After World War 2, I rarely heard about Japan in terms of history from the American perspective. But, when I think about it I guess it makes sense that if your relations with a nation are good, there is nothing to talk about. "No news is good news."
deadeyemax Not always the case tho, stuff still happens in African countries (like the tragic Second Congo War for example which nobody outside Africa appears to have heard abt, at least to me), but the news barely makes it mainstream..... so it’s either that or the media just doesn’t cover what happens in obscure places
@@boaoftheboaians Right, but none of that has any influence outside of the continent. No one is going to care about news that doesn't affect them and they can't do anything about. As unfortunate as that is, it's the nature of humans.
I did not know Japan still had territorial disputes with Russia, South Korea, and China. That is interesting. Those 4 Kuril Islands are so close to Hokkaido and farther from Russia, so it makes sense that they should be Japanese, especially when you consider they were given to Japan twice by the treaty of Shimoda and the treaty of Saint Petersburg. Also, it’s worth noting one thing about the part of this video around 10:50 where general MacArthur tells president Truman to nuke China. In 1960, MacArthur challenged a statement by Truman that he had wanted to use nuclear weapons, saying that "atomic bombing in the Korean War was never discussed either by my headquarters or in any communication to or from Washington"; Truman, admitting that he did not have documentation of any such claim, said that he was merely providing his personal opinion. I personally trust general MacArthur more than Truman.
"Those 4 Kuril Islands are so close to Hokkaido and farther from Russia". Wait what?! How they can be farther from Russia? How islands that are part of Russia can be "far from Russia"? A small excursion into history: "In preparation for the Yalta Conference of the heads of the Allied Powers, responding to an American inquiry about Moscow's political wishes in connection with the upcoming participation of the USSR in the war with Japan, Stalin announced that the Soviet Union would like to receive South Sakhalin, that is, to return what was transferred Japan under the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905, and also receive the Kuril Islands. In putting forward claims to the Kuril Islands, the Soviet government did not strive for "territorial acquisitions" at the expense of foreign lands, but for the restoration of rights in the territories that had belonged to Russia since 1786 and, due to certain circumstances, were under Japanese rule. By the decision of the Yalta (Crimean) conference of the heads of state - participants of the anti-Hitler coalition - I.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill - as a result of the war, they were transferred to its former owner of Russia - the Soviet Union. The deprivation of these islands by militarist Japan also followed from the conditions of the Potsdam Declaration, on the basis of which the Japanese government signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. The withdrawal of all the Kuril Islands without exception, up to the island of Hokkaido, from the jurisdiction of the state or administrative authorities of Japan was also envisaged in the Memorandum of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Powers, General D. MacArthur No. 677/1 of January 29, 1946. In 1951, the Japanese government signed and then ratified the San Francisco Peace Treaty, in which it "renounced all rights, legal grounds and claims to the Kuril Islands and to that part of Sakhalin Island and the adjacent islands, over which Japan acquired sovereignty under the Treaty of Portsmouth dated September 5, 1905 " Actually, the USSR should have received Hokkaido as well. This was discussed at the Crimean Conference and all three sides agreed with this. "especially when you consider they were given to Japan twice by the treaty of Shimoda and the treaty of Saint Petersburg.". This is the position of the Japanese side. To be more precise, this is their interpretation and it is very different from what it was in the documents..... "The Soviet-Japanese joint declaration signed in Moscow on October 19, 1956, provided that the USSR and Japan "agreed to continue after the restoration of normal diplomatic relations ... negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty. Article 9 of the Joint Declaration does not provide for any double interpretations: "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Island to Japan, however that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after conclusion of a peace treaty between the USSR and Japan." What's most interesting that these negotiations were initiated by the Soviet side. Directly by the head of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev. But Khrushchev rejected the Japanese-proposed version of an agreement that negotiations for a peace treaty would include a territorial issue. Negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty after 1956 by the Japanese government were actually terminated. With strong pressure from the US administration which was not interested in the normalization of Japanese-Soviet relations, in violation of the conditions reached in the Joint Declaration, the Japanese government arbitrarily put forward a demand to "return" to Japan not only Habomai and Shikotan, but also the largest and most developed islands of the Kuril ridge - Kunashir and Iturup. Because of that the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 27, 1960, sent a memorandum to the Japanese government, in which it indicated that "only on condition that all foreign troops are withdrawn from Japan, the islands of Habomai and Shikotan will be transferred to Japan, as provided for by the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan of October 19 1956 ". This condition is valid to this day. The question of the possible transfer of Habomai and Shikotan is possible only after the withdrawal of the occupying foreign troops from Japan (read as the US army) and the signing of a peace treaty. As we understand it will never happen =))
