I'm a German and I've watched probably over 50 ww2 movies, series and documentaries. We also have a whole school year of history class dedicated to ww2 and the atrocious things we Germans have done during that time (visiting a concentration camp is mandatory btw.). We also never tried to justify the things that have been done and knowing everything about it, ensures that we will try everything in our power to NEVER let that happen again. Did I feel bad for what has been done? YES of course, but I never felt bad being a German because of the way Germany handled everything afterwards. I would hope for Japan to come to terms with their past because this will also help them understand the feelings of other countries towards them.
japanese history classes and books downplayed the atrocities they inflicted in Asia to save face. i am very glad germany took a different path, the past is surely behind Germans.
Germany has been amazing in its handling of the history of World War 2 in relation to educating its own population. It's not perfect but it's definitely something all nations should pay attention to. Frankly, I feel Germany has done a better job than any country including the western powers like the UK. Too much is brushed under the carpet by all nations - some worse than others. Nanking, Poland and the Red Army, Invasion of Siciliy by Allied forces, German invasion by Allied and Soviet forces, just the whole Pacfic front etc. have seen many instances of cruelty and suffering to civilians alongside other war crimes. Some nations are (much) worse than others but we as the current generations need to look at the past and seek the truth and accept the reality no matter how much it hurts us to know about it. I wish more nations followed Germany's path in this manner - and for everybody to do better/improve upon it.
The lady with the mask said it best, whoever invented it first would've used it first. Japan would've used it on America if it had the chance. It's crazy how there is backlash against the movie. Know your history and your country and all of it's deeds.
That’s a little difficult as America has re written a lot of history compared to all the world, America is the most evilest one out of the entire world.
(very minor spoiler ahead) I think it's very important to note that Oppenheimer does not even focus on the Japan bombings - basically at all. We don't see it taking place, we only hear about it from a radio broadcast for a few seconds. The entire other part focuses on the emotional stress perceived by Oppenheimer. If anything, I would guess this appeals to those deciding when the film airs in Japan. It's not disrespectful, rather quite generous in recognizing the atrocities this one man "made possible". The villain in the movie is someone else entirely, and massive shade is thrown to the US president.
I still think the film focusing so much on someone who invented the bombs and did little to think about how he was contributing to the death of many people in Japan wouldn't sit well with Japanese people.
I concur, her informed opinions were very mature throughout the whole interview. She definitely had deep understanding on the nuances of the situation as a whole.
I thought the exact same. She knew the history of her own country within the broader international historical context and formulated an opinion that I can understand and do in fact share.
@@Tuturial464 If the nuclear bombs would have been used in military targets only, that would have been a different story. But both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were cities full of civilians. I don't care what people said about the justification of those nuclear bombs, it's still a war crime to kill civilians, especially when they killed hundreds of thousands.
as I know history is select course in Japan. Unless student wanted to become a historian or archaeologist etc, they will drop it for more focus on subject can help them enter the college. This is one of the reason that many teens in japan didnt know what happen and what japan have done in WWII. (If I get wrong, please tell me)
We Japanese are taught about Japanese war crimes in Nanjing, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, and the Manhattan Project. Throw away false stereotypes😊
I’m from Hiroshima. Censoring what we are allowed to watch is wrong. The censorship is what bothers me over the actual film. Why are we not allowed to watch it? Just because it will offend others? Let them be offended. We should be allowed to have the freedom to watch what we like in Japan, and formulate our own opinions/thoughts on the events of WW2.
The odd thing about this is simply that the film is really about Oppenheimer the man - far more than the bomb itself. And it is VERY far from being a positive representation of the atomic bomb. In fact, the central theme in Oppenheimer was the moral horror he feels having brought the atomic bomb into the world. The censorship in Japan speaks to the difficulties Japanese culture sometimes has with dealing honestly with this particular part of history. Many foreigners don't understand this aspect of modern Japan at all, but some of us do. There's a fear of re-opening a past which was both traumatic for the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (not to mention countless others who were bombed or died in battle) - and which is a source of shame for the Japanese nation, given how Imperial Japan behaved in the nations it invaded. All this in a culture which places a lot of emphasis on not upsetting public order and decorum - and not shaming others or doing anything that would shame yourself or your family. It is much easier to censor the film - to not speak too much about the war at all, except when absolutely necessary. If a generation of young Japanese could find a way to better explain this to the world, but especially those nations where there are people who still have some anger towards Japan, it would be a sign of real progress.
Because the politicians today are direct descendants of the people who ordered all Japan's attrocities to be done. That's why they censor even textbooks in classrooms. It's their idea of protecting their name and their family's "honor". As a foreign English teacher I cannot begin to tell you the shock and disbelief I felt when I realised the kevel of censorship and white washing of HISTORY. And since I'm foreign I'm powerless. I can only look on and feel sorry for the young people who are being lied to by way of omission.
There are a lot of misunderstandings about this movie. One, it isn’t pro nuclear weapons. At all. One of the main takeaways from the movie is the amount of guilt Oppenheimer felt in creating the atomic bomb. Second, it wasn’t just an American movie. On Wikipedia, it’s listed as both a British and American film. Half of the actors in the movie were non American including the guy who played Oppenheimer (he’s Irish). Christopher Nolan the director is British. Finally, Japan needs to own up to the fact that they were the main aggressor in the Pacific War. Every country has dark parts of their history and there’s no shame in acknowledging it. Hardly anyone thinks less of modern day Germany because of the Holocaust and Germany has great relations with its neighbors. To contrast, one of the main reasons why Japan still has sour relations with its neighbors while Germany doesn’t is because so many Japanese still see themselves as the victim. The atomic bombs were horrible, but they don’t make Japan a victim of the war they started. Japan would likely have much better relationships with its neighbors if they owned up to their past the way Germany has.
Propaganda garbage. Oppenheimer was WELL AWARE what he was doing, but he did it anyway. The Danish scientist Niels Bohr was another contributor, who allowed science to be used to created a weapon for mass destruction.
I really like the elderly lady's view on this topic because you can tell shes more informed. The fact that shes aware of Japan's war atrocities during that period and doesn't try to hide it or justify it as "good". Hearing her points really restored my faith a bit in Japanese people. I also really like the opinion of the guy that travels to Korea. You can tell that he thought a lot about how other countries think of Japan and their atrocities. I think, on a personal level, every person should try to travel internationally. Its honestly a really good learning and growth experience. I think governments tend to be evil and want to groom their citizens a certain way. Great job with these interviews and questions, Asian Boss! I love your content.
I really find amazing how people hate other countries and people with so much openness as if you thinking that hating others makes you a hero or more progressive when in reality, it just makes you a racist person who complaints about a country that doesn’t even affect you in any way shape or form, it’s impressive how obsessed people are towards Japan and hating that country like…that sounds like you neeed some mental help….. Common, even me, as a Mexican who HAS LIVED through the racism the present day racism of the US, seen their actions by putting dictators in LATAM and supporting coups in LATAM and just being shitty neighbors…I don’t hate them….how can I, a third world country citizen can be more aware and mature than people who supposedly have better education systems and even better values, because if you hate Japan means you think you have better values than them, so I will tell you, I have better values than you, and Japanese people too….because they don’t hate like you guys….the arrogance
@@TsugMt If this sounds like hate to you, you need to go see a therapist. Or are you sympathizing with what Japan and the Axis did in WW2? If anything, this just shows that you have no right to speak for other countries/races just because you're a minority of another.
There are always good people living everywhere, it can be hard to remember that fact but I think there are many more good people than there are cruel ones. They're just a lot quieter living their lives. I have a lot of respect that she's informed on her country's past as well
@@TsugMt I hate how people always repeat the same thing everyone says until it becomes accepted, even when it's not 100% true and correct. It really shows you who's being brainwashed and who's the sane, that doesn't mask atrocities of neither side. I feel so disgusted when I see people wanting to justify mass murder (this is happening right now with the Israel and Hamas situation) and spread the myth that USA and european countries are the good guys that saved the world, when they are far worse than any other country I've seen. The only country I've seen admiting their mistakes is Germany. But sure American, keep talking about how Japanese people don't recognize their past and want to hide what they done to other nations. I trust 100% that you care about innocent lives!
I was surprised to hear the one lady say that Japan did some bad things during World War 2 and that Japan was not in the right. I really appreciate that as someone from an Allied country. I've seen reports of how Japan as a whole doesn't really educate its people on the country's wrongdoings during the war (Unit 731, The Rape of Nanking, etc), with people like Shinzo Abe going as far as denying that such things even took place. I respect her opinion that the atomic bombs were not justified, but people will have to agree to disagree on that point.
This is actually such a stereotypical so-not-true impression of Japanese people. In fact they all learn and know what their country did during the war, and most of the people still even feel guilty although it’d happened way before they were born. Some teachers even teach kids to be ashamed of being Japanese. Also Japan’s government has apologized and paid compensations to other Asian countries literally tons of times. However some of the “victim” countries only accept money and never accept apologies, and keep blaming Japan’s past so that they can keep getting money whenever they like forever, which I think is the biggest reason why so many people around the world still believe Japan’s not facing their past and doesn’t educate people about their war crimes in the history.
She actually also stated that whoever invented it first. She is basically saying Japan would've used the nuke too. Especially since Japan didn't shy away from ANY methods.
I am Japanese. Whenever I look at the comment sections of videos of Japanese wars, I feel that Japanese people are being stereotyped incorrectly. I think this is mainly due to the bias of the media in each country. Most young Japanese people of course know about Hakenkreuz, they also know about Nanjing, and they have been educated. Rather, I think Americans and Koreans don't know about massacres and rapes in the Vietnam War....🤔
Yeah, and allied countries are peak of righteousness. So righteous, after WW2 WALTZING TO ASIA TO DIVIDE THE COLONIES. Dont ride your high horse to asia. We sick of you people.
I appreciate the guy who admitted that Japan's movies on wars reflect them in a softer light, just how US movies do that with our country's war history. We really paint a brush over our atrocities. I do think it's valuable to see the outside criticism of how others felt during war time, and learn that things weren't so black and white. That said, I know dramatized movies are one of the worst ways to learn history, but I also know it's the most common and approachable method. It at least starts the conversation. Very interesting video.お疲れさまでした！
In America we learn about our past and even now there are those who are fighting against those who white wash history and remove monuments of racists and insensitive leaders. Japan elects prime minister who deny it ever happen and still shrines for war criminals.
The Pentagon is literally involved in scripts and equipment for Hollywood movies. It's not some conspiracy type of thing, just to mention that. I think people should know about this and talk about it more. Propaganda is more alive than maybe ever these days and especially movies are a great tool to get into people's heads. American culture is one of the most influential in the world, especially because of all those Hollywood movies. The issue I take with that is, that the government has no business to be doing that, in my opinion. Soft power games, manipulating, deceiving people and literally portraying a different picture from reality for this malicious reasons is immoral and I strongly oppose it. Growing up in Germany, with Serbian roots, I always had to question stuff. And it really helped me to not be a blind nationalist. But I know that there are plenty of people out there which are even more nationalistic with that kind of upbringing. And generally speaking, it doesn't matter what your roots are if you grow up in a different country. I've seen that with all kinds of nationalities. But we obviously need different perspectives and opinions to get an understanding of each other and to fill our blind spots. I sometimes just question the honesty of the approach.
A few American films have been critical of America as well .... look at Oppenheimer itself....it showed how much of an evil Truman was.... but the Japanese would not recognise their brutality during world war 2 Only Korean films depict Japanese brutality to its core If you want to learn about Japanese brutality through films, watch Korean films
@@oo0OAO0ooYup, the exponential advancement of media definitely propelled propaganda to a new level. It’s just people don’t know how to identify it or they can’t believe they consume it. Propaganda is too heavily associated with authoritarian regimes to the point that everyone else believes they cannot be victims of it.
@@peterparker9954 Dude. American movies are always depicting their soldiers as heroes. Every movie about Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East in general makes it look like the invaders are the heroes while hundred thousands died from bombings of the occupiers. Japan does propaganda as well. But this happens in Hollywood every day. US movies are notorious for their war movies with propaganda.
I really appreciate everyone in this video for sharing their honest feelings, insights, personal experiences. Many of them, not only are aware of these issues, but also clearly had gone through some processes and reflections that made up how they think about these issues. I just find it really beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for this intriguing interview. Great job!
“It’s understandable that it would be banned because 200,000 died in the atomic bombings of Japanese cities” but the movie isn’t about those bombings or cities, it’s about the man who made the bomb and making the most destructive weapon in human history and its consequences
probably just as problematic for people whose families were rended over generations in the 200,000 deaths to humanize the man who built the weapon used to carry out that massacre
@@BronzeAgePepperit doesn’t humanise him though just tell the stories.Your argument could also be proven quite meh if we are gonna consider how the Japanese people humanise themselves and ignore the horrific travesties done to the Chinese people by the Japanese
@@BronzeAgePepperThose people don't have to watch the movie. There are countless of movies made about the holocaust but I don't see Jews offended at them.
@@BronzeAgePepper "Humanize" like Oppenhiemer was an Alien from mars. Even terrible things are part of 'humanity'. Plus the movie is more a deconstruction nd impact of such a creation. It is not an outright justification of anything. Just an attempt to portray what happened through cinema.
It's weird that they feel a certain way about nuclear weapons, but when showed the swastika, younger people had no clue what it was. I wonder if they know about what kind of war crimes japan did in the WW2
@@kevinwijaya9613 I bet every German civillians knows about the crimes of fascism and most people dislike Nazis, but the Japanese don't know that they don't have the correct historical education
I am Japanese. I think most Japanese young people know Hakenkreuz. If there is a video of an interview with a young man who says he doesn't know about it, it's an intentionally very biased one that piggybacks on the typical stereotype that the Japanese are completely uneducated about their past war crimes😅
It's easy to look in hindsight. But was it really? What the Japanese were doing was horrific and tragic. When they started a war and would use every means necessary to win - there's nothing 'tragic' about the ones they declared it upon by doing what was necessary to win. If Japan conquered the US they would not have been nearly as nice to the population as the US was to them (as seen in China/Korea/Australia... war is tragic.. but doing what was necessary to win was not@@MidnightEkaki
@@MidnightEkaki It would be very far from Tragic Disaster if Japan was the first who discover Nukes, even if a country ahle to create It too then what??? China, Korea and many more already nuked and that said country cannot even use the nuke bcz They would be nuked too, that's why US can use Nukes bcz They are the only one who had It and why Soviet only have Nuke as Threat to US🥴💀
I watched this movie for two weeks ago. It is not about the Manhattan project or dropping the nuclear bombs on Japan. The movie is about the person Oppenheimer. I think most people don’t realise that before they have watched the movie including myself. I don’t think it glorifies anyone but it tells the story about Oppenheimer. In that light I don’t it can offend any Japanese.
