New Holidays in Communist China

Recently, the BBC reported that the bandit government of the People’s Sweatshop Republic of China was establishing two new national holidays. Of course, since this a communist dictatorship we are dealing with here, these are not simply days to celebrate or commemorate but both have a specific political motive behind them and that is to spread anti-Japanese hatred and bigotry. One is a holiday celebrating the end of World War II, or as they call it, “Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression” on September 3 and the other is to commemorate the so-called “Rape of Nanking”, officially called “National Memorial Day to Commemorate Those Killed By Japanese Aggressors During the Nanking Massacre”. Obviously, using national holidays to promote propaganda makes for some rather lengthy and ineloquent names for these holidays. They cannot simply have a ‘victory day’ or a ‘memorial day’ but have to make sure to vilify the Empire of Japan even in the very name of the celebration and that is all there is to these new holidays; an effort by the communist bandit government to encourage anti-Japanese hatred and bigotry among the Chinese people because their broken promises and bankrupt ideology is no longer sufficient to unite the masses.

Each of these new holidays is a complete farce and are based on nothing but lies and deception. In the first place, the “Victory Day etc” holiday is based on a lie. The communists had almost nothing to do with fighting the Japanese in World War II. During the first ten years of conflict, they were content to let the Japanese and the Kuomintang fight while they sat on the sidelines waiting to strike the weakened victor when it was over (as they eventually did). There was a brief alliance between the communists and nationalists during the war but it accomplished nothing and broke down quickly. The communists never came close to winning a victory over Japan, they never even came close to having a real fight with Japan. At most, they launched nuisance bandit raids against territory behind the Japanese lines and nothing more. Even the Republic of China has no real right to claim credit for “victory” over Japan as they had been fighting the Japanese forces for ten years before 1941 and were no closer to winning than they had been on the first day. They had been defeated time and time again, their capital had fallen and their armies pushed back into the most remote and inhospitable interiors of China. All of this, of course, went on while the communist Chinese sat back and watched their nationalist countrymen carry on the fight alone.

The holiday commemorating the so-called “Rape of Nanking” is a more delicate matter but is no less dishonest. At the very least it is a lie of omission. In the first place, despite their assertions to the contrary, the evidence of the immense scale of the Nanking atrocity is highly debatable. Huge numbers of documents and photographs have been proven to have been tampered with. The first hand accounts are vastly different in their estimation of what happened and how bad it was and none of them support the ridiculously inflated numbers put out by the communist bandits in Peking. They claim that 300,000 Chinese were massacred but the first-hand accounts we have do not support such a ridiculous number. In the first place, this is more than the entire population of Nanking at the time, in the second place, one of the eye-witness accounts was from a German Nazi (who changed his story at times) who claimed that 60,000 people were killed while an American doctor put the total of both killed and missing at 6,600. That alone should be enough to raise doubts to any fair minded person as no simple error could account for such a drastic disparity amongst the claimed eye-witness accounts. From 300,000 to 60,000 to 6,600 is not an honest mistake but obvious evidence that some people were not telling the truth.

However, again, if the Chinese want to believe a lie there is no one to stop them from doing that. If they want to tell themselves that the Japanese killed 300,000 people they will do so but they cannot honestly claim there is no political motivation behind this. Otherwise, why commemorate that but not the millions of people killed by the Chinese Communist Party and its murderous policies under Chairman Mao? Why is there no holiday to commemorate the 500,000 Chinese people killed by the intentional flooding of the Chinese republican troops in 1938? If there was no political motivation behind this, even if 300,000 Chinese did die at Nanking, would it not be even more fitting to have a holiday for the roughly 45 million Chinese who died as a result of the “Great Leap Forward” by Mao and the communist party? What about the millions of Chinese who were murdered during the ten years of the “Cultural Revolution” by Mao and his communist fanatics? So many millions of people died at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party that it is difficult to count them all with any accuracy, yet all that is ignored while the same government focus on the “horror” of a claimed 300,000 being killed by the Japanese. The deaths of any innocent people is tragic and 300,000 deaths is certainly horrific but for a regime to commemorate that and arouse hatred against a peaceful foreign power while having the blood of tens of millions on their own hands is the most disgraceful, shameful, hypocrisy imaginable.

