Acknowledging reality

Japan is peculiar: while it is certainly one of the most advanced cultures when it comes to innovation and creativity, particularly in the technological space, it can be irretrievably backwards when it comes to matters of cultural sensitivity - even facts that cannot be denied. The example cited most often (and in the media the most) is the government's extreme - and somewhat odd - reluctance to acknowledge the horrific war crimes that were committed during World War II under the Showa emperor (better known to the Western world as then-Emperor Hirohito). It's a function of a conservative ruling party (the Liberal Democratic Party, better known as the LDP), which has effectively dominated the Japanese political scene because of opposition parties that function incompetently and don't have a cohesive platform other than opposing the LDP's grip on power. As the country has moved further and further away from the initial reforms that Douglas MacArthur attempted to implement in the early days of the post-World War II occupation, nationalism has become a more potent political force...and not in a good way. I don't understand how refusing to apologize, or worse, being insensitive to the countries who suffered under Japanese rule and flat-out denying the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers, is a good thing. The sociopolitical culture of Japan is screwed up when it comes to the issue, that's for sure.

Another issue is the discussion of the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan who have been dwindling in population and recognition ever since the Meiji emperor forcibly colonized the area (now known as Hokkaido) and effected Japanese culture upon the Ainu, whose culture has nearly disappeared. While it's indisputable that the Ainu are indeed native to the island (what passes as Japanese these days is a result of the Yayoi migration of Chinese and Korean immigrants, after which the newcomers mixed with the native Jomon population), the group - along with virtually every other minority within Japan, have not been given recognition of their status and are often treated as something less than 'Japanese', whatever that may be. So it's with a warm heart that I read about how the government is finally acknowledging that the Ainu are indigenous to Japan. I'm somewhat skeptical if this will result in any real change of the sad state of the people (just see Japan's tortured position on how it deals with its World War II issues), but at least it's a start. It may shatter the nice myth that Japan is ethnically homogenous, but it's long overdue.