Japan Should Not Be Casting Stones at China

Re “Don’t Buy the ‘Peace and Love’ Party Line,” Opinion, May 22: Shintaro Ishihara’s article on China is bigoted and unfair, as evidenced by a number of his statements and omissions.

He absurdly states, for example, “It is a historical fact that before communism, mainland China lacked a civil society.” What is “civil” or not depends entirely on a particular worldview and perspective (civil by whose standards?), so it cannot, by definition, be a “fact” of any kind.

Also, during certain eras of China’s long history (say, the Han dynasty of 2,000 years ago, certainly “before communism”), China is considered by many to have had among the most “civilized” societies of its period.

On another topic, Ishihara writes that Taiwan “freed itself from the legacy of Chiang Kai-shek’s repressive rule through democratization.” He neglected to add: after being liberated by half a century of equally repressive Japanese occupation.

Any discussion of the fate of China and Taiwan in the mid-20th century cannot ignore their concurrent treatment by a militant Japan.

Stefan Frazier

Los Angeles

Ishihara painted a picture of China being all evil. At the end of the article, he wrote: “Can we really allow China, a defiant nation with massive political energy, to blatantly pursue its economic interests in the Asian region?”

Mr. Ishihara, you are the governor of Tokyo, a man of importance. You have an obligation to explain yourself.

What do you mean by “a defiant nation”? Defiant against whom? What do you mean by “blatantly pursue its economic interests”? Does Japan, and any other country, pursue its economic interests? What do you mean by “Can we really allow China”? Do you mean that “we, Japan” cannot allow China? Do you want to draw the conclusion that “we Japan” should invade China again? To bomb China again?

Dick Ming Joe

Anaheim

I was incensed by Ishihara’s statement: “It is a historical fact that before communism, China lacked a civil society.” This from a man whose country, during World War II, forced women into prostitution as “comfort women” and then claimed they should be honored to provide this service?

Or what about Ishihara’s claim to be a member of civil society, but during the war the Japanese experimented on the Chinese the same way the SS experimented on Jews.

His country is constantly rewriting its history books to make the series of atrocities committed by Japan during World War II look like a mere faux pas.

About Korea, does he think that the murder of the last Korean empress by Japanese assassins had nothing to do with communism taking hold there? Remember, Japan is still an empire, ruled by an emperor.

Do I think China is perfect? Of course not; but I think the Japanese need to put their own house in order before casting aspersions on others. This article is the equivalent of those Hitler apologists trying to say that accounts of the Holocaust are exaggerated. Shame on you, L.A. Times, for even printing this blatant hate article. What’s next? Articles from skinheads declaring that there was no slavery in the early American South?

Donald Rudy

Redondo Beach