News: A Royal Visit and Respect for the Constitution

Last week, His Majesty the Emperor received the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on a visit to strengthen ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Japan. This was part of a series of diplomatic visits by the Crown Prince as Saudi Arabia is seeking closer ties with numerous countries due to growing fear of the Islamic Republic of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons as well as Saudi frustration at the lack of action by the United States to stop Iran or to intervene in the Syrian civil war. This can also be seen as the Saudis trying to bring together those threatened by similar powers as in the cases of both Syria and Iran both republics (ruled by dictators) have been supported by Russia and China who have blocked any efforts by the international community (such as the United Nations) from intervening to stop the Syrian conflict or to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in Iran.

Ahead of his upcoming birthday, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince spoke recently of his commitment to and respect for the Japanese constitution, saying that, "Today's Japan was built with the Japanese Constitution as the cornerstone, and our country is now enjoying peace and prosperity" as well as vowing to continue "respecting the Constitution" as His Majesty the Emperor has always done. On the subject of his family, His Imperial Highness said that he hopes Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko will grow up to be thankful and sensitive to other people and be confident in making her own decisions. As for Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess, she is said to be "getting better" but still "cannot immediately increase her activities." His Imperial Highness also looked forward to the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, seeing them as, "an opportunity to make Japanese society vibrant and give children something to dream of."

Was Churchill Behind the U.S.-Japan War?

Recently declassified documents from the U.K. have raised new questions and brought new information to light regarding the part played by British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific. These documents show that Churchill was made aware ahead of time by British intelligence that the Imperial Japanese military was moving in to parts of Vietnam (French Indochina) to establish bases. This was done as part of the on-going, undeclared war with the Republic of China because of the vast amounts of supplies and war materials being sent to Chiang Kai-shek through Indochina. However, it made Churchill nervous about the vulnerability of British colonies in the region such as Malaysia and Singapore because British strength was focused on fighting the Germans in the skies over Britain, in the Atlantic and in North Africa. He was afraid that if Japan expanded further in Southeast Asia or if subject peoples tried to rise up against their British colonial rulers in the expectation of having Japanese support, he would be unable to take action to maintain British rule. So, what did he do?

It seems from these reports that Churchill obtained some documents from a low-level Japanese officer serving in China about the possibility of Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia. Now, it must be kept firmly in mind, that this was one report from one officer in the field and not a statement of official policy or an official plan from the Imperial Japanese Army or the government in Tokyo. However, it seems that Prime Minister Churchill took this report and passed it on to American President Roosevelt as if it were an official policy statement of Japan in regards to what the Empire of Japan was planning for southeast Asia. As a result of this, so the line of thinking goes, Roosevelt began to put more pressure on Japan, diplomatically and economically, to totally reverse Japanese foreign policy and so began the provocation to the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan. Of course, given what is known about Roosevelt and his administration, it can be wondered just how much prompting he would have needed as it seems he was anxious to involve the United States in the war in Europe and simply used Japan as a means to that end. However, it seems all the more tragic if this is true because it would mean that Churchill provoked a war out of fear of losing British colonies when Japan had no intention of any further expansion at all and only occupied parts of Indochina in the pursuit of the on-going war with republican China. It will be interesting to see if any more information is released concerning this period of history although, based on past experience, few people will pay attention or allow the facts to influence their already established misconceptions about the outbreak of World War II in the Asia-Pacific area.

共産主義の浸透 - Communist Infiltration

It is unfortunate that more people in Japan are not aware of the danger of encroaching communist infiltration or, if they are, do not take it seriously. Throughout time, Japan has been able to maintain itself as a unique and independent nation in spite of being pressed by much larger powers nearby because of the unity of the Japanese people. Even in those times when there was no national political unity there was still a cultural unity by all of the Japanese people under His Majesty the Emperor. Today, however, that unity is being undermined and endangered and the culprits in Japan are the same culprits who have been pushing this agenda in other First World countries; it is the leftist, Marxists that dominate the elite media, the teacher's unions and higher education in Japan. Notice they focus only on First World countries; that displays their communist core beliefs. They target only countries that have been successful and prosperous because they believe this must have been achieved unjustly and so these countries have to be torn down and impoverished so that others can rise up. These key institutions in society; the media, education and even some in popular entertainment, are pushing a policy of "shame" on Japan. They discourage any displays of national pride because, they claim, these are signs of arrogance and they most oppose any reminders or traces of the history of the pre-1945 Empire of Japan.

