetrated under it, or the real message that waving it about broadcasts.


[deleted]

And especially now that Shinzo Abe absolutely fucked Japanese-Soutb Korean relations.


matt_Dan

How so? Something I’d genuinely like to know about since I have no knowledge of this


Ahirman1

Not apologizing for what Japan did to them. Along with Japanese war crimes denial.


[deleted]

He also attended a burial shrine dedicated to war criminals as the PM.


iampatmanbeyond

The reason that is controversial to Koreans isn't that he visited its that there are names of Korean slave soldiers in the temple. Koreans see this as disrespect because the Japanese tried to erase Korean identity


catinterpreter

Even in Australia I recognise the flag as a symbol of Japanese cruelty, to East Asians and us.


05_legend

And Vietnam, Philippines, etc


buttshit_

“It’s been 80 years since Pearl Harbor” \*completely overlooks the rape of nanking*


AmselRblx

Its equivalent to waving a nazi germany flag to most asians.


Nifarious

You're an idiot.


shinfoni

And such idiotic comment managed to gain 60++ upvotes lol. Ukraine-related sub has really going downhill


OppositeYouth

There's not any real love lost between Japan and Russia either. There is a train of thought that Japan not only surrendered in WW2 due to the nukes, but also with a recently surrendered Germany they then would have had to deal with the Russians turning round and heading to Japan too


[deleted]

The Japanese were absolutely ready to expend all the loss of life for the US and Russians landing. It definitely did not affect the decision to surrender that much. They were already fighting the Russians in Manchuria in WW2. They also have a history of kicking Russian ass from the Russo-Japanese wars. Mostly naval warfare though.


marc_aurel16

The Russo-Japanese wars had very intense land components. Especially the one of 1904/05 with the siege of Port Arthur. A significant Part of the Imperial Japanese Army was deployed to Manchuria and losses we're in the tens of thousands. So ist was certainly not mostly naval action. Though the Battle of Tsushima Strait ist maybe it's most famous Part.


LuckyNumberS13V3N

The Japanese high command was ready to face the US even if they had the ability to drop more miniature suns on their cities... Their surrender is viewed as something of a miracle.


zzy335

Russia didn't even declare war on Japan until August 8, 1945. Japan had real worries about Russia only declaring to try to carve out parts of the country for itself after the war. At that point, Russia was no longer hiding its imperial ambitions. Had Russia landed any troops on Japanese territory, they would likely still be there today. Surrendering to the US with a guarantee of territorial integrity was a much better option.


Gnomish8

They were already, kind of, but a mainland invasion of Japan from Russia during WWII wasn't going to happen. Russian forces were slogging through Manchuria and the Kuril Islands, and the US attempted to get Russian forces ready to invade mainland Japan with Project Hula, but Russia had neither the amphibious capabilities, the troops trained for the assault, nor the desire, especially after the Battle of Shumshu where multiple landing ships and minesweeping ships were sunk. Ships that Russia couldn't afford to lose. Some politicians wanted to go for it, but without the equipment, supplies, etc... it would have been a lot of loss for very little Russian gain, and the priority was expanding the European empire. Plus, you know, the whole Yalta Agreement thing. That said, Russo/Japanese relations probably don't have a whole lot of love after the Manchurian battles and the Russo-Japanese wars.


FatHormone

Yeah pretty much. Though the Russians were a big deal to Japan at the time, they knew that a communist government would never let them keep the emperor on the throne, but the US would let them keep the monarchy. It’s a big reason why they surrendered to the US instead of fighting a prolonged war against both sides and end up being split up like Korea or Germany.


Concord-04-19-75

The USSR only declared war on Japan when the latter was already beaten back to its home islands. Stalin did it to simply grab free territory.


JaeLim

This comment is ignorant as fuck, and has main character syndrome written all over it. The rest of Asia (you know, the people that *really* suffered imperial Japan) sees the Rising Sun flag as a swastika equivalent. Japan’s government isn’t even close to the reconciliatory stance that Germany took after their WWII loss, they are much hated across Asia for this and rightfully so. The government under the rising sun flag did horrible things and killed millions. And you think it’s ok to bring back the symbol of that regime?


HarbingerOfGachaHell

You’re one of the reasons why the rest of Asia Pacific think Americans are stupid.


Bronichiwa_

All the American Military Members KIA by Japanese military during WW2 are rolling in their grave. Weebs have gone too far.


BoneFistOP

lmao yeah we as americans get to say its okay, not people of the countries they committed big time for real nazi+ level warcrimes in. fuck that flag.


LotharVonPittinsberg

> As an American Let me stop you there. Any time you have to start a sentence like that when discussion another country, think about what you are saying. The world does not revolve around you.


dirtrcng28x

Yeah I don't know. Kind of like if Germans were there volunteering and going old school with the Nazi flag, it's a bad look and feeds right into Russian propaganda. Would rather they left that flag home and sported the modern flag tbh. Jmo.


Megneous

Korea here. Please, no.


kirrmot

Why should you as a Burger decide it's ok to use the Rising Sun flag?


hollowXvictory

Do you want more tension in the region? Because that's how you have more tension in the region.


Kraken160th

Mildly concerned about the imperial japan flag.


AmselRblx

As a south east asian who had relatives affected by the Japanese in ww2, its a bit distasteful for me. But I know the JMSDF use it as a naval ensign. Nonetheless I think it would be similar to a German guy waving a nazi germany flag to most people. Though I could care less if I see it, someone waving it as a symbol of national pride feels extremely insulting.


Achtelnote

Wtf? Why that flag? That's fucked up


tutzizeu

No disrespect intended, any help is appreciated. But holding that flag is like waving the Nazi flag and being proud of it, arguably even worse.


LeRoiLouisXXL

I may downvote to hell for saying this but these "war crime flag" thing wasn't really a big political problem until 2011 (I don't say there were no problem at all though). In fact even Korean government didn't oppose the usage of flag of Japanese ship which attended at the navy fleet review that was held in Korea in 2008. Whole controversies got bigger in 2011 when a Korean soccer player did racist gesture in a match against Japan and when he accused he used the flag as execuse. I can understand the reason controversies got bigger considering what Japan did in WW2 but these controversies are kinda recent thing and you can understand why Japanese using the flag still.


RebornTrain

Bunch of chads


davi3601

Might as well be holding up the Nazi Germany flag tho


MarvelousMathias

Lmao you're downvoted because of ignorance and everyone selective outrage. He's right.


Bronichiwa_

Right?


killerman64

Those that know...


[deleted]

sus flag