I've seen Oppenheimer and I didn't think it was anti-Japanese at all. The people involved in the creation of the atom bomb almost seemed to have alarmingly little awareness of the Japanese side of WW2. In that sense the movie felt more anti American, if anything. As such, I think it will be released in Japan at some point. I honestly fear that this movie will only serve to keep Japanese people oblivious of the dark side of the Japanese regime at that time. Although painful no doubt, I think learning about its' fascist nature is an important history lesson. World War 2 also wasn't a pleasant time for Japanese people by a long shot, mind you. The rest of the world could do with a history lesson about the pacifist path Japan took after the war but that's a different issue.
Yeah they thought they were making the bomb just to scare the Germans into submission; Japan wasn't even on their radar until it was already out of their hands
The "pacifist path" you speak of was forced into the new Japanese Constitution as a surrender condition by the USA to prevent Japan from ever making war again. We took away their ability to have an army and even then the Japanese found a legal loophole in order to create the JDF. You don't give the Japanese Hawks enough credit. Peace within doesn't mean peace towards others.
The whole point of the movie was to show how complex a character Oppenheimer was. It neither vilified him nor portrayed him as a hero. It was a bio-pic simply for the purpose of letting you make your own conclusions about the whole thing.
The reason Asian Boss is the best street interviews in Asia is because they offer a wide range of thoughtful opinions within a single video. Not many channels do that.
Even AFTER both bombs were dropped, many people in Japan's government were STILL against surrender and tried to remove the emperor to prevent a surrender. They would rather every last man, woman, and child fight to the death rather than surrender. Whenever I hear people criticize the use of the bombs, I never hear what they think the allies should have done instead. A land invasion against a country with such insane leadership would have been so horrific that the death toll would have dwarfed the death toll of the bombs. The death of innocent civilians is horrible, but I honestly don't know what else they expected the US to do to end the war.
@user-bt4er7lv8p So your argument is that more Japanese should have died via invasion, and Japan should have been split in two (Soviet were invading Manchuria and Japan was next). The nuclear bombs killed less than the fire bombing of Tokyo, yet get more attention. War is awful, but the whole point of using nuclear weapons was to end it faster and save the lives of those that had to fight it. If Japan had surrendered earlier, then it would not have been used.
i feel so sad when i read this kind of comment... i mean, just read a few book. The government in Japan were military who didn't listen a bit to the Tenno, he DID ask for surrender before the bombs were dropped. Because Japan has already lost the Pacific war, Okinawa was already in the us army's hands, the whole "the japanses won't ever surrender" thing is pure propaganda. it was really just unnecessary to drop these TWO bombs, there is no way you can even excuse that. And obviously Japan was very far from having the ability to create the atomic bomb themselves. people need to see the big picture about how and why the Pacific War came to be in the first place. Geopolitics and History are not a dumb "who's the good guy" question
@@kikuteto Again, you refuse to give an alternative for what the US should have done. And Russia started the war against Ukraine and is committing war crimes, so no they are not justified in using the bomb. Russia can end the war immediately by leaving Ukraine. Japan started the war against the US and was committing war crimes across asia. "it is my opinion that Japan would have surrendered even without the atomic bombings." You criticize our "theories" but then say this completely false fact. Even AFTER the bombs were used, they barely wanted to surrender. The minister of the Japanese Army Korechika Anami said "would it not be wondrous for this whole nation to be destroyed like a beautiful flower". He would rather Japan be destroyed and everyone die instead of surrender. You underestimate just how insane Japan's government was at the time. It was a death cult. If the war went on any longer, then the USSR would have gotten involved and Japan likely would have been split like North and South Korea.
@@kikutetoproblem first, Japan caused a chain reaction by attacking Asia and,Pearl Harbor. Second these Japanese citizens were involved in war crimes and became soldiers. Third, Japan tried to cover up their mistakes. Fourth Japan even planned to attack the u.s. mainland with chemical warfare. Look up Japanese supersubs
I'm Korean and I was born and raised in Hong Kong. One of my best friends when I was growing up was Japanese. We both loved manga and anime so we were really close. One day, I learned about the things that happened to my grandparents during the war, when Japan colonized Korea. My grandma worked under Japanese companies and she went through a lot of horrible stuff. I was only a 6th grader at the time so I didn't think much when I asked my friend if she knew about the war and what happened. She obviously didn't know and asked her parents about it and they told her whatever I told her was untrue. They knew that Japan colonized Korea but they said it was a good thing, that they helped to develop the country during that period. My friend came back to me and told me I was a liar and we had a huge argument about it. The things I mentioned were true happenings that traumatized my relatives and she couldn't understand if such horrible events occurred why none of her family knew about it. She was told Koreans kept lying about the Japan war because we were jealous and we hated them. Through that experience I learned we had totally different views and that it was something I shouldn't really bring up. We eventually forgot about it and never mentioned it again but it did made me wonder what was taught in Japan's history books.
People who do not learn from history will never get better. This is Japan. When the U.S. military leaves, Japan’s bad guys will immediately show their fangs, and those ignorant good people will become accomplices of bad people. You didn‘t do anything wrong, but you have to remember those things, tell your descendants, and let them always beware of the Japanese. One day, they will reveal their nature and get involved in the peninsula.
Since decades many countries in Europe have mutual agreements to align history teaching between countries. I know Poland has this kind of agreement with Germany (since 70s)- textbooks are reviewed by historians from both countries etc. and this was in place even before we were all parts of the EU. Similar project was started between Poland and Russia (discontinued by Russian when Putin got to power) or Poland and Ukraine (now on hold because of the war). I think it would be great if Japan and Korea would do something similar - as both are allies, both are western democracies, it should not really be a problem and would benefit everyone.
To be fair, I have no foot in either camp, but I wish I didn't know the details of what Imperial Japan did pre-WW2 and during. Even the Nazis were appalled
@@ims3312Jaoanese don’t have the manpower to project beyond Japan and Korea. They literally needs everyone to take care of the basic economy and the elderly, also they are neighbour with China even if they have twice the manpower they currently have they could not spare any resources to project their powers abroad.
I’m so sorry about that In my story, my relatives said how Japanese government were horrible at that era he was saved his life by Russian soldiers. So my mother always said how we are lucky America came after ww2 GHQ changed us. But I know one Japanese man he was my professor he always mentioned Japanese mind lost after GHQ came. I don’t say anything anymore but please don’t categorize us as one country. Even among Japanese we have a different perspective
Sins of the parents are not the sins of the children. But it is so hard to forgive and forget. My great grandfather was buried alive, and my grandmother was almost raped. She fled to the forest to escape, jumped into a stone well, gashing her leg in the descent, and had the scar until she died. The japanese emperor started it. The japanese soldiers, your ancestors committed war atrocities such as throwing babies in the air and catching them with bayonets. They could have just imprisoned my forefathers, but decided to have brutal fun.
Well, in Chinese there’s an ancient saying “A dutiful son is obliged to pay his fathers' debts”. Every year, the Dutch King apologises for the country’s historical role in slavery. In terms of Japan, as long as the Japanese government still refuses to apologise to all the victim countries, as long as their politicians still worship in Yasukuni Shrine where 1000+ convicted war criminals are buried, I say their ancestors’ sins live on.
@@halloweenist664ok that is a flat faced lie, Japan has apologized for the war multiple times and especially recently the shrine that honors every soldier to ever serve Japan is going to have war criminals every country has war criminals. I mean China had their cultural revolution killing half a million to a million people on the basis they were landlords and rich while still giving the Chinese war criminals burial in Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery (cannibalists, burning children alive on the basis of being children of the rich).
This. My grandma told me her uncle was buried alive by Japanese soldiers, and that wasn’t even the most brutal thing they’ve done. The atrocities are hard to forgive and forget, especially when you learn that the Japanese government has downplayed the war crime ever since
it is hard to forgive when the aggressor doesn't even acknowledge that anything happened. the amount of japanese revisionist "history" books in japanese society is revolting. japanese textbooks paint japan as the victim, and their politicians visiting shrines with A class war criminals to "pay respects" is disgusting
They all seem to have a reasonable and balanced view on this, which is encouraging to see. I think you might get some different viewpoints if you interviewed some old men that were alive during WW2. They might say things like “we should have finished the job”, which I personally heard an old Japanese man say in Tokyo years ago.
@@ramonemiliochaconperdomo7225 Most Japanese people think that way. They write all these racist comments against Chinese, Koreans, Filipino etc. (essentially everyone who is not from Japan) but you won't find them since they're all written in Japanese. Most Japs think that they didn't do anything wrong and it's all fabrication whilst blaming the US for everything. It's not an absurd generalization.
79 years ago it ended. My MIL was alive for the attack on Pearl Harbor living in Hawaii. Her mother carried her into a sugar cane field. They didn’t know it was coming and which or all habited islands effected. But she was 2 months old at the time. For a man to be of fighting age assuming teens involved a person would have to be well over 90.
you know, i agree but then again, many people just cant handle knowing history, they would get butthurt and get all hateful, even though they should know that the sins of the ancestors/fathers are not the sins of the children, and yet they would agony over it. just few comments above is someone saying its hard to forgive, like what is there to forgive when the people in present day have done nothing at all? these people are people who live life just fine and then be all victim the moment they learn history the next day. so yeah, the correct sentiment to history is to learn the lesson without bearing the hatred nor guilt, but many people cant do this.
That's impossible, but that's why we have the internet. What's important is critical thinking, bias detection, and reduction of ultra-nationalism and blind patriotism, which will work as a loop to stop censoring and editing of history as the population would be too knowledgeable.
I don't think modern people who weren't living through the war really have context for how it must have felt. I can only imagine how overwhelming it must have been
Clearly the people in Japan were misinformed and brainwashed by the government. It was at least a month before Yamamoto (Pearl Harbor mastermind) death was notified to the public. But does it mean they were completely ignorant?
You can have some idea. You just need to listen to stories of holocaust survivors and Japan Occupation period survivors and the stuff they had to go through. So long as you have some form of empathy, you can understand it and know how they feel. And I'll even throw in a bone, and add in atomic bomb survivors too, because they were also civilian victims.
When I was a child, I saw the documents of Nanjing Massacre and I was deeply hurt by those stories and pictures. I think it's not that hard to understand their feelings actually.
If my self proclaim pro instinct take over, i feel like japanese ppl just got bad/s*ck fate, they quite enjoy it, but when the atomic bomb hit, they manage the pain through embarassment and self negative claim thts why many is suicide
Interesting interview. I think it wasn't just experiment in the end. It was politically motivated. That's why I respect those who stopped nuclear projects. For military person, I think, nuclear weapon shows no bravery or decision genius. It is just destruction. The smartest strategy is where you receive enemy's territory that doesn't need rebuilding. But ww2 was insane as a whole, so... it was crazy for many
As usual, very impressive interviews. I've seen this movie and it explores alot of Oppenheimer's personal life and his emotional struggle after he realizes what he's helped create. My grandfather was in the US Navy and always said using the Atomic bomb in Japan saved his life as he was in the planned invasion of Japan if there was no surrender...
And the Japanese were planning to fight to the last man, woman, and child. How many people would that have been? What an unspeakable loss to the world.
I was in Kyoto recently with it being a melting 43°C outside. It was brutal and oppressive. We were sightseeing and it was around 1pm when I saw this Japanese guy jogging like it was nothing. Just a normal day, just a fun jog. And that's when it dawned on me. That's when I thought "this is why they decided to drop the bombs. They never would've surrendered." 😅
Well, in fact, the Japanese government was looking for a good surrender condition half a year before that, and was trying to approach the Soviet Union, and the United States was also aware of this...because of the surrender conditions that were favorable to the Allies. America dropped the atomic bomb. Well, saving a lot of soldiers and people is just a justification that America loves😂
The white t-shirt guy at 14:31 has a lot of deep thought about this issue. The fact that he watched Japanese-Korean wars movies probably effect his idea about this subject a lot.
7:17 I like this guy, interesting to see a japanese person willing to see things from a non pro-japanese perspective and actually aknowledging the mistakes that Japan made in the past
By a victim country‘s perspectives by Japanese imperialism, I only respect this guy among the interviewees. It‘s hard to accept Japanese saying bothsidesism.
We Japanese people learn about Japan's past mistakes during compulsory education, so it's hard to find a Japanese person who thinks Japan wasn't bad at all. I want Chinese and Korean people to not be swayed by their own country's propaganda, get accurate information, and live their lives looking toward the future rather than the past.
@@jamkp1685 agreed, but again, acknowledging the past is always the first step. The pro-palestine events that happened in Japan are really important. I hope the japanese people become more and more critical of the capitalist regime and become a true brother of all of their asian brethren.
@@JoaoPedroFPerez The Japanese government supports the Palestinian Authority, criticizes Hamas, and provides support to the Palestinian people. I believe it is important to eliminate war not only in Asia but in the world, and for all of humanity to live in harmony.
Never forget I love Japan but they should never forget what they have done to many Asian countries! It’s very sad and horrible what happened to them but if they were no the bomb attack, Korea would have been Japanese. Without mentioning the horrible crime they did to philippine and China.
During the bombing, japan was colonizing my country, Indonesia. I'm not saying that event led to our independence, but not long after the bombing Indonesia declared our independence (17 Aug 1945) around 2 weeks after the last bombing in nagasaki. I was totally against the war and didn't support nuclear as a weapon. But, if it didn't happen, Indonesia's independence history could be different.
I would argue it still would have led to the similar outcome without the bombings. Japan would have surrendered with Soviet invasion in Manchuria and northern Japan alone without nuclear bombing by the U.S. Whether dropping the bomb ended the war is debatable, as many historians also claim the Soviet invasion were more impactful on the Japanese government at the time .
I have spent some time mentoring Japanese students before and it was quite surprising to hear them thinking they were "Allies" rather than "Axies" in WW2. Nowadays, Japanese students are taught an alternative history, the nationalist right efforts to whitewash the actions of the Empire of Japan during World War II. So, I'd say having access to the truth from any angle is good for the public.