Their true aim, however, is obvious. They target things like the national anthem, the national flag and even the monarchy will be targeted if they are allowed to continue, because they wish to destroy Japanese unity, the distinct Japanese cultural identity and national pride. Marxists are and have always been internationalists and so national pride is disgusting to them as it interferes in their global agenda for one international ruling elite over a population that is entirely the same. The influence of these people is seeping into Japanese society and growing, little by little, all the time. They want to forbid the singing of the Kimigayo, forbid the display of the Hinomaru because these are symbols of national pride and of the distinct, independent and powerful Japan that existed before 1945. If they are successful in this they will certainly target the only other institution that remains from that time, that has remained throughout all of Japanese history which is the monarchy. As communists, they are inherently and unalterably opposed to monarchy anywhere in the world and the Japanese monarchy is the oldest and most prestigious in the world so they will want to see it destroyed most of all. And if that happens, Japan will simply cease to exist because the anchor that has held Japan firm throughout thousands of years will be gone. This is a matter that must be taken very seriously and everyone in Japan should recognize this threat and exercise the defense of the institution that is the core, the foundation, the very heart and soul of Japan itself.

大満州帝国 Independence Day

It was on this day in 1932 that the State of Manchuria declared independence from the Republic of China. This is something which many people today have an incorrect understanding of. Too many always assume that the country (known in the west as Manchukuo even though this is only "Manchuria" in Chinese) was nothing more than a "puppet state" of the Empire of Japan from start to finish. However, this ignores a number of inarguable historical facts. For one thing, not many people are aware that while Manchuria declared independence from China on February 18, 1932 it was not recognized as an independent country by Japan until September of that year. It also ignores the fact that China had no right to Manchuria, had never ruled Manchuria and, indeed, the ties between the Republic of China and Manchuria before the declaration of independence had been mostly a legal formality. Manchuria had previously been ruled by a father and then son succession of warlords since the downfall of the Great Qing Empire. So, while Manchuria had, in a manner of speaking, ruled China; China had never ruled Manchuria and had no right to claim sovereignty over it anyway. The declaration of independence was simply a formal statement of what was actually an established fact.

Manchuria had no part in the revolution that brought down (through betrayal and trickery) the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent Republic of China had no legitimate claim to it. By restoring the last Qing emperor to power in Manchuria, the Japanese forces were only correcting what had been a gross historical injustice. The Chinese may have chosen to overthrow the imperial system (even though no majority of the Chinese people ever agreed to such a thing) but they certainly had no right to claim ownership of Manchuria which had been ruled by the Qing dynasty generations before they became the rulers of China. For the Republic of China to claim ownership of Manchuria would be the equivalent of the United States claiming ownership of Great Britain after winning the American Revolution because both places had previously been part of the British Empire. If you look at it in that context it is obvious how absurd the Chinese claim to Manchuria was. By supporting the cause of Manchu independence, Japan was only helping to restore the legitimate ruler to his ancestral throne which should have been his all along. The Chinese themselves had previously claimed, in their revolutionary propaganda, that the Manchu dynasty was "foreign". So, if the Manchus were foreigners to China, how can they also claim that Manchuria was an integral part of China? If Manchuria was part of China then the Manchus would not have been foreigners at all.

The State of Manchuria (later fully restored as the Empire of Manchuria) was opposed by the Republic of China because they did not want to part with their own ill-gotten gains. It was not widely embraced by the rest of the world, not so much because of the influence of Japan (which was only natural since Japan had incurred the expense and taken the risks in helping to establish the country) but because they feared the example this might set for other countries under European colonial rule. Manchuria was to be a showcase for East Asian solidarity and benevolent monarchial rule. This was the symbolism of the Manchu flag with colors to represent the five races of the Manchu, Japanese, Chinese, Mongol and Korean peoples working together under the Emperor for a modern country that would be prosperous, virtuous and based on a respect for tradition with racial harmony and Asian solidarity loyal to the principles of monarchy or the "Kingly Way". This was the vision of the Manchu and Japanese leaders who cooperated in the establishment of Manchuria as an independent power.

Naturally, Manchuria relied heavily on Japan, especially in the beginning and, because of this, the part of Japan in national affairs was more prominent. That is no different than even the way countries do things today around the world. Unfortunately, many still take the view that the creation of the independent State and later Empire of Manchuria was deceptive project by Japan that never had any meaning. It is true that there was overreaching by some Japanese authorities when it came to Manchuria and other Japanese statesmen and generals protested against this, always keeping in mind the pure ideal of a true partnership of the peoples of northeast Asia. However, to say that the entire existence of Manchuria was a Japanese project is a total lie. The Empire of Japan never annexed any Manchurian territory and it applauded the full restoration of the last Manchu Emperor to his imperial status from being "Chief Executive". The fact that the Japanese language was taught in Manchurian schools was simply a matter of practicality, more justified certainly than France or Britain teaching their own language in schools from Africa to India to Indochina. With a country populated by Mongols, Manchus, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans there had to be one common language everyone understood in order to function and it was just as well to be Japanese as any other especially since so many spoke it already. The establishment of Shinto shrines across Manchuria is often also pointed to as a symbol of Japanese subservience but that is ridiculous. Do the Christian churches in Japan or Korea imply subservience? Do the mosques in London, Paris or Rome imply subservience today? Of course not and freedom of religion was always guaranteed in Manchuria and that did not change until independence was lost and the communists took over.