In general, the first to whom the Japanese should ask questions is to the United States and especially to Britain. “The issue of restoring the territorial rights of the USSR in the Far East was discussed by the leaders of the“ big three ”- Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill during the Tehran conference (November - December 1943). Churchill began by saying that “the Soviet fleet should sail freely in all seas and oceans.” Remembering that as a result of the Japanese-Russian war, Russia lost part of its territory in the Far East, he emphasized that “the governance of the world should be concentrated in the hands of nations who are completely satisfied and have no complaints." Stalin, in a conversation with US Ambassador A. Harriman on December 14, 1944, formulated the wishes of the Soviet government in connection with the participation of the USSR in the war against Japan. Since during this meeting, the political conditions for the entry of the USSR into the war were outlined by Stalin most fully and it was they that formed the basis for the negotiations in Yalta on the Far Eastern issue, we will cite in more detail the content of the conversation: “Stalin says that he is ready to convey to Harriman the wishes of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union would like to receive South Sakhalin, that is, to return what was transferred to Japan under the Portsmouth Treaty, as well as to receive the Kuril Islands. In addition, in Tehran, the president, on his own initiative, raised the issue of providing the Soviet Union with access to the warm seas in the Far East. At the same time, the president spoke about Port Arthur and Dairen, which Russia used to use on a lease basis. The Soviet Union would like to restore the use on lease terms of these ports, as well as the railway leading to them through Mukden, Changchun, Harbin and the Sino-Eastern Railway, which shortens the Soviet Union's routes of communication with Vladivostok. At the same time, China must fully retain its sovereignty in the territories along which these roads pass. Further, the Soviet government wants the status quo of Outer Mongolia to be fully preserved. Harriman says he thinks that the president in Tehran meant the internationalization of Dairen and Port Arthur, as it would be more in line with modern ideas. However, he, Harriman, does not remember this exactly. Stalin replies that this issue can be discussed. Harriman declares that he will convey to the President about the wishes expressed by Marshal Stalin."
I love your reaction to these historical events. I would love to learn more about ancient Japanese history from you. Would you be interested in reacting to Meiji Restoration, samurai and the Sageku Jidai videos?
I am a south korean....really want reunification of the korean peninsula, also I oppose againts sanctions on japan. Its not like I am siding with the japanese but with the world economy crippling, we HAVE to clme togather.
As an American, I don't know what needs to be done to fix the historical animosity between Korea and Japan (though onus is on Japan because duh), but it just makes sense for the two wealthy, democratic and independent East Asian states to work together.
@@argosime i am afraid that the tension between korea and japan will not cease unless one grovel. I am not saying it must be, one should consider each others prespectives and not trying to understand them because this is a suger coated fantasy like outcome, however what we can do is to embrace it.
So, I have been doing nothing in my spare time but watching reactions to Oversimplified(hyperbole alert). I like that no two reactors share the same exact culture and/or life experiences, so they are each able to add a new and unique insight. Also, while a science nerd first, I'm a history nerd second and have nothing but love for anyone who appreciates the subject. Thank you for reacting to these vids. Sincerely, your newest subscriber (AKA Becca)
the communism thing is still present in the us today, you can see it pretty much everywhere in politics these days where people just call random stuff communist. Its super blatant where people think communism=socialism/social policies when theyre quite different from each other. also a fun fact is if you look up night time satellite images of berlin, you can still see the difference between east and west berlin, where the east is using older street lights and bulbs
If only we had nuked the Soviet Uniom after Japan surrendered followed by the Chinese communists lurking in the mountains we wouldn't be dealing with Russia or China and they pain and destruction they have and will continue to unleash in the future now would we be dealing with Communist or Socialist stooges in the west who hope to retry the same evil and death the world already experienced. We should have listened to MacArthur and hit them in '45/'46.
Those islands have more symbolic or even sacral meaning rather than economic or strategic to Russia, because of that enormous amount of people we lost in WW2. Giving those islands back to Japan would be considered a treason to the memory of the fallen grandfathers. So I don't think this problem will be solved in the near future, especially when Russian people live there already.
@@_Meng_Lan What can I say, everyone committed atrocities in those years. The Japanese massively massacred