The events in Nanjing from 1937 to 1938 are covered in Japanese textbooks. I don't remember whether Unit 731 is included or not. I believe it’s either not mentioned or only briefly mentioned. By the way, I remember that the Manchurian Incident is considered quite important, as it was even featured in modern history written exams. People who have never read Japanese textbooks should actually buy and read them before forming an opinion. Regarding the events in Nanjing, over time after the war, the number of victims was inflated, eventually surpassing the population before the invasion, which means people who did not exist are being counted as victims. For instance, if someone said "The Auschwitz victims were about 1 million!" and then 30 years later claimed "The number of victims in Auschwitz was 50 million!", it would be perfectly natural to doubt such information. Additionally, some incidents that were acts of retaliation against Japanese who had evacuated to foreign countries are somehow recorded as actions taken by the Japanese army against locals in their colonies, such as the Tongzhou Incident. As a Japanese person, I can only say, "I acknowledge what happened, but I cannot acknowledge what didn't happen." Also, all apologies and compensations were already dealt with by treaties concluded shortly after the war. So when asked for an apology, the only thing we can say is, "It's already been dealt with." Regarding the atomic bombings, the situation is such that they are "resolved," but "not resolved." Japan, as the defeated country, did not receive reparations from the United States. Instead, Japan provided compensation, which is why it is considered "resolved." Therefore, from the perspective of the atomic bomb survivors, "Japan has taken action, but the United States has not." The standards for determining right and wrong are based on each individual's subjective view, so as someone who is not Japanese, you may not be able to understand their opinions. I think it's fine if you continue living with a one-dimensional interpretation of everything. You might think the same about me. At the very least, I can say that all countries were desperate to survive back then. I do not consider those who turn them into memes or use them as jokes to be human.
As a Filipino who has had half of my bloodline gutted, raped, and executed by the imperial Japanese during their occupation during WW2, those people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had it easy on them. We could tolerate if they apologized for the massacre of countless civilians like the Germans did, but the Japanese? They didn’t even acknowledge it and denied such things ever happened….
Props to the lady with the mask & hat also the man who loves the Japan anime 👏🏻👏🏻 Their opinions are very mature and have an insight and consideration from outside Japan
All these folks had some really good views on all of it. Im very surprised that Japan doesn't teach more about the bombings. Here in the States, I know we are all taught about it. But it's never a "proud" moment in our history. In fact, at my schools, it's usually on par with the Allies' discovery of the extermination camps in Germany. Hopefully, those in Japan who are interested in Oppenheimer will be able to watch it.
When I was taught about it, we had discussions on the justification of the bombs. We talked numbers on how many died from the bombs, other bombings, the island hopping, etc. Its never brought up with a "we won". Its always brought up with an "and it was over". Its quite hard for us to talk about in a positive light, but there is always a little bit of "maybe it was necessary".
The film barely covers the actual bombing and mainly follows Oppenheimer’s curiosity in making the bomb, then his struggle to cope with the effects of what he helped create. Much like forms of media like Chernobyl, this should be available in some form to every country so people can be informed more about our history.
This movie isn’t actually about bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Further, development of nuclear bomb in this movie is just a background context. The movie itself is just a cinematized documentary of the character’s miserable life. So I don’t know why Japanese are so sensitive about this.
if there was a film about the pilots who attacked pearl harbour and how they were not given enough credit by their country for "being a hero". what would americans think? Also if the movie never even showed any scenes of the attacks on pearl harbour or never even mentions America much... and instead just shows a scene where there are Japanese politicians sitting around saying "its the only option to bomb pear harbour because if we don't America will keep fire bombing us... bombing pearl harbour will save lives... also we dont need to bomb this city because it has certain cultural importance to America so instead pearl harbour is a good option" and then there's no mention of America again. .. and instead the film focusses on the ways in which the pilots who bombed pearl harbour are not given any praise by their country... for bombing pearl harbour. how would Americans feel when they watch this film of course you could say that the movie wasn't even about pearl harbour and the victims but instead about the pilots who bombed pearl harbour... why are Americans being so sensitive about a movie not even about them???
The girl talking about where they chose to drop the bombs clearly doesn’t know as much as she thinks, Hiroshima was a military port city with decent heavy industry and the HQ for the Japanese 2nd Army, not just some sleepy village. Kitakyushu (which was the originally target for the second bombing) was also chosen as it had the largest munitions industry in Japan at the time. Due to poor weather they couldn’t drop it on kitakyushu so they went for Nagasaki, a large ship and arms producing city.
I am Japanese, and I feel that many Japanese people have little interest in politics and history, and do not want to learn more about the events of the past on their own. If one does a little research, one can easily learn about the tragic war crimes that took place in Singapore, but many people do not know much about it. This is something that should be taught in detail in school classes, but sadly, history classes in Japan today are only for getting good marks in university entrance examinations, and there is no time to research on a single event in depth. It is not because of biased education or information control, but simply ignorance. I think this is a really serious problem. But at the same time, I don't understand why people feel a sense of victimhood even though they are not a party to it, and why they try to make people who are not the perpetrators but just happen to be born in the country feel like the perpetrators. It only creates a cycle of hatred. This is not to say that we should forget about the past. I am saying that we should not repeat it again, not as a crime committed by people of a certain country, but as a crime committed by the most stupid creature on the earth, human beings. Even if the U.S. had not dropped the atomic bomb, some other country would have used it in a war, and colonial rule was also practiced by many countries in the past, but these acts are of course never forgivable. For those who are from countries that have never done anything inhumane so far, some may think that we should not be together, but this is my honest feeling. I apologize if this offends you. As for Oppenheimer's film, I think many people would like to see it in Japan, just because Japanese distributors are too concerned about it.
Not only nanking but in all china and south east Asia...they steal rice and food make 2 million việt nam people (8% việt nam population at that time)dead from 1944-1945,kill 4-5 million Indonesia (6-7% Indonesia population at that time) kill 1 million Philippines (6% Philippines population at that time)... Kill 20 million china population (3.5% china population at that time),kill 1 million korea(both north and south) 😡😡😡😡
I will answer as a Japanese. Many Japanese people know about the Nanjing Incident, and even among Japanese people, some even weep and prostrate themselves because they believe the Chinese government's theory that 300,000 people were massacred. There are various people who think that it was a massacre of 10,000 to 30,000 prisoners of war, as Japanese researchers think, some who think it was a massacre of 100,000 people, and some who think that such an incident did not occur at all. I love Japan's diverse and free speech space. In the end, I think the truth about Nanjing lies in one of these.
@@犬まにまに not only nanjing but 20 million Chinese people (3.5% China population at that time),2 million Vietnam people ( japan steal rice and food make 8% of vn population dead at that time),4-5 million Indonesia (6%-7% Indonesia population at that time),1 million Philippines (6% Philippines population at that time) ,...is kill by japan 😡😡😡😡
as Indonesian, my late great grandparents and grandparent were still remember how cruel japanese at that time compare to Dutch at that time. we have a neighbour who are former forced-being comfort woman ( she passed away already) who were takken care by her niece, when she remembered the cruelty of japanese made her almost crazy. These people i guess bring the grudge till they passed away.
My grandfather and his brother, who were normal civillians, were victims of the Japanese soldier abuse in Malaysia. They detained and beaten them up trying to get information about the local communist rebels who were defending the people against the Japanese at the time. They also shot his brother dead right in front of him. While the whole world speaks about the Nanking Rape (which itself is already a huge tragedy), less has been said about the additional pain and horrors they caused across SEA.
@@simsgazytech2013 I'm Indonesian too, and I remember the anguish that my late grandma felt when she remembered the atrocities that the Japanese did to her generation. It's crazy sad. The violence, people forced to wear rice sacks as clothes... There's a reason why there's a saying in Indonesia: "The Japanese enslaved Indonesians for only four years, but its violence was more brutal than the Dutch's 300 year enslavement". I pray for your late great grandparents and neighbour, may they find peace 🙏🏻
I'm Indonesian, I understand how japanese feels about what he did, just like me and other asians who have same feelings when we know japanese empire army killed millions people in asia during WW2, but today we can forgive each other without forgetting our history as a lessons to never let it happened again in the future ❤
Asian Boss does great, valuable work. However, I have to say that I do not think asking people who have not seen the film Oppenheimer to opine about it is a productive use of anyone's time - not theirs, not yours, not ours. It is not a documentary. It is not a new historical study of the atomic age. It is not a new biography of Oppenheimer. It is not focused on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. It is not even an ethical or geopolitical appraisal of the bomb itself - its use in WWII or as nuclear deterrence. It is a work of film art. I realize some people have a hard time understanding exactly what that means and tend to approach any and all movies as if they are some kind of political or social commentary on reality. However, that is ultimately an adolescent way to understand what a film is. Christopher Nolan is no slouch. His movies are unique in how they use sound, how storylines (and timelines) are constructed, how he borrows from major modern scientific concepts and use them to build story-worlds (instead of simply using them as plot points.) Oppenheimer is ultimately not about the bomb at all. It is an exploration of the moral crisis that entraps a single man and the political ensnarement that ensues when he feels compelled to grapple with his morals in public. Aesthetically, the film is an oceanic barrage of sounds, dialogues and imagery that force the audience swim alongside Oppenheimer as he navigates the impossible moral quandies of the brave new nuclear world he helped to create. If the film was not released in Japan, fine. There are plenty of Japanese cultural works that speak to the bomb and post-atomic culture in very profound ways - and still more that only refer to it obliquely. But inviting speculation about a movie which they haven't seen? There's literally no point to that. Sorry Asian Boss. You disappointed me just this once.
The gentleman in the plain white t-shirt who spoke about Korea as well seems so sensitive and insightful, I would love to have a long conversation with him, on this and many other subjects. What an amazing person! Also, the woman with the grey hat was also really brilliant with a wonderful, “big picture” perspective . I feel like she and I could be great friends and talk for hours and hours, if only I had learned Japanese when I had the chance!
Same. We have very similar ideas. I’d love to have a whole philosophical discussion with him. Sadly I don’t have any friends who care about discussions of that level and complexity. I have done a lot of college level work in high school about these kinds of things though
It is crucial for the Japanese to learn about their worst moment in their history and prevent it from happening again. the empire of Japan was their darkest moment
I think this is one of the most interesting street interviews ever done by Asian Boss. Good job! Most of the respondents gave good answers, but I found the ones from the lady with the mask and the man in the white tee (14:36) to be the best of all.
This is what is taught in Japan: 1. There was no surrender of Japan. It was a ceasefire (teisen 停戦) 2. Contrary to Germany, most Japan did not really feel guilty about its atrocities in WW2. Japan just avoid talking about WW2 to its people
Give me a break, the Japanese Empire was looking for the Death Ray as well as Nuclear Bombs during the War. If they had them they would of used them freely.
Japan being criticized is a good thing considering all the horrendous things they did, they certainly weren’t the good guys that’s for sure and their curriculum should absolutely teach abt the horrible things they did. America gets criticized for its wrongdoings even by American citizens as they should but Japanese citizens seem to not wanna talk about the horrible things their country did. Obviously there are Japanese ppl who absolutely call out their countries atrocities but they seem to be a minority.
Fascinating how different their state/ education approach es the topic from a German pov. Focusing on their own victims, building shrines and museums to their own dead, focusing solely on the crimes committed against them while not even mentioning the people that suffered under them and tearing down the memorials dedicated to them. This almost seems like a polar opposite to how my country/ people went about tackling the memory of the war. I wonder what lesson Japanese take from that education, that war is wrong or that losing a war is wrong
The lesson they take is that losing is embarrassing. The postwar governments wanted to move on as quickly as possible, and were urged by America to do so, as they needed a counterweight in the region economically to USSR/Chinese influence
Japan never accepted the defeat the way Germany did. Those statues and memorials are treated like an existential threat to their status quo because to many in the govt, _they are_ an existential threat.
Hiding the fact isnt the right way to do it either. If I were Japanese, i would want to see what we did wrong leading up to ww2 event. There is no need to feel bad cuz its the decisions made by people in the past. We are present to learn from the mistakes of the past. I havent checked out the movie Oppenheimer yet. This video make me want to see what the movie is actually about.
Tell that to conservative white Americans who as we speak are banning/ rewriting history books, schools curriculum and anything that teach about the atrocities white Americans committed toward Black Americans.
Americans were originally planned to used the atomic bomb to be dropped in Berlin to end the Nazi's reign of Europe along with the Fascist influences of WW2, but once the Manhattan Project (Oppenheimer's creation of atomic bomb) was finished and succeed, Europe was already free from the Nazis, but Japan still not giving up on their colonization throughout East Asia. This giving the American government along with Oppenheimer himself an opportunity and allowed the atomic bomb to be dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Just six days after the bombs dropped, Imperial Japan were finally decided to surrendered and thus ended the entirety of WW2.
Appreciate this discourse. I've been curious as to whether Oppenheimer will be released in Japan ever since the launch of the film here in the states, and I'm interested in hearing their reception. These were thoughtful questions accompanied by insightful responses from a variety of perspectives.
The pictures used for Unit 731 were pictures from the 1911 Manchurian plague mixed with pictures from the Jinan incident. In other words, they used pictures of Japanese victims. We are angry.
@@thelastdefenderofcamelot5623 Im sorry that the film has sparked anger to this degree. I have not seen the film, but have done much research into UNIT 731 and its branches along with everything they did throughout WWII. I''m not sure how th efilm depicted those events, but what is true is that UNIT 731 committed some of the most egregious atrocities in history for biological warefare- next to the doctors at the nazi concentration camps.
@@cynthx You asked about 731. The pictures used for Unit 731 were pictures from the 1911 Manchurian plague mixed with pictures from the Jinan incident. In other words, they used pictures of Japanese victims. Basically it was a total lie. So what is your definition of truth? We question the authenticity of the source when the photos have Chinese looking soldiers or when they are digitally altered.
@@sdqsdq6274 Most of Chinese history deliberately ignores a lot of the crimes done by the Chinese warlords and by Chiang Kai-shek's army. The Changsha fire and they blew up a dam that killed a total of half a million people. The gibbetted heads for example were actually crimes committed by Chinese warlords but blamed on Japanese as part of Nanking atrocity. Zyklon B for example was a chemical was developed by Siemens company that was used for the Holocaust program. Such development for deadly chemical was documented and there are a lot of evidences on how its made and where it came from. However when one looks at 731, we ask what company was involved, who provided all the funding, what chemicals were made and what kind of tools were used on the prisoners. I can assure you 99% of the Chinese won't know this answer.
In the anime "High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World". There is a scene where the Japanese Characters launch and detonated a nuke. It was super cursed 💀
Unlike the Germans the Japanese have never shown any remorse for the revolting things they did during WW2. They play the victim when the reality is far from this.
If this was my country, I'd be so embarrassed by the sheer unwillingness to face the past. They don't know their own involvement. They don't know who they are. Edit: mind you, the woman with the hat is really insightful! Having watched the whole video, i think quite a few of these people would actually really appreciate the movie. It's really not about the bomb. It's about how you get there, and who you become.