Independent Manchuria represented a great opportunity for the people of East Asia and to a lesser extent for people around the world as what was intended to be a model country of benevolence, racial harmony and legitimate, monarchist government. It was a tragedy for the world, even if most did not realize it at the time, that the Allied nations at the end of World War II did not maintain the Empire of Manchuria. Certainly the Emperor had done absolutely nothing wrong and did not deserve to be treated like a criminal and why were the Manchus, of all people, not considered entitled to their own homeland? If Manchu independence had been maintained the communist Chinese would have been deprived of their industrial heartland and perhaps would not have defeated the Republic of China. Even if they had, an independent Manchuria would have prevented any communist intervention in the Korean war and the peninsula would not be divided today. It would have also provided an outlet to freedom for the oppressed people of Mongolia. It was a terrible tragedy for the world that Manchuria was not maintained as well as for the Manchu people who have virtually ceased to exist in the years since the fall of the Manchu Empire. Japan can be proud for doing everything possible to prevent all of these disasters.

建国記念の日

Today is National Foundation Day in Japan, the holiday to mark the birth of Japan when the first Emperor (Jimmu) came to the throne in 660 BC. It reiterates the fact that the Japanese monarchy is the oldest in the world, indeed, it is the most ancient succession or even institution of any kind that still exists in the world today. This is something Japan can be truly proud of, both for the leadership the august emperors have provided over these 2,674 years but also they can be proud of themselves as a people for remaining so steadfastly loyal and faithful during all that time to the one imperial dynasty that has guided Japan throughout its entire history. It is worth noting how much of a difference this still makes when compared to those countries neighboring Japan who have not displayed such loyalty to their own ancestors, traditions and national heritage. On the occasion of this National Foundation Day, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called upon the Japanese people, quite appropriately, to "express deep respect" for all that their ancestors had accomplished and, building on that, to call upon the people to go forward into the future as "a Japan that has pride". Very fitting words for such an occasion as this.

However, there was a very different message from the communist bandit government in Peking. The Chinese "People Daily" marked the occasion with an article repeating the usual accusations of Japanese actions during World War II and demanding that the Prime Minister of Japan actually go down on his knees to beg forgiveness for the "crimes" of his, and the Japanese people's, ancestors. Here we see a very clear example of how different a traditional monarchy and a revolutionary republican country operate. On one hand, a leader calls for respect for the forebears who built a great nation, honoring the national heritage and going forward, heads held high, with righteous pride. On the other hand, we see a puppet publication of a totalitarian government, the most murderous regime in human history, calling to mind horror stories, demanding humiliation, demanding someone to beg forgiveness and all because they consider everyone collectively guilty of everything for all time. Which system seems the healthier and more virtuous of the two? The answer is obvious just as it is obvious that a regime founded on the betrayal of their own history, culture and traditions must hold animosity against those who have loyally remained faithful to their own.

Long live Japan! Long live the Emperor!

