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November 03, 2005
THE FIFTY SIXTH POEM
the first time i see the manji sign. i fear a lot. i realize. its a shrine. i am writing this passing the sky-red-hiroshima. a word connected to human failure since i am very young. (just few months ago in THE TIMES again interviews justifying the nuclear bombing by 90 year old american soldiers who personally dropped the bomb) during this journey i did many interviews with japanese people. all of them without exception have been aware of our both nations (germany+japan+italy) alliance in the second world war. but why - nobody seemd to remember. except one young man. he said: i think germans and japanese both liked the idea of facism.i still wonder. how did they communicate ? the nazi and the japenses warrior. letters ?
its interesting to read wikipedia about it. as more languages you speak as better. this is an extract of the english (?american) version which is pretty identical with the german.
the desire to expand....
The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taisho democracy" overshadowed by the rise of Japanese expansionism. World War I permitted Japan, which fought on the side of the victorious Allies, to expand its influence in Asia, and its territorial holdings in the Pacific. In 1936, however, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, and joined with Germany and Italy to form the Axis alliance. During this period, Japan encroached upon China, occupying Manchuria in 1931 and invading China proper in 1937, starting the second Sino-Japanese War, which lasted until the end of World War II. In 1941, Japan attacked the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor as well as British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia, bringing itself and the United states into World War II. After a long campaign in the Pacific Ocean, Japan lost its initial territorial gains, and the United States moved into range to begin strategic bombing of Tokyo, Osaka, and other major cities, as well as the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese eventually agreed to an unconditional surrender to the Allies on August 15, 1945 (V-J Day), provided they could keep their emperor.
投稿者 agf : November 3, 2005 11:14 PM