This was a very insightful video, Some of the opinions in this video were very enlightening. The older lady spoke very well about things, and the young woman at the end spoke very well, especially about letting your inner warmth come out or listening to your "Inner Warmth", I thought that was beautiful.
To the guy in the white shirt who wanted to know Oppenheimer's motivation in creating the atomic bomb. During the war, Oppenheimer was told by General Marshal and the Secretary of State that they needed the bomb to end the war. That was his motivation - to end the war without inflicting potentially hundred of thousands of deaths on US soldiers had the US troops needed to land on Japanese islands . I saw a CBS interview of Oppenheimer after the war and he explained that at the time and under such circumstances he felt that that was the only option to end the war but looking back he felt that there could have been other options.
As an ethnic Chinese, every time someone speaks of the 200k deaths caused by atomic bombs, I can't help but wonder what about the 20M souls of China that vanished during the war. Some would even rebut that the 200k deaths happened much faster and therefore are more worthy of sympathy, as if dying by a few hundreds per day seem okay to them... The modern west seem to have more sympathy for Japan because post-war Japan became an ally of the west, and China became a foe. But the gone souls of 1937-1945 had nothing to do with post-WW2 geopolitics. I don't hold a grudge against Japanese. But to think that the world never really look at history with proper perspectives, it's just sad.
I know men, my country indonesia and many others country... Just because their country got destroyed by something visually stunning doesn't mean the country they destroyed doesn't important
I taught English in Japan, and if you are too, never ever bring up this topic. Especially with older people. I'm British, and they even got angry at me a bit.
Such an interesting topic. Not that anyone cares, but here's my take on it. 1. I think a big part of the decision to release it in Japan isn't just from the Japanese side. I'm sure the movie makers and distributors need to think if it will even sell enough tickets to justify it. Businesses always need to think about the money side of things, and Japanese theaters have a host of movies that compete for theater spots. 2. How will it be translated? I'm sure the Japanese government will have a huge roll into making sure the translation doesn't put Japan in a negative light, which is somewhat understandable, but part of me wonders why they care about an Imperial Japan that no longer exists anymore. Well, maybe to avoid public opinions going sour or having to own up to history. 3. Why not let it play and let the people decide what to think or whether or not they want to go see it or not? People vote with their dollar, so if it doesn't do well, fine, if it does do well, also fine. Maybe that style is too "hands-off" for the Japanese government though. 4. The movie actually focuses very little on Japan. It also does a very good job of showing different perspectives and feelings about the development and use of the weapon, perhaps even painting the US leaders in a negative light. The movie definitely focuses more on Oppenheimer's life specifically and not on the war. It's more about the process and hurdles of scientific development and the advantages and disadvantages of such development. 5. I wasn't even interested actually in seeing the movie as far as the plot, but eventually went because some friends wanted to go. And as someone who wasn't even interested in seeing it, I gotta hand it to the directors, the sound design, the actors, and just the whole production team on making such a fantastic movie. They got me to enjoy something I didn't care about at all. So if you're like me and don't really care about the movie, I think you'd still enjoy watching like I did because of the reasons mentioned above. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk😄 Hope they do eventually release it in Japan.
2. Based on the conclusion of Ruth Benedict's work "kiku to katana", to better or more easily manage post-war Japan, the US made the decision to keep Japan's Tenou worship system, instead of recreating a new one from scratch. That is to say, there is not a clean cut in Japanese history before and after WW2, the people are still the same old type of Japanese people, otherwise the post-war officials wouldn't have kept visiting the Yasukuni.
"In Japan they would be set up like this: they’d have a factory; and then the families, in their homes throughout the area, would manufacture small parts. You might call it a home folks assembly line deal. The Suzuki clan would manufacture bolt 64; the Harunobo family next door might be making nut 64, 65, or 63, or all the gaskets in between. These would be manufactured right in the same neighborhood. Then Mr. Kitagawa from the factory would scoot around with his cart and pick up the parts in proper order." - Curtis Emerson LeMay
We've barely hit beyond a century after the end of WW2. If countries like Korea and China were to ever let go of their resentment against Japan's atrocities, and Japan's pain from America's atomic bombings, it's going to take up to at least year 2075-2100 at minimum before these nations could start to heal and open up these topics for historical learning. As long as individuals whom suffered WW2 trauma still lives up till this day, factual details can never be shared globally out of sensitivity. I feel Oppenheimer was a really good film for japanese people to experience, because the movie taught us the gravest mistakes humanity made during those days : By solving problems with solutions that create more problems.
You have to know that during WW2, America was on an arms race with the Nazis, to see who would create it first, Oppenheimer with America and Heisenberg for the Nazis, during the whole race to an atomic bomb, America was more motivated through beating the Nazis and innovating than ever killing normal people. So the woman with the mask said it very well, "Whoever invented it first would have used it first". For America's atomic bomb, they finished it right after Nazi Germany had surrendered, with the only sole country standing Japan, and with Japan refusing to surrender, America thought that we should at least try out this bomb since we have spent so much resources (money, time, people) building it.
Japan was the aggressor in WWII and attacked the United States 1st. As tragic as that was, dropping the atomic bomb on Japan resulted in ending WWII sooner, thus saving more lives.
As a K Canadian, the history textbook brainwashed the young Korean students and fed negativity. The Japaneses students I met in England, weren't like the textbook. They were very independent reasonable normal people. I met so many good Japanese friends. The thieves were Korean friends. Also I met good Korean friends too.
I am now in the process learning the language of Japan. And based on my observation of the japanese culture. They are so isolated to the outside world, like the source of information the japanese people received is all from the japanese perspective. And bcs of the lack of knowledge in english. They can't see the whole picture of the world. Everything is HALF TRUE . And so, I feel sad for them
As an Asian, we often avoid discussing our painful past to avoid being reminded. That being said, as a naturalized US citizen, yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. I would also approach a film about the Twin Towers from the Middle East with caution, given the controversial belief that it was an inside job orchestrated by the US government.
I wonder if they don't have like, acess to the internet. 4 minutes on google would educated them already. I mean, I know It's hard to deal with the fact that the country you were born was part of the Axis Powers, and did many bad things, but c'mon, you can't run away from the forever.
WOW. That was impactful. Those people which were being interviewed impressed me. Although we share the same perspectives and even thoughts on it, I didn't expect to see all those people with different, but yet very intelligent perspectives on the matter. It honestly gives me faith in humanity.
After listening to Dan Carlin's series on the Pacific Theatre of WWII, he pretty much convinced me that if the atomic bombs were not dropped, Japan would have fought to the last man/woman/child standing in the home islands.
Definitely interesting to see their perspective not only about the movie but the event of the past. Because like someone mentioned, they probably were not educated as seriously unless they went to Hiroshima or Nagasaki. For sure it can be one sided, but the past information missing about why Americans drop them, but not just anywhere, has an answer to why twice in those locations. Experiments did happen, but an Island unfortunately leading to the catastrophes in Japan. I love history and war should not be one sided because the truth is missing.
i'm confused how everyone in the comment section is saying how they have friends in japan who say they were never taught about japan's involvement in WWII/the bombing; meanwhile, eveyrone in this video says they were taught not only about WWII/the bombing, but also how japan was at fault. something's not adding up lol
It depends on their province, they didn't have a standard education in WW2 mainly because they were the bad guys, but try to simplify the war and lessen the Japanese involvement in the war.
Oppenheimer is actually quite respectful of Japan when talking about the casualties and the subject .Also, Japan 🇯🇵 already made films about the bombing of their own country back in the day when Japanese civilians and military personnel and veterans of the war were still alive , so the person that goes it’s insensitive to make a movie about it is being ridiculous , You young people of Japan can’t speak as if you were there during that time , and since when did you young Japanese people ever care about imperial Japan ? Young people in Japan statistically don’t even vote let alone care about their own politics, they just leave it for the older people to deal with !! Here are the films in question that Japan made of the subject :Black Rain (1989) from Toei, Children of Hiroshima (1952) from Japan Teachers Union, Hiroshima (1953) from director Hideo Sekigawa , Barefoot Gen (1976) 'I Live In Fear' (1955) . So what was that again about it being insensitive!?!!
I am Japanese, and I saw this movie. I felt from this movie " it was good movie but they tried not to show what's happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki." I have a opinion every human need to know what's happened there. There is a possibility that a nuclear war will occur in the future, and anyone can become a victim. I know what Japan did. But the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki realized that nuclear bombs cannot be simply expressed as a bilateral issue. Nuclear weapons are a problem that threatens the existence of humanity. So they are warning. To humanity as humanity. I think it shouldn't be used. I don't think this movie was able to read that intention. It's a good movie though.
While Japanese schools don't teach people a lot of information about actions their country took during WW2 in schools, I think that these interviews show that the modern populace in Japan could have the emotional maturity to come to terms with it in cinemas. Releasing Oppenheimer in Japan would be a step in the right direction even though (spoilers) it doesn't really show the bombings themselves. It showed one man's efforts in how he created a weapon of mass destruction that would be used on Japan and how that fact affected him. I would love it if a Japanese director makes a history film that challenges that status quo and shows an unflinching raw look at Japanese actions during the war in a manner akin to Schindler's List.
Not likely to happen. Japanese Actors careers already get ruined if they play WW2 soldiers during the occupational period. It doubt some Japanese film maker will be brave enough to even make one, and even if they do, its highly unlikely to get released.
@@darkevilazn yep. the way r**e of Nanjing is described in their history books, no wonder they don't have any remorse and can't justify what was done against them.
I'm a German and I've watched probably over 50 ww2 movies, series and documentaries. We also have a whole school year of history class dedicated to ww2 and the atrocious things we Germans have done during that time (visiting a concentration camp is mandatory btw.). We also never tried to justify the things that have been done and knowing everything about it, ensures that we will try everything in our power to NEVER let that happen again.
Did I feel bad for what has been done? YES of course, but I never felt bad being a German because of the way Germany handled everything afterwards.
I would hope for Japan to come to terms with their past because this will also help them understand the feelings of other countries towards them.
I’m not 💯 but I’ve heard that they teach a certain version of what happened in Japanese schools..
japanese history classes and books downplayed the atrocities they inflicted in Asia to save face. i am very glad germany took a different path, the past is surely behind Germans.
Germany has been amazing in its handling of the history of World War 2 in relation to educating its own population. It's not perfect but it's definitely something all nations should pay attention to. Frankly, I feel Germany has done a better job than any country including the western powers like the UK.
Too much is brushed under the carpet by all nations - some worse than others. Nanking, Poland and the Red Army, Invasion of Siciliy by Allied forces, German invasion by Allied and Soviet forces, just the whole Pacfic front etc. have seen many instances of cruelty and suffering to civilians alongside other war crimes. Some nations are (much) worse than others but we as the current generations need to look at the past and seek the truth and accept the reality no matter how much it hurts us to know about it.
I wish more nations followed Germany's path in this manner - and for everybody to do better/improve upon it.
@@gyg8853 That is not true. Have you ever taken any history classes at school in Japan?
Sure, but I still don’t know how this justifies the use of the bomb on civilians when it wasn’t necessary at all
The lady with the mask said it best, whoever invented it first would've used it first. Japan would've used it on America if it had the chance. It's crazy how there is backlash against the movie. Know your history and your country and all of it's deeds.
Japan was in development of the Japanese supersubs which were meant to attack the us mainland
That’s a little difficult as America has re written a lot of history compared to all the world, America is the most evilest one out of the entire world.
クレイジーだと言い切るあなたの発言も偏っている。
日本が発明したら日本が最初に原爆を使ったはずだ、とか、そういう話ではない。
どの国であれどの時代であれ、原爆を使ってはいけなかった。オッペンハイマーが原爆を作った人だと聞いて、そのことに対してポジティブな印象を抱かないことについて、それは当然そうなってもしようがないことだ。
何をもってクレイジーだと言ってるんだ。
そういう発言をしたがるあなたの感性がネジ曲がってるってんだ
また、あなたが、日本の歴史、国、行為をすごくよく知っているような言い方をしているが、なぜそういえる？
あなたが知っている日本についての情報は全て正しいかもしれない。しかしそのような発言をするという時点で、あなたは自分がこれまでたまたま得たその一部の情報のみで、それ以上の情報を向上心をもって得ようとしたわけでもなく、偏った目線で有頂天になって上から目線でものを言っているだけだ。
ちなみに、その映画はどういうものかは見ないとわからない。見てみないと評価も感想も出てこない。だから公開したほうがよいと私は思う。
True but the bombs were not necessary to end the war.
Yes Japan has history denial, but so does America.
There would never be a good reason to massacre civilians.
(very minor spoiler ahead)
I think it's very important to note that Oppenheimer does not even focus on the Japan bombings - basically at all. We don't see it taking place, we only hear about it from a radio broadcast for a few seconds. The entire other part focuses on the emotional stress perceived by Oppenheimer. If anything, I would guess this appeals to those deciding when the film airs in Japan. It's not disrespectful, rather quite generous in recognizing the atrocities this one man "made possible". The villain in the movie is someone else entirely, and massive shade is thrown to the US president.
Japan is a cringe weeboo country.
They need lslam and sharia law to fix their country.
I agree. And some Japanese citizens might even find it offensive how little the movie spends on Japan and the effects of the bomb on their country.
If someone don't watch well leave it, don't insist
I still think the film focusing so much on someone who invented the bombs and did little to think about how he was contributing to the death of many people in Japan wouldn't sit well with Japanese people.
@@MidnightEkakiwho cares
In my opinion, the elderly woman had the most insightful and smart argument about all the respondents. I totally agree with her.
I concur, her informed opinions were very mature throughout the whole interview. She definitely had deep understanding on the nuances of the situation as a whole.
+1, and also the guy that travels to Korea has a good point aswell in his answers
I thought the exact same. She knew the history of her own country within the broader international historical context and formulated an opinion that I can understand and do in fact share.
But the fact that Japan didn't deserve the bombings is another story. If this was nazi Germany then Japan wouldn't say that
@@Tuturial464 If the nuclear bombs would have been used in military targets only, that would have been a different story. But both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were cities full of civilians. I don't care what people said about the justification of those nuclear bombs, it's still a war crime to kill civilians, especially when they killed hundreds of thousands.