Mongolia Looks to Japan

Today, major news outlets such as NHK and the BBC have reported on the plight of the Mongols in both the Chinese-ruled Inner Mongolia and the independent Outer Mongolia (the Republic of). In Inner Mongolia an economic boom is underway because of the exploitation of minerals, such as coal, but this is mostly going to benefit the Chinese and not the native Mongols of the region. Elder Mongols are deeply disturbed by the destruction of their traditional way of life, the growing distance of their children from the Mongol culture and the huge surge in the Han Chinese population. A quarter of all domestic coal production in the People's Republic of China comes from Inner Mongolia and the haphazard way these resources are being exploited is having a devastating impact on the local environment with air pollution becoming an increasing problem. There is also the fact of Han migration which has reached a point so that Mongols find themselves a minority even within Inner Mongolia with Mongols now being only 20% of the population, the majority is now Han Chinese. As one university student told the BBC, "Maybe in the future we won't have a place to live like traditional Mongolians. Our nation will vanish - the Mongolians will vanish." It has already happened to the Manchus and is currently happening in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Likewise, in Outer Mongolia, China dominates their coal export market while Russia also maintains a close watch on any developments in the country. China buys most of the Mongolian coal but pays only 40% of market price for it. There has also been a huge upsurge in pollution in Outer Mongolia because of this. For help, they are looking to Japan, both to help with combating air pollution using state-of-the-art Japanese methods and technology and by building a new railway network to get Mongolian coal to Japanese markets. This, of course, is not the first time that Mongols have looked to Japan as an alternative to being dominated by either Russia or China. In the past the Empire of Japan, specifically the Kwantung Army, aided in establishing the autonomous military government of Inner Mongolia under Prince Demchukdongrub with the goal of one day reuniting all of the Mongol people into one country under one monarch. After the defeat of Japan in 1945 he was forced to flee to Outer Mongolia where he was arrested by the communists, deported back to China and spent 13 years in prison for "treason" at the ruling of the Communist Chinese government that had taken power by that time. However, in spite of being labeled as a "traitor" and "collaborator" he remained very popular with the Mongolian people who recognized him as a patriot who was fighting to free his country and unite his people with the support of Japan. Perhaps, with these modern-day movements, some of these past injustices will be corrected.

Christianity in Japan

Holy Mother

Holy Martyrs of Japan

St Paul Miki

The Annunciation

すべての人をうやまい、兄弟たちを愛し、神をおそれ、王を尊びなさい。

Fair Weather Friends in Virginia

I have been to the Commonwealth of Virginia a number of times. It is a beautiful state with a great history and, for the most part, very nice people. However, in recent years, Virginia has been changing rather dramatically. The people and subsequently the politics and the values of Virginia have been changing and are extremely different from what they used to be. Because of some of these changes, the Virginia government now finds itself in a difficult position and, so far, neither side of the political divide has been showing much good character. It starts with the fact that, in recent years, Virginia has become home to a rather large number of Korean immigrants and Korean-Americans. As with many such people, they are extremely zealous in their patriotic attachment to the Republic of Korea though, obviously, not so attached that they would live there and no prefer the United States of America. In comparison, very few Japanese immigrants or Japanese-Americans live in the state of Virginia. Because of this, the Korean community has become more vocal and the Korean point-of-view has tended to dominate and this is reaching a point that is may become detrimental to Japan and to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Recently, both the Republican and Democrat candidates for Governor of Virginia promised that, if elected, they would pass a law requiring textbooks in Virginia to rename the Sea of Japan as the "East Sea" as it is called in Korea because it is east of Korea and because they don't like the name "Japan" appearing anywhere. Both candidates promised to do this in order to win the votes of the large Korean community in Virginia. As it turns out, the Democrat candidate, Terry McAuliffe, a long-time friend of the Clintons and former Chairman of the Democratic Party, won the election and the bill was soon brought up to a vote and passed the state senate changing the name of the Sea of Japan to the "East Sea" in Virginia textbooks. The Korean community cheered but the Japanese government was understandably disturbed. It had never been an issue before, so why was it now? The fact that the textbooks, like most every map in the world, said "Sea of Japan" was not such a problem that the Koreans did not still come and move into Virginia in large numbers. The Japanese Ambassador wrote to Governor McAuliffe warning him that this could harm Japan-Virginia relations and this is no small issue. Japan has been very generous toward Virginia and is the second-largest source of foreign investment in the state. Some 250 Japanese-owned companies operate in Virginia and employ some 13,000 Virginians according to the 2012 numbers. Japan is also a major customer of Virginia goods with Japan buying $475 million worth of Virginia products in 2012. In the last five years Japan has invested over a billion dollars in Virginia. Japan is the 12th largest buyer of goods from Virginia farmers whereas South Korea is only 30th on the list. And, whereas Japan is the second largest foreign investor in Virginia, Korea doesn't even make the top 20.

Fearing a financial backlash to the economy, Governor McAuliffe secretly tried to kill the bill but his political enemies will not let it die and want to force him to make a decision. The Koreans do as well and the Republican Party is hoping that, no matter how things go, the dithering of McAuliffe will allow them to gain the support of Korean voters in the next election. The question now is what Governor McAuliffe will do. Obviously, Japan has been a great friend to the Commonwealth of Virginia, a major business partner and a good customer. Japan has provided investment and many good jobs to the people of Virginia but now all of that is threatened because of politicians pandering to a vocal minority group. The question is whether or not Governor McAuliffe will put the welfare of Virginia and all its people first or will he care more about the electoral prospects of the Democrat Party and cave in to the pressure from the Korean community. Will Virginia be only a fair weather friend of Japan? We must wait and see...