Excellent post, Liza. So few Americans, steeped in Eurocentrism, are aware of the entire Asian side of WWII (aside from the Pacific theater), when 10 million Chinese were slaughtered, starting with the Japanese occupation of northeast China in 1932.

Actually it's the reason I'm here in the US. My grandparents on both sides of my family (with children -- my parents -- in tow) managed to flee the Japanese invasion, after seeing neighbors skinned alive in the streets, stuff like that. My mother's side is from Nanjing. My father's side from the area once called "Manchuria". If you know anything about WWII in Asia, these places have a lot of meaning.

Even so, I've tried my whole life to not have a negative attitude toward Japan and the Japanese. I even named by blog after a Japanese word in the spirit of reconciliation. If only this reconciliation were a bit more reciprocal: I really can't believe Abe is denying the existence of comfort women, many of whom are still alive. And these women did not simply "have sex"; it's called "rape".

Unbelievable. I may have to deal with this at my blog too. Thanks for posting.

Peace.

PS- We should mention, though, that there are plenty of Japanese progressives who are working on ending this kind of denial and fully redressing Japan's war crimes.