This just proves this information isn't being taught in Japanese schools.
as I know history is select course in Japan. Unless student wanted to become a historian or archaeologist etc, they will drop it for more focus on subject can help them enter the college. This is one of the reason that many teens in japan didnt know what happen and what japan have done in WWII. (If I get wrong, please tell me)
tbf, before the movie most Americans wouldn't even know who Oppenheimer is
I bet 80%of American think Einstein made the bomb
We Japanese are taught about Japanese war crimes in Nanjing, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, and the Manhattan Project. Throw away false stereotypes😊
@@annaairahala9462 Correct. Source, am american and some of my friends didn't even know who he was before the movie was released.
I’m from Hiroshima. Censoring what we are allowed to watch is wrong. The censorship is what bothers me over the actual film. Why are we not allowed to watch it? Just because it will offend others? Let them be offended. We should be allowed to have the freedom to watch what we like in Japan, and formulate our own opinions/thoughts on the events of WW2.
The odd thing about this is simply that the film is really about Oppenheimer the man - far more than the bomb itself. And it is VERY far from being a positive representation of the atomic bomb. In fact, the central theme in Oppenheimer was the moral horror he feels having brought the atomic bomb into the world.
The censorship in Japan speaks to the difficulties Japanese culture sometimes has with dealing honestly with this particular part of history. Many foreigners don't understand this aspect of modern Japan at all, but some of us do. There's a fear of re-opening a past which was both traumatic for the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (not to mention countless others who were bombed or died in battle) - and which is a source of shame for the Japanese nation, given how Imperial Japan behaved in the nations it invaded. All this in a culture which places a lot of emphasis on not upsetting public order and decorum - and not shaming others or doing anything that would shame yourself or your family. It is much easier to censor the film - to not speak too much about the war at all, except when absolutely necessary.
If a generation of young Japanese could find a way to better explain this to the world, but especially those nations where there are people who still have some anger towards Japan, it would be a sign of real progress.
based
I never liked how Japan tries to hide what happened during WW2
Because the politicians today are direct descendants of the people who ordered all Japan's attrocities to be done. That's why they censor even textbooks in classrooms. It's their idea of protecting their name and their family's "honor". As a foreign English teacher I cannot begin to tell you the shock and disbelief I felt when I realised the kevel of censorship and white washing of HISTORY. And since I'm foreign I'm powerless. I can only look on and feel sorry for the young people who are being lied to by way of omission.
I thought Japan was a "free" country
Sounds like China with democracy to me
There are a lot of misunderstandings about this movie. One, it isn’t pro nuclear weapons. At all. One of the main takeaways from the movie is the amount of guilt Oppenheimer felt in creating the atomic bomb. Second, it wasn’t just an American movie. On Wikipedia, it’s listed as both a British and American film. Half of the actors in the movie were non American including the guy who played Oppenheimer (he’s Irish). Christopher Nolan the director is British. Finally, Japan needs to own up to the fact that they were the main aggressor in the Pacific War. Every country has dark parts of their history and there’s no shame in acknowledging it. Hardly anyone thinks less of modern day Germany because of the Holocaust and Germany has great relations with its neighbors. To contrast, one of the main reasons why Japan still has sour relations with its neighbors while Germany doesn’t is because so many Japanese still see themselves as the victim. The atomic bombs were horrible, but they don’t make Japan a victim of the war they started. Japan would likely have much better relationships with its neighbors if they owned up to their past the way Germany has.
Factual....sad
Propaganda garbage. Oppenheimer was WELL AWARE what he was doing, but he did it anyway. The Danish scientist Niels Bohr was another contributor, who allowed science to be used to created a weapon for mass destruction.
You lost me at "The atomic bombs were horrible, but they don’t make Japan a victim of the war they started"
Well said🙌🏻🙌🏻
Exactly, japs todays and back in the days are pretty much the same, full of soy boys who only brave to hide shits and stuff lol
9:47 this guy gets it. It’s never a bad thing to be shown multiple perspectives. That’s the best way to get a true understanding of events.
I really like the elderly lady's view on this topic because you can tell shes more informed. The fact that shes aware of Japan's war atrocities during that period and doesn't try to hide it or justify it as "good". Hearing her points really restored my faith a bit in Japanese people.
I also really like the opinion of the guy that travels to Korea. You can tell that he thought a lot about how other countries think of Japan and their atrocities.
I think, on a personal level, every person should try to travel internationally. Its honestly a really good learning and growth experience. I think governments tend to be evil and want to groom their citizens a certain way.
Great job with these interviews and questions, Asian Boss! I love your content.
I really find amazing how people hate other countries and people with so much openness as if you thinking that hating others makes you a hero or more progressive when in reality, it just makes you a racist person who complaints about a country that doesn’t even affect you in any way shape or form, it’s impressive how obsessed people are towards Japan and hating that country like…that sounds like you neeed some mental help…..
Common, even me, as a Mexican who HAS LIVED through the racism the present day racism of the US, seen their actions by putting dictators in LATAM and supporting coups in LATAM and just being shitty neighbors…I don’t hate them….how can I, a third world country citizen can be more aware and mature than people who supposedly have better education systems and even better values, because if you hate Japan means you think you have better values than them, so I will tell you, I have better values than you, and Japanese people too….because they don’t hate like you guys….the arrogance
Eiji Tsuburaya, Ishiro Honda, Hideo Kojima: Our Anti War shows are a joke, i guess
@@TsugMt If this sounds like hate to you, you need to go see a therapist. Or are you sympathizing with what Japan and the Axis did in WW2?
If anything, this just shows that you have no right to speak for other countries/races just because you're a minority of another.
There are always good people living everywhere, it can be hard to remember that fact but I think there are many more good people than there are cruel ones. They're just a lot quieter living their lives. I have a lot of respect that she's informed on her country's past as well
@@TsugMt I hate how people always repeat the same thing everyone says until it becomes accepted, even when it's not 100% true and correct. It really shows you who's being brainwashed and who's the sane, that doesn't mask atrocities of neither side. I feel so disgusted when I see people wanting to justify mass murder (this is happening right now with the Israel and Hamas situation) and spread the myth that USA and european countries are the good guys that saved the world, when they are far worse than any other country I've seen. The only country I've seen admiting their mistakes is Germany.
But sure American, keep talking about how Japanese people don't recognize their past and want to hide what they done to other nations. I trust 100% that you care about innocent lives!
I was surprised to hear the one lady say that Japan did some bad things during World War 2 and that Japan was not in the right. I really appreciate that as someone from an Allied country. I've seen reports of how Japan as a whole doesn't really educate its people on the country's wrongdoings during the war (Unit 731, The Rape of Nanking, etc), with people like Shinzo Abe going as far as denying that such things even took place.
I respect her opinion that the atomic bombs were not justified, but people will have to agree to disagree on that point.
This is actually such a stereotypical so-not-true impression of Japanese people. In fact they all learn and know what their country did during the war, and most of the people still even feel guilty although it’d happened way before they were born. Some teachers even teach kids to be ashamed of being Japanese.
Also Japan’s government has apologized and paid compensations to other Asian countries literally tons of times.
However some of the “victim” countries only accept money and never accept apologies, and keep blaming Japan’s past so that they can keep getting money whenever they like forever, which I think is the biggest reason why so many people around the world still believe Japan’s not facing their past and doesn’t educate people about their war crimes in the history.
She actually also stated that whoever invented it first. She is basically saying Japan would've used the nuke too. Especially since Japan didn't shy away from ANY methods.
@@seandown6531 You are clearly Japanese lol. None of the young people being interviewed knew of Oppenheimer.
I am Japanese. Whenever I look at the comment sections of videos of Japanese wars, I feel that Japanese people are being stereotyped incorrectly. I think this is mainly due to the bias of the media in each country. Most young Japanese people of course know about Hakenkreuz, they also know about Nanjing, and they have been educated. Rather, I think Americans and Koreans don't know about massacres and rapes in the Vietnam War....🤔
Yeah, and allied countries are peak of righteousness. So righteous, after WW2 WALTZING TO ASIA TO DIVIDE THE COLONIES.
Dont ride your high horse to asia. We sick of you people.
I appreciate the guy who admitted that Japan's movies on wars reflect them in a softer light, just how US movies do that with our country's war history. We really paint a brush over our atrocities. I do think it's valuable to see the outside criticism of how others felt during war time, and learn that things weren't so black and white. That said, I know dramatized movies are one of the worst ways to learn history, but I also know it's the most common and approachable method. It at least starts the conversation. Very interesting video.お疲れさまでした！
In America we learn about our past and even now there are those who are fighting against those who white wash history and remove monuments of racists and insensitive leaders.
Japan elects prime minister who deny it ever happen and still shrines for war criminals.
The Pentagon is literally involved in scripts and equipment for Hollywood movies. It's not some conspiracy type of thing, just to mention that.
I think people should know about this and talk about it more. Propaganda is more alive than maybe ever these days and especially movies are a great tool to get into people's heads.
American culture is one of the most influential in the world, especially because of all those Hollywood movies.
The issue I take with that is, that the government has no business to be doing that, in my opinion. Soft power games, manipulating, deceiving people and literally portraying a different picture from reality for this malicious reasons is immoral and I strongly oppose it.
Growing up in Germany, with Serbian roots, I always had to question stuff. And it really helped me to not be a blind nationalist. But I know that there are plenty of people out there which are even more nationalistic with that kind of upbringing. And generally speaking, it doesn't matter what your roots are if you grow up in a different country. I've seen that with all kinds of nationalities.
But we obviously need different perspectives and opinions to get an understanding of each other and to fill our blind spots. I sometimes just question the honesty of the approach.
A few American films have been critical of America as well .... look at Oppenheimer itself....it showed how much of an evil Truman was.... but the Japanese would not recognise their brutality during world war 2
Only Korean films depict Japanese brutality to its core
If you want to learn about Japanese brutality through films, watch Korean films
@@oo0OAO0ooYup, the exponential advancement of media definitely propelled propaganda to a new level. It’s just people don’t know how to identify it or they can’t believe they consume it. Propaganda is too heavily associated with authoritarian regimes to the point that everyone else believes they cannot be victims of it.
@@peterparker9954
Dude. American movies are always depicting their soldiers as heroes.
Every movie about Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East in general makes it look like the invaders are the heroes while hundred thousands died from bombings of the occupiers.
Japan does propaganda as well.
But this happens in Hollywood every day. US movies are notorious for their war movies with propaganda.
As a Korean person living in Japan these interviews are super valuable to understand Japanese people. Please keep doing the good work！
Japan is a cringe weeboo country
Korea is a cringe GAY country
You guys need lslam and sharia law to fix your country
日本から出ていってくれ
I really appreciate everyone in this video for sharing their honest feelings, insights, personal experiences. Many of them, not only are aware of these issues, but also clearly had gone through some processes and reflections that made up how they think about these issues. I just find it really beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for this intriguing interview. Great job!
To be fair, the movie didn't touch much about Japan. It's the perspective of the inventor, who came to realize how deadly his weapon was....is.
“It’s understandable that it would be banned because 200,000 died in the atomic bombings of Japanese cities” but the movie isn’t about those bombings or cities, it’s about the man who made the bomb and making the most destructive weapon in human history and its consequences
probably just as problematic for people whose families were rended over generations in the 200,000 deaths to humanize the man who built the weapon used to carry out that massacre
@@BronzeAgePepperit doesn’t humanise him though just tell the stories.Your argument could also be proven quite meh if we are gonna consider how the Japanese people humanise themselves and ignore the horrific travesties done to the Chinese people by the Japanese
@@BronzeAgePepperThose people don't have to watch the movie. There are countless of movies made about the holocaust but I don't see Jews offended at them.
@@BronzeAgePepper "Humanize" like Oppenhiemer was an Alien from mars. Even terrible things are part of 'humanity'. Plus the movie is more a deconstruction nd impact of such a creation. It is not an outright justification of anything. Just an attempt to portray what happened through cinema.
It's weird that they feel a certain way about nuclear weapons, but when showed the swastika, younger people had no clue what it was. I wonder if they know about what kind of war crimes japan did in the WW2
They probably have no idea or are taught about the war crimes of the allies.
@@trollof229antthevariable9”fake news”, in the extreme right japs knowledge book
these are civillians, of course the don’t know.
@@kevinwijaya9613 I bet every German civillians knows about the crimes of fascism and most people dislike Nazis, but the Japanese don't know that they don't have the correct historical education
I am Japanese.
I think most Japanese young people know Hakenkreuz. If there is a video of an interview with a young man who says he doesn't know about it, it's an intentionally very biased one that piggybacks on the typical stereotype that the Japanese are completely uneducated about their past war crimes😅
That woman is telling the truth, if Japan was the first who was able to discover nukes then it would be a tragic disaster.
USA even threaten to bomb China at one point. Do you know that. They are using Oppenheimer as to show they are on higher moral ground.
it was a tragic disaster regardless
It's easy to look in hindsight. But was it really? What the Japanese were doing was horrific and tragic. When they started a war and would use every means necessary to win - there's nothing 'tragic' about the ones they declared it upon by doing what was necessary to win. If Japan conquered the US they would not have been nearly as nice to the population as the US was to them (as seen in China/Korea/Australia... war is tragic.. but doing what was necessary to win was not@@MidnightEkaki
It will happen if they gather resources which they are struggling in the midst of ww2. It's either Germany or US whose in the race.
@@MidnightEkaki It would be very far from Tragic Disaster if Japan was the first who discover Nukes, even if a country ahle to create It too then what??? China, Korea and many more already nuked and that said country cannot even use the nuke bcz They would be nuked too, that's why US can use Nukes bcz They are the only one who had It and why Soviet only have Nuke as Threat to US🥴💀
I watched this movie for two weeks ago. It is not about the Manhattan project or dropping the nuclear bombs on Japan. The movie is about the person Oppenheimer. I think most people don’t realise that before they have watched the movie including myself. I don’t think it glorifies anyone but it tells the story about Oppenheimer. In that light I don’t it can offend any Japanese.
I've seen Oppenheimer and I didn't think it was anti-Japanese at all. The people involved in the creation of the atom bomb almost seemed to have alarmingly little awareness of the Japanese side of WW2. In that sense the movie felt more anti American, if anything. As such, I think it will be released in Japan at some point.
I honestly fear that this movie will only serve to keep Japanese people oblivious of the dark side of the Japanese regime at that time. Although painful no doubt, I think learning about its' fascist nature is an important history lesson. World War 2 also wasn't a pleasant time for Japanese people by a long shot, mind you.
The rest of the world could do with a history lesson about the pacifist path Japan took after the war but that's a different issue.
Yeah they thought they were making the bomb just to scare the Germans into submission; Japan wasn't even on their radar until it was already out of their hands
The "pacifist path" you speak of was forced into the new Japanese Constitution as a surrender condition by the USA to prevent Japan from ever making war again. We took away their ability to have an army and even then the Japanese found a legal loophole in order to create the JDF. You don't give the Japanese Hawks enough credit. Peace within doesn't mean peace towards others.
Even listening to Nolan talk about the film he stresses the project was started in retaliation to the Nazis looking into doing the same thing
there isn't Anti Japanese or Anti American sentiments.
I won't say Nolan got anti-American, but I think he's another naive modern-day liberal.
The whole point of the movie was to show how complex a character Oppenheimer was. It neither vilified him nor portrayed him as a hero. It was a bio-pic simply for the purpose of letting you make your own conclusions about the whole thing.
The reason Asian Boss is the best street interviews in Asia is because they offer a wide range of thoughtful opinions within a single video. Not many channels do that.
Even AFTER both bombs were dropped, many people in Japan's government were STILL against surrender and tried to remove the emperor to prevent a surrender. They would rather every last man, woman, and child fight to the death rather than surrender. Whenever I hear people criticize the use of the bombs, I never hear what they think the allies should have done instead. A land invasion against a country with such insane leadership would have been so horrific that the death toll would have dwarfed the death toll of the bombs. The death of innocent civilians is horrible, but I honestly don't know what else they expected the US to do to end the war.
@user-bt4er7lv8p So your argument is that more Japanese should have died via invasion, and Japan should have been split in two (Soviet were invading Manchuria and Japan was next). The nuclear bombs killed less than the fire bombing of Tokyo, yet get more attention. War is awful, but the whole point of using nuclear weapons was to end it faster and save the lives of those that had to fight it. If Japan had surrendered earlier, then it would not have been used.
USA are cowards. Just admit it. They even invented sociocide
i feel so sad when i read this kind of comment... i mean, just read a few book. The government in Japan were military who didn't listen a bit to the Tenno, he DID ask for surrender before the bombs were dropped. Because Japan has already lost the Pacific war, Okinawa was already in the us army's hands, the whole "the japanses won't ever surrender" thing is pure propaganda. it was really just unnecessary to drop these TWO bombs, there is no way you can even excuse that. And obviously Japan was very far from having the ability to create the atomic bomb themselves. people need to see the big picture about how and why the Pacific War came to be in the first place. Geopolitics and History are not a dumb "who's the good guy" question
@@kikuteto Again, you refuse to give an alternative for what the US should have done. And Russia started the war against Ukraine and is committing war crimes, so no they are not justified in using the bomb. Russia can end the war immediately by leaving Ukraine. Japan started the war against the US and was committing war crimes across asia.
"it is my opinion that Japan would have surrendered even without the atomic bombings."
You criticize our "theories" but then say this completely false fact. Even AFTER the bombs were used, they barely wanted to surrender. The minister of the Japanese Army Korechika Anami said "would it not be wondrous for this whole nation to be destroyed like a beautiful flower". He would rather Japan be destroyed and everyone die instead of surrender. You underestimate just how insane Japan's government was at the time. It was a death cult.
If the war went on any longer, then the USSR would have gotten involved and Japan likely would have been split like North and South Korea.
@@kikutetoproblem first, Japan caused a chain reaction by attacking Asia and,Pearl Harbor. Second these Japanese citizens were involved in war crimes and became soldiers. Third, Japan tried to cover up their mistakes.
Fourth Japan even planned to attack the u.s. mainland with chemical warfare. Look up Japanese supersubs
I'm Korean and I was born and raised in Hong Kong. One of my best friends when I was growing up was Japanese. We both loved manga and anime so we were really close. One day, I learned about the things that happened to my grandparents during the war, when Japan colonized Korea. My grandma worked under Japanese companies and she went through a lot of horrible stuff. I was only a 6th grader at the time so I didn't think much when I asked my friend if she knew about the war and what happened. She obviously didn't know and asked her parents about it and they told her whatever I told her was untrue. They knew that Japan colonized Korea but they said it was a good thing, that they helped to develop the country during that period. My friend came back to me and told me I was a liar and we had a huge argument about it. The things I mentioned were true happenings that traumatized my relatives and she couldn't understand if such horrible events occurred why none of her family knew about it. She was told Koreans kept lying about the Japan war because we were jealous and we hated them. Through that experience I learned we had totally different views and that it was something I shouldn't really bring up. We eventually forgot about it and never mentioned it again but it did made me wonder what was taught in Japan's history books.
People who do not learn from history will never get better. This is Japan. When the U.S. military leaves, Japan’s bad guys will immediately show their fangs, and those ignorant good people will become accomplices of bad people.
You didn‘t do anything wrong, but you have to remember those things, tell your descendants, and let them always beware of the Japanese. One day, they will reveal their nature and get involved in the peninsula.
Since decades many countries in Europe have mutual agreements to align history teaching between countries. I know Poland has this kind of agreement with Germany (since 70s)- textbooks are reviewed by historians from both countries etc. and this was in place even before we were all parts of the EU. Similar project was started between Poland and Russia (discontinued by Russian when Putin got to power) or Poland and Ukraine (now on hold because of the war). I think it would be great if Japan and Korea would do something similar - as both are allies, both are western democracies, it should not really be a problem and would benefit everyone.
To be fair, I have no foot in either camp, but I wish I didn't know the details of what Imperial Japan did pre-WW2 and during. Even the Nazis were appalled
@@ims3312Jaoanese don’t have the manpower to project beyond Japan and Korea. They literally needs everyone to take care of the basic economy and the elderly, also they are neighbour with China even if they have twice the manpower they currently have they could not spare any resources to project their powers abroad.
I’m so sorry about that
In my story, my relatives said how Japanese government were horrible at that era he was saved his life by Russian soldiers. So my mother always said how we are lucky America came after ww2 GHQ changed us.
But I know one Japanese man he was my professor he always mentioned Japanese mind lost after GHQ came.
I don’t say anything anymore but please don’t categorize us as one country. Even among Japanese we have a different perspective
“What would you say to the leader of a nuclear weapon state?”
“watch anime”
dude’s a real one LOL
my favourite answer! 😁
Especially One Piece. 😆
Sins of the parents are not the sins of the children. But it is so hard to forgive and forget. My great grandfather was buried alive, and my grandmother was almost raped. She fled to the forest to escape, jumped into a stone well, gashing her leg in the descent, and had the scar until she died. The japanese emperor started it. The japanese soldiers, your ancestors committed war atrocities such as throwing babies in the air and catching them with bayonets. They could have just imprisoned my forefathers, but decided to have brutal fun.
In the end, it’s important to learn your past and your sins
Well, in Chinese there’s an ancient saying “A dutiful son is obliged to pay his fathers' debts”. Every year, the Dutch King apologises for the country’s historical role in slavery. In terms of Japan, as long as the Japanese government still refuses to apologise to all the victim countries, as long as their politicians still worship in Yasukuni Shrine where 1000+ convicted war criminals are buried, I say their ancestors’ sins live on.
@@halloweenist664ok that is a flat faced lie, Japan has apologized for the war multiple times and especially recently the shrine that honors every soldier to ever serve Japan is going to have war criminals every country has war criminals. I mean China had their cultural revolution killing half a million to a million people on the basis they were landlords and rich while still giving the Chinese war criminals burial in Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery (cannibalists, burning children alive on the basis of being children of the rich).
This. My grandma told me her uncle was buried alive by Japanese soldiers, and that wasn’t even the most brutal thing they’ve done. The atrocities are hard to forgive and forget, especially when you learn that the Japanese government has downplayed the war crime ever since
it is hard to forgive when the aggressor doesn't even acknowledge that anything happened. the amount of japanese revisionist "history" books in japanese society is revolting. japanese textbooks paint japan as the victim, and their politicians visiting shrines with A class war criminals to "pay respects" is disgusting
Ask them about Korea, Nanking, Singapore, Phillipines, etc etc...
They threw babies in the air and used bayonets
They all seem to have a reasonable and balanced view on this, which is encouraging to see. I think you might get some different viewpoints if you interviewed some old men that were alive during WW2. They might say things like “we should have finished the job”, which I personally heard an old Japanese man say in Tokyo years ago.
You are making an absurd generalization about people you never talk with
I would believe that tbh
@@ramonemiliochaconperdomo7225 Most Japanese people think that way. They write all these racist comments against Chinese, Koreans, Filipino etc. (essentially everyone who is not from Japan) but you won't find them since they're all written in Japanese. Most Japs think that they didn't do anything wrong and it's all fabrication whilst blaming the US for everything. It's not an absurd generalization.
79 years ago it ended. My MIL was alive for the attack on Pearl Harbor living in Hawaii. Her mother carried her into a sugar cane field. They didn’t know it was coming and which or all habited islands effected. But she was 2 months old at the time. For a man to be of fighting age assuming teens involved a person would have to be well over 90.
Fr history should not be censored or edited in any country. What happened has happened, and everyone has the right to know authentic history
Absolutely 💯 Good or bad... thats how we learn from mistakes and evolve as a species~
Not gonna happen as long as there are humans.
Tell that to conservative white Americans.
you know, i agree but then again, many people just cant handle knowing history, they would get butthurt and get all hateful, even though they should know that the sins of the ancestors/fathers are not the sins of the children, and yet they would agony over it. just few comments above is someone saying its hard to forgive, like what is there to forgive when the people in present day have done nothing at all? these people are people who live life just fine and then be all victim the moment they learn history the next day. so yeah, the correct sentiment to history is to learn the lesson without bearing the hatred nor guilt, but many people cant do this.
That's impossible, but that's why we have the internet. What's important is critical thinking, bias detection, and reduction of ultra-nationalism and blind patriotism, which will work as a loop to stop censoring and editing of history as the population would be too knowledgeable.
I don't think modern people who weren't living through the war really have context for how it must have felt. I can only imagine how overwhelming it must have been
Clearly the people in Japan were misinformed and brainwashed by the government. It was at least a month before Yamamoto (Pearl Harbor mastermind) death was notified to the public. But does it mean they were completely ignorant?
You can have some idea. You just need to listen to stories of holocaust survivors and Japan Occupation period survivors and the stuff they had to go through. So long as you have some form of empathy, you can understand it and know how they feel. And I'll even throw in a bone, and add in atomic bomb survivors too, because they were also civilian victims.
When I was a child, I saw the documents of Nanjing Massacre and I was deeply hurt by those stories and pictures. I think it's not that hard to understand their feelings actually.
If my self proclaim pro instinct take over, i feel like japanese ppl just got bad/s*ck fate, they quite enjoy it, but when the atomic bomb hit, they manage the pain through embarassment and self negative claim thts why many is suicide
The Japanese algorithm is gonna be working overtime with this one😭😂😂
Not even funny バカやろ
😂😂😂
You mean ccp
@@jayc33day what? The video is about nuclear bomb dropped on Japan
What do you mean?
Very interesting video. As a french history teacher, I really appreciate to see the relationship between people and their own country history.
I wish France would teach their terrible history instead of teaching a fake downplayed history in their curriculum like Japan does.
Interesting interview.
I think it wasn't just experiment in the end. It was politically motivated.
That's why I respect those who stopped nuclear projects. For military person, I think, nuclear weapon shows no bravery or decision genius. It is just destruction. The smartest strategy is where you receive enemy's territory that doesn't need rebuilding.
But ww2 was insane as a whole, so... it was crazy for many
As usual, very impressive interviews. I've seen this movie and it explores alot of Oppenheimer's personal life and his emotional struggle after he realizes what he's helped create. My grandfather was in the US Navy and always said using the Atomic bomb in Japan saved his life as he was in the planned invasion of Japan if there was no surrender...
“ invasion of Japan” ？ Your grandpa should slap your face.🤭
And the Japanese were planning to fight to the last man, woman, and child. How many people would that have been? What an unspeakable loss to the world.
I was in Kyoto recently with it being a melting 43°C outside. It was brutal and oppressive. We were sightseeing and it was around 1pm when I saw this Japanese guy jogging like it was nothing. Just a normal day, just a fun jog. And that's when it dawned on me. That's when I thought "this is why they decided to drop the bombs. They never would've surrendered." 😅
Well, in fact, the Japanese government was looking for a good surrender condition half a year before that, and was trying to approach the Soviet Union, and the United States was also aware of this...because of the surrender conditions that were favorable to the Allies. America dropped the atomic bomb. Well, saving a lot of soldiers and people is just a justification that America loves😂
And for that reason he was ok burning babies alive. That's a falacy.
The white t-shirt guy at 14:31 has a lot of deep thought about this issue. The fact that he watched Japanese-Korean wars movies probably effect his idea about this subject a lot.
7:17 I like this guy, interesting to see a japanese person willing to see things from a non pro-japanese perspective and actually aknowledging the mistakes that Japan made in the past
acknowledging* pardon my english
By a victim country‘s perspectives by Japanese imperialism, I only respect this guy among the interviewees. It‘s hard to accept Japanese saying bothsidesism.
We Japanese people learn about Japan's past mistakes during compulsory education, so it's hard to find a Japanese person who thinks Japan wasn't bad at all.
I want Chinese and Korean people to not be swayed by their own country's propaganda, get accurate information, and live their lives looking toward the future rather than the past.
@@jamkp1685 agreed, but again, acknowledging the past is always the first step. The pro-palestine events that happened in Japan are really important. I hope the japanese people become more and more critical of the capitalist regime and become a true brother of all of their asian brethren.
@@JoaoPedroFPerez The Japanese government supports the Palestinian Authority, criticizes Hamas, and provides support to the Palestinian people. I believe it is important to eliminate war not only in Asia but in the world, and for all of humanity to live in harmony.
The lady with the mask and hat seems to understand it well despite knowing nothing about the guy
Never forget I love Japan but they should never forget what they have done to many Asian countries! It’s very sad and horrible what happened to them but if they were no the bomb attack, Korea would have been Japanese. Without mentioning the horrible crime they did to philippine and China.
Even in Malaysia... Basically any place they went, was done dirty
@@set7618They even planned to invade Australia and India as well, if the bombing didn't happen.
During the bombing, japan was colonizing my country, Indonesia. I'm not saying that event led to our independence, but not long after the bombing Indonesia declared our independence (17 Aug 1945) around 2 weeks after the last bombing in nagasaki. I was totally against the war and didn't support nuclear as a weapon. But, if it didn't happen, Indonesia's independence history could be different.
I would argue it still would have led to the similar outcome without the bombings. Japan would have surrendered with Soviet invasion in Manchuria and northern Japan alone without nuclear bombing by the U.S.
Whether dropping the bomb ended the war is debatable, as many historians also claim the Soviet invasion were more impactful on the Japanese government at the time .
I was hopeing for a street interview regarding Oppenheimer in Japan. Thank you Asian Boss
I have spent some time mentoring Japanese students before and it was quite surprising to hear them thinking they were "Allies" rather than "Axies" in WW2.
Nowadays, Japanese students are taught an alternative history, the nationalist right efforts to whitewash the actions of the Empire of Japan during World War II.
So, I'd say having access to the truth from any angle is good for the public.
教科書では枢軸国と書かれています。あなたが教えた生徒はあまり頭が良くなかったのでしょう。
The events in Nanjing from 1937 to 1938 are covered in Japanese textbooks. I don't remember whether Unit 731 is included or not. I believe it’s either not mentioned or only briefly mentioned. By the way, I remember that the Manchurian Incident is considered quite important, as it was even featured in modern history written exams. People who have never read Japanese textbooks should actually buy and read them before forming an opinion.
Regarding the events in Nanjing, over time after the war, the number of victims was inflated, eventually surpassing the population before the invasion, which means people who did not exist are being counted as victims. For instance, if someone said "The Auschwitz victims were about 1 million!" and then 30 years later claimed "The number of victims in Auschwitz was 50 million!", it would be perfectly natural to doubt such information.
Additionally, some incidents that were acts of retaliation against Japanese who had evacuated to foreign countries are somehow recorded as actions taken by the Japanese army against locals in their colonies, such as the Tongzhou Incident. As a Japanese person, I can only say, "I acknowledge what happened, but I cannot acknowledge what didn't happen." Also, all apologies and compensations were already dealt with by treaties concluded shortly after the war. So when asked for an apology, the only thing we can say is, "It's already been dealt with."
Regarding the atomic bombings, the situation is such that they are "resolved," but "not resolved." Japan, as the defeated country, did not receive reparations from the United States. Instead, Japan provided compensation, which is why it is considered "resolved." Therefore, from the perspective of the atomic bomb survivors, "Japan has taken action, but the United States has not."
The standards for determining right and wrong are based on each individual's subjective view, so as someone who is not Japanese, you may not be able to understand their opinions. I think it's fine if you continue living with a one-dimensional interpretation of everything. You might think the same about me. At the very least, I can say that all countries were desperate to survive back then. I do not consider those who turn them into memes or use them as jokes to be human.
Nanjing Massacre is also banned.
As a Filipino who has had half of my bloodline gutted, raped, and executed by the imperial Japanese during their occupation during WW2, those people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had it easy on them. We could tolerate if they apologized for the massacre of countless civilians like the Germans did, but the Japanese? They didn’t even acknowledge it and denied such things ever happened….
And Japan kick school teachers talking about the out of school in Japan.
Props to the lady with the mask & hat also the man who loves the Japan anime 👏🏻👏🏻
Their opinions are very mature and have an insight and consideration from outside Japan
Ask them what they know of "Unit 731" next
All these folks had some really good views on all of it. Im very surprised that Japan doesn't teach more about the bombings. Here in the States, I know we are all taught about it. But it's never a "proud" moment in our history. In fact, at my schools, it's usually on par with the Allies' discovery of the extermination camps in Germany. Hopefully, those in Japan who are interested in Oppenheimer will be able to watch it.
When I was taught about it, we had discussions on the justification of the bombs. We talked numbers on how many died from the bombs, other bombings, the island hopping, etc. Its never brought up with a "we won". Its always brought up with an "and it was over". Its quite hard for us to talk about in a positive light, but there is always a little bit of "maybe it was necessary".
Liberals in America today hate the country and can never celebrate America on anything.
The film barely covers the actual bombing and mainly follows Oppenheimer’s curiosity in making the bomb, then his struggle to cope with the effects of what he helped create. Much like forms of media like Chernobyl, this should be available in some form to every country so people can be informed more about our history.
This movie isn’t actually about bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Further, development of nuclear bomb in this movie is just a background context. The movie itself is just a cinematized documentary of the character’s miserable life. So I don’t know why Japanese are so sensitive about this.
日本人はオッペンハイマーに嫌がっているわけじゃない。
バービーのミームが原爆を茶化していることに怒っている。
それは日本人が犠牲者面をしているわけじゃなくて、原爆の恐ろしさを知っているからこそ、ジョークに使うことが許せない。
if there was a film about the pilots who attacked pearl harbour and how they were not given enough credit by their country for "being a hero". what would americans think? Also if the movie never even showed any scenes of the attacks on pearl harbour or never even mentions America much... and instead just shows a scene where there are Japanese politicians sitting around saying "its the only option to bomb pear harbour because if we don't America will keep fire bombing us... bombing pearl harbour will save lives... also we dont need to bomb this city because it has certain cultural importance to America so instead pearl harbour is a good option" and then there's no mention of America again. .. and instead the film focusses on the ways in which the pilots who bombed pearl harbour are not given any praise by their country... for bombing pearl harbour.
how would Americans feel when they watch this film
of course you could say that the movie wasn't even about pearl harbour and the victims but instead about the pilots who bombed pearl harbour... why are Americans being so sensitive about a movie not even about them???
The girl talking about where they chose to drop the bombs clearly doesn’t know as much as she thinks, Hiroshima was a military port city with decent heavy industry and the HQ for the Japanese 2nd Army, not just some sleepy village. Kitakyushu (which was the originally target for the second bombing) was also chosen as it had the largest munitions industry in Japan at the time. Due to poor weather they couldn’t drop it on kitakyushu so they went for Nagasaki, a large ship and arms producing city.
I am Japanese, and I feel that many Japanese people have little interest in politics and history, and do not want to learn more about the events of the past on their own. If one does a little research, one can easily learn about the tragic war crimes that took place in Singapore, but many people do not know much about it.
This is something that should be taught in detail in school classes, but sadly, history classes in Japan today are only for getting good marks in university entrance examinations, and there is no time to research on a single event in depth. It is not because of biased education or information control, but simply ignorance. I think this is a really serious problem.
But at the same time, I don't understand why people feel a sense of victimhood even though they are not a party to it, and why they try to make people who are not the perpetrators but just happen to be born in the country feel like the perpetrators. It only creates a cycle of hatred. This is not to say that we should forget about the past.
I am saying that we should not repeat it again, not as a crime committed by people of a certain country, but as a crime committed by the most stupid creature on the earth, human beings.
Even if the U.S. had not dropped the atomic bomb, some other country would have used it in a war, and colonial rule was also practiced by many countries in the past, but these acts are of course never forgivable.
For those who are from countries that have never done anything inhumane so far, some may think that we should not be together, but this is my honest feeling. I apologize if this offends you.
As for Oppenheimer's film, I think many people would like to see it in Japan, just because Japanese distributors are too concerned about it.
How ordinary Japanese citizens feels about the rape of Nanking?
Not only nanking but in all china and south east Asia...they steal rice and food make 2 million việt nam people (8% việt nam population at that time)dead from 1944-1945,kill 4-5 million Indonesia (6-7% Indonesia population at that time) kill 1 million Philippines (6% Philippines population at that time)... Kill 20 million china population (3.5% china population at that time),kill 1 million korea(both north and south) 😡😡😡😡
They probably never heard of it. Hell, even I never heard of it until very recently.
Ask their former prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Oh wait you cant
I will answer as a Japanese. Many Japanese people know about the Nanjing Incident, and even among Japanese people, some even weep and prostrate themselves because they believe the Chinese government's theory that 300,000 people were massacred. There are various people who think that it was a massacre of 10,000 to 30,000 prisoners of war, as Japanese researchers think, some who think it was a massacre of 100,000 people, and some who think that such an incident did not occur at all. I love Japan's diverse and free speech space. In the end, I think the truth about Nanjing lies in one of these.
@@犬まにまに not only nanjing but 20 million Chinese people (3.5% China population at that time),2 million Vietnam people ( japan steal rice and food make 8% of vn population dead at that time),4-5 million Indonesia (6%-7% Indonesia population at that time),1 million Philippines (6% Philippines population at that time) ,...is kill by japan 😡😡😡😡
Millions of people died under Japanese occupation in SEA not because of any bombs. That's even more tragic.
as Indonesian, my late great grandparents and grandparent were still remember how cruel japanese at that time compare to Dutch at that time. we have a neighbour who are former forced-being comfort woman ( she passed away already) who were takken care by her niece, when she remembered the cruelty of japanese made her almost crazy. These people i guess bring the grudge till they passed away.
I would recommend against trying to draw comparisons between different traumas in different peoples. It is a fools errand.
My grandfather and his brother, who were normal civillians, were victims of the Japanese soldier abuse in Malaysia. They detained and beaten them up trying to get information about the local communist rebels who were defending the people against the Japanese at the time. They also shot his brother dead right in front of him. While the whole world speaks about the Nanking Rape (which itself is already a huge tragedy), less has been said about the additional pain and horrors they caused across SEA.
@@sususegar😂😂😂😂😂
@@simsgazytech2013 I'm Indonesian too, and I remember the anguish that my late grandma felt when she remembered the atrocities that the Japanese did to her generation. It's crazy sad. The violence, people forced to wear rice sacks as clothes... There's a reason why there's a saying in Indonesia: "The Japanese enslaved Indonesians for only four years, but its violence was more brutal than the Dutch's 300 year enslavement". I pray for your late great grandparents and neighbour, may they find peace 🙏🏻
I'm Indonesian, I understand how japanese feels about what he did, just like me and other asians who have same feelings when we know japanese empire army killed millions people in asia during WW2, but today we can forgive each other without forgetting our history as a lessons to never let it happened again in the future ❤
@@猫ライム-k1bhe talked about indonesia independence day, this war ending saved most of asia county included korea and Philippines
do this, how japanese feel about unit 731
Asian Boss does great, valuable work. However, I have to say that I do not think asking people who have not seen the film Oppenheimer to opine about it is a productive use of anyone's time - not theirs, not yours, not ours.
It is not a documentary. It is not a new historical study of the atomic age. It is not a new biography of Oppenheimer. It is not focused on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. It is not even an ethical or geopolitical appraisal of the bomb itself - its use in WWII or as nuclear deterrence.
It is a work of film art. I realize some people have a hard time understanding exactly what that means and tend to approach any and all movies as if they are some kind of political or social commentary on reality. However, that is ultimately an adolescent way to understand what a film is.
Christopher Nolan is no slouch. His movies are unique in how they use sound, how storylines (and timelines) are constructed, how he borrows from major modern scientific concepts and use them to build story-worlds (instead of simply using them as plot points.) Oppenheimer is ultimately not about the bomb at all. It is an exploration of the moral crisis that entraps a single man and the political ensnarement that ensues when he feels compelled to grapple with his morals in public. Aesthetically, the film is an oceanic barrage of sounds, dialogues and imagery that force the audience swim alongside Oppenheimer as he navigates the impossible moral quandies of the brave new nuclear world he helped to create.
If the film was not released in Japan, fine. There are plenty of Japanese cultural works that speak to the bomb and post-atomic culture in very profound ways - and still more that only refer to it obliquely. But inviting speculation about a movie which they haven't seen? There's literally no point to that. Sorry Asian Boss. You disappointed me just this once.
The gentleman in the plain white t-shirt who spoke about Korea as well seems so sensitive and insightful, I would love to have a long conversation with him, on this and many other subjects. What an amazing person!
Also, the woman with the grey hat was also really brilliant with a wonderful, “big picture” perspective . I feel like she and I could be great friends and talk for hours and hours, if only I had learned Japanese when I had the chance!
Agree, the guy seems like a genuine good person through and through, like walking and living embodiment of peace
Yeah, I'm impressed with how open and vulnerable he is daring to be, while also being wise, kind-hearted and eloquent.
I share the same thoughts too. They gave the most Insightful perspective of things. Also, the lady with a Caucasian friend on the side.
Same. We have very similar ideas. I’d love to have a whole philosophical discussion with him. Sadly I don’t have any friends who care about discussions of that level and complexity. I have done a lot of college level work in high school about these kinds of things though
@@miyalyspretty rare for a Japanese
It is crucial for the Japanese to learn about their worst moment in their history and prevent it from happening again. the empire of Japan was their darkest moment
I think this is one of the most interesting street interviews ever done by Asian Boss. Good job! Most of the respondents gave good answers, but I found the ones from the lady with the mask and the man in the white tee (14:36) to be the best of all.
This is what is taught in Japan:
1. There was no surrender of Japan. It was a ceasefire (teisen 停戦)
2. Contrary to Germany, most Japan did not really feel guilty about its atrocities in WW2. Japan just avoid talking about WW2 to its people
could you stop spreading false informations?
Give me a break, the Japanese Empire was looking for the Death Ray as well as Nuclear Bombs during the War. If they had them they would of used them freely.
Watching the movie, I never once felt it criticized Japan.
If anything, I felt it made sure to portray how regretful those actions were.
The movie was simply about Oppenheimer's feelings towards his creation of atomic bomb.
Japan being criticized is a good thing considering all the horrendous things they did, they certainly weren’t the good guys that’s for sure and their curriculum should absolutely teach abt the horrible things they did. America gets criticized for its wrongdoings even by American citizens as they should but Japanese citizens seem to not wanna talk about the horrible things their country did. Obviously there are Japanese ppl who absolutely call out their countries atrocities but they seem to be a minority.
He didn’t invent it on his own but had a role in creating it, etc. It's kind of, like Elon isn't the inventor of Tesla or Paypal, etc.
Fascinating how different their state/ education approach es the topic from a German pov. Focusing on their own victims, building shrines and museums to their own dead, focusing solely on the crimes committed against them while not even mentioning the people that suffered under them and tearing down the memorials dedicated to them.
This almost seems like a polar opposite to how my country/ people went about tackling the memory of the war.
I wonder what lesson Japanese take from that education, that war is wrong or that losing a war is wrong
The lesson they take is that losing is embarrassing. The postwar governments wanted to move on as quickly as possible, and were urged by America to do so, as they needed a counterweight in the region economically to USSR/Chinese influence
Japan never accepted the defeat the way Germany did. Those statues and memorials are treated like an existential threat to their status quo because to many in the govt, _they are_ an existential threat.
They still having a topic in highschool: why did Japan lose WWII.
as a filipino after learning that manila was destroy to dust during ww2 imma say they deserve it that time
I loved the film. It made me smile, cry, and feel inspired.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana
Hiding the fact isnt the right way to do it either. If I were Japanese, i would want to see what we did wrong leading up to ww2 event. There is no need to feel bad cuz its the decisions made by people in the past. We are present to learn from the mistakes of the past. I havent checked out the movie Oppenheimer yet. This video make me want to see what the movie is actually about.
Tell that to conservative white Americans who as we speak are banning/ rewriting history books, schools curriculum and anything that teach about the atrocities white Americans committed toward Black Americans.
Americans were originally planned to used the atomic bomb to be dropped in Berlin to end the Nazi's reign of Europe along with the Fascist influences of WW2, but once the Manhattan Project (Oppenheimer's creation of atomic bomb) was finished and succeed, Europe was already free from the Nazis, but Japan still not giving up on their colonization throughout East Asia. This giving the American government along with Oppenheimer himself an opportunity and allowed the atomic bomb to be dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Just six days after the bombs dropped, Imperial Japan were finally decided to surrendered and thus ended the entirety of WW2.
Imagine if Hollywood decided to release a movie about Project 731 aka Maruta.
Japanese will boycott that movie
There's a movie about It, released by China, but It's very low budget.
Appreciate this discourse. I've been curious as to whether Oppenheimer will be released in Japan ever since the launch of the film here in the states, and I'm interested in hearing their reception. These were thoughtful questions accompanied by insightful responses from a variety of perspectives.
Following this, please ask Japanese people about UNIT 731.
The pictures used for Unit 731 were pictures from the 1911 Manchurian plague mixed with pictures from the Jinan incident. In other words, they used pictures of Japanese victims. We are angry.
@@thelastdefenderofcamelot5623 Im sorry that the film has sparked anger to this degree. I have not seen the film, but have done much research into UNIT 731 and its branches along with everything they did throughout WWII. I''m not sure how th efilm depicted those events, but what is true is that UNIT 731 committed some of the most egregious atrocities in history for biological warefare- next to the doctors at the nazi concentration camps.
@@cynthx You asked about 731. The pictures used for Unit 731 were pictures from the 1911 Manchurian plague mixed with pictures from the Jinan incident. In other words, they used pictures of Japanese victims. Basically it was a total lie. So what is your definition of truth? We question the authenticity of the source when the photos have Chinese looking soldiers or when they are digitally altered.
@@thelastdefenderofcamelot5623 what talking you , there already a museum in china dedicated to unit 731
@@sdqsdq6274 Most of Chinese history deliberately ignores a lot of the crimes done by the Chinese warlords and by Chiang Kai-shek's army. The Changsha fire and they blew up a dam that killed a total of half a million people. The gibbetted heads for example were actually crimes committed by Chinese warlords but blamed on Japanese as part of Nanking atrocity. Zyklon B for example was a chemical was developed by Siemens company that was used for the Holocaust program. Such development for deadly chemical was documented and there are a lot of evidences on how its made and where it came from. However when one looks at 731, we ask what company was involved, who provided all the funding, what chemicals were made and what kind of tools were used on the prisoners. I can assure you 99% of the Chinese won't know this answer.
In the anime "High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World". There is a scene where the Japanese Characters launch and detonated a nuke. It was super cursed 💀
Unlike the Germans the Japanese have never shown any remorse for the revolting things they did during WW2. They play the victim when the reality is far from this.
That's not true. Japan ex PM Koizumi, apologized back in 2005 and in 2006.
@@VanessaSouza-rz8uoDoes Japan Government ever did it@?
If this was my country, I'd be so embarrassed by the sheer unwillingness to face the past. They don't know their own involvement. They don't know who they are.
Edit: mind you, the woman with the hat is really insightful!
Having watched the whole video, i think quite a few of these people would actually really appreciate the movie. It's really not about the bomb. It's about how you get there, and who you become.
This was a very insightful video, Some of the opinions in this video were very enlightening. The older lady spoke very well about things, and the young woman at the end spoke very well, especially about letting your inner warmth come out or listening to your "Inner Warmth", I thought that was beautiful.
After I found out that Asian boss is Korean, I understood why there are so many contents about Japan.
As an Indonesian, I'm so grateful to Oppenheimer.
To the guy in the white shirt who wanted to know Oppenheimer's motivation in creating the atomic bomb. During the war, Oppenheimer was told by General Marshal and the Secretary of State that they needed the bomb to end the war. That was his motivation - to end the war without inflicting potentially hundred of thousands of deaths on US soldiers had the US troops needed to land on Japanese islands . I saw a CBS interview of Oppenheimer after the war and he explained that at the time and under such circumstances he felt that that was the only option to end the war but looking back he felt that there could have been other options.
As an ethnic Chinese, every time someone speaks of the 200k deaths caused by atomic bombs, I can't help but wonder what about the 20M souls of China that vanished during the war.
Some would even rebut that the 200k deaths happened much faster and therefore are more worthy of sympathy, as if dying by a few hundreds per day seem okay to them...
The modern west seem to have more sympathy for Japan because post-war Japan became an ally of the west, and China became a foe.
But the gone souls of 1937-1945 had nothing to do with post-WW2 geopolitics.
I don't hold a grudge against Japanese. But to think that the world never really look at history with proper perspectives, it's just sad.
I know men, my country indonesia and many others country... Just because their country got destroyed by something visually stunning doesn't mean the country they destroyed doesn't important
嘘をつくな。心の底では日本人が大嫌いなんだろ
I feel you. I once was forced to visit the Nagasaki nuke museum. Seeing them playing victims just made me cringe.
I taught English in Japan, and if you are too, never ever bring up this topic. Especially with older people. I'm British, and they even got angry at me a bit.
How did you approach this? You have to talk in facts otherwise you sound ridiculous.
Its sickening
were you like "hey guys sooo...unit 731 huh?"
このコメント欄本当に気持ち悪いな。僕が生まれてきたのは祖先の人々の努力のおかげな訳で、日本人としてそれを非難するつもりは無いよ。むしろ尊敬さえしてる。外国の人々にとって自国の戦争で死んだ自国の人間は人を殺した極悪人として扱うべきなようだね、、、というかこの議論って国とか立場とかそういうどうしようも無いものに依存してるから、多分一生分かり合える事は無いんだろうな。
Such an interesting topic.
Not that anyone cares, but here's my take on it.
1. I think a big part of the decision to release it in Japan isn't just from the Japanese side. I'm sure the movie makers and distributors need to think if it will even sell enough tickets to justify it. Businesses always need to think about the money side of things, and Japanese theaters have a host of movies that compete for theater spots.
2. How will it be translated? I'm sure the Japanese government will have a huge roll into making sure the translation doesn't put Japan in a negative light, which is somewhat understandable, but part of me wonders why they care about an Imperial Japan that no longer exists anymore. Well, maybe to avoid public opinions going sour or having to own up to history.
3. Why not let it play and let the people decide what to think or whether or not they want to go see it or not? People vote with their dollar, so if it doesn't do well, fine, if it does do well, also fine. Maybe that style is too "hands-off" for the Japanese government though.
4. The movie actually focuses very little on Japan. It also does a very good job of showing different perspectives and feelings about the development and use of the weapon, perhaps even painting the US leaders in a negative light. The movie definitely focuses more on Oppenheimer's life specifically and not on the war. It's more about the process and hurdles of scientific development and the advantages and disadvantages of such development.
5. I wasn't even interested actually in seeing the movie as far as the plot, but eventually went because some friends wanted to go. And as someone who wasn't even interested in seeing it, I gotta hand it to the directors, the sound design, the actors, and just the whole production team on making such a fantastic movie. They got me to enjoy something I didn't care about at all. So if you're like me and don't really care about the movie, I think you'd still enjoy watching like I did because of the reasons mentioned above.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk😄
Hope they do eventually release it in Japan.
2. Based on the conclusion of Ruth Benedict's work "kiku to katana", to better or more easily manage post-war Japan, the US made the decision to keep Japan's Tenou worship system, instead of recreating a new one from scratch. That is to say, there is not a clean cut in Japanese history before and after WW2, the people are still the same old type of Japanese people, otherwise the post-war officials wouldn't have kept visiting the Yasukuni.
"In Japan they would be set up like this: they’d have a factory; and then the families, in their homes throughout the area, would manufacture small parts. You might call it a home folks assembly line deal. The Suzuki clan would manufacture bolt 64; the Harunobo family next door might be making nut 64, 65, or 63, or all the gaskets in between. These would be manufactured right in the same neighborhood. Then Mr. Kitagawa from the factory would scoot around with his cart and pick up the parts in proper order." - Curtis Emerson LeMay
We've barely hit beyond a century after the end of WW2. If countries like Korea and China were to ever let go of their resentment against Japan's atrocities, and Japan's pain from America's atomic bombings, it's going to take up to at least year 2075-2100 at minimum before these nations could start to heal and open up these topics for historical learning. As long as individuals whom suffered WW2 trauma still lives up till this day, factual details can never be shared globally out of sensitivity. I feel Oppenheimer was a really good film for japanese people to experience, because the movie taught us the gravest mistakes humanity made during those days : By solving problems with solutions that create more problems.
You have to know that during WW2, America was on an arms race with the Nazis, to see who would create it first, Oppenheimer with America and Heisenberg for the Nazis, during the whole race to an atomic bomb, America was more motivated through beating the Nazis and innovating than ever killing normal people. So the woman with the mask said it very well, "Whoever invented it first would have used it first". For America's atomic bomb, they finished it right after Nazi Germany had surrendered, with the only sole country standing Japan, and with Japan refusing to surrender, America thought that we should at least try out this bomb since we have spent so much resources (money, time, people) building it.
And it was okay for us to use against the Nazis but not Imperial Japan?! How hypocritical
Japan was the aggressor in WWII and attacked the United States 1st. As tragic as that was, dropping the atomic bomb on Japan resulted in ending WWII sooner, thus saving more lives.
As a K Canadian, the history textbook brainwashed the young Korean students and fed negativity.
The Japaneses students I met in England, weren't like the textbook.
They were very independent reasonable normal people.
I met so many good Japanese friends.
The thieves were Korean friends. Also I met good Korean friends too.
Wow...an entire people who dont understand THEIR PART in the termination of the war. Great job...lets question education everywhere
I am now in the process learning the language of Japan. And based on my observation of the japanese culture. They are so isolated to the outside world, like the source of information the japanese people received is all from the japanese perspective. And bcs of the lack of knowledge in english. They can't see the whole picture of the world. Everything is HALF TRUE . And so, I feel sad for them
I am so frustrated that not a single person mentioned Pearl Harbor, where everything started.
As an Asian, we often avoid discussing our painful past to avoid being reminded. That being said, as a naturalized US citizen, yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. I would also approach a film about the Twin Towers from the Middle East with caution, given the controversial belief that it was an inside job orchestrated by the US government.
These people don’t even know why they’re bombed cause their government never told them. It’s sad
I wonder if they don't have like, acess to the internet. 4 minutes on google would educated them already.
I mean, I know It's hard to deal with the fact that the country you were born was part of the Axis Powers, and did many bad things, but c'mon, you can't run away from the forever.
WOW.
That was impactful. Those people which were being interviewed impressed me. Although we share the same perspectives and even thoughts on it, I didn't expect to see all those people with different, but yet very intelligent perspectives on the matter.
It honestly gives me faith in humanity.
After listening to Dan Carlin's series on the Pacific Theatre of WWII, he pretty much convinced me that if the atomic bombs were not dropped, Japan would have fought to the last man/woman/child standing in the home islands.
The Imperial soldiers murdered POWs and then committed suicide instead of surrendering.
Definitely interesting to see their perspective not only about the movie but the event of the past. Because like someone mentioned, they probably were not educated as seriously unless they went to Hiroshima or Nagasaki. For sure it can be one sided, but the past information missing about why Americans drop them, but not just anywhere, has an answer to why twice in those locations. Experiments did happen, but an Island unfortunately leading to the catastrophes in Japan. I love history and war should not be one sided because the truth is missing.
At 0:11 He actually says he doesnt have a good impression of those who made the atomic bomb
i'm confused how everyone in the comment section is saying how they have friends in japan who say they were never taught about japan's involvement in WWII/the bombing; meanwhile, eveyrone in this video says they were taught not only about WWII/the bombing, but also how japan was at fault. something's not adding up lol
It depends on their province, they didn't have a standard education in WW2 mainly because they were the bad guys, but try to simplify the war and lessen the Japanese involvement in the war.
Oppenheimer is actually quite respectful of Japan when talking about the casualties and the subject .Also, Japan 🇯🇵 already made films about the bombing of their own country back in the day when Japanese civilians and military personnel and veterans of the war were still alive , so the person that goes it’s insensitive to make a movie about it is being ridiculous , You young people of Japan can’t speak as if you were there during that time , and since when did you young Japanese people ever care about imperial Japan ? Young people in Japan statistically don’t even vote let alone care about their own politics, they just leave it for the older people to deal with !! Here are the films in question that Japan made of the subject :Black Rain (1989) from Toei, Children of Hiroshima (1952) from Japan Teachers Union, Hiroshima (1953) from director Hideo Sekigawa , Barefoot Gen (1976)
'I Live In Fear' (1955) . So what was that again about it being insensitive!?!!
I am Japanese, and I saw this movie.
I felt from this movie
" it was good movie but they tried not to show what's happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
I have a opinion every human need to know what's happened there.
There is a possibility that a nuclear war will occur in the future, and anyone can become a victim.
I know what Japan did.
But the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki realized that
nuclear bombs cannot be simply expressed as a bilateral issue.
Nuclear weapons are a problem that threatens the existence of humanity.
So they are warning.
To humanity as humanity.
I think it shouldn't be used.
I don't think this movie was able to read that intention.
It's a good movie though.
While Japanese schools don't teach people a lot of information about actions their country took during WW2 in schools, I think that these interviews show that the modern populace in Japan could have the emotional maturity to come to terms with it in cinemas. Releasing Oppenheimer in Japan would be a step in the right direction even though (spoilers) it doesn't really show the bombings themselves. It showed one man's efforts in how he created a weapon of mass destruction that would be used on Japan and how that fact affected him. I would love it if a Japanese director makes a history film that challenges that status quo and shows an unflinching raw look at Japanese actions during the war in a manner akin to Schindler's List.
日本の学校で使われてる教科書よんだことあるの
@@kahrine1115The Japanese are good at everything except history. They study their history from McDonald's bathroom.
Not likely to happen. Japanese Actors careers already get ruined if they play WW2 soldiers during the occupational period. It doubt some Japanese film maker will be brave enough to even make one, and even if they do, its highly unlikely to get released.
@@darkevilazn yep. the way r**e of Nanjing is described in their history books, no wonder they don't have any remorse and can't justify what was done against them.
Schindler finally died sadly, and Spielberg shot “the Empire of the Sun”, which was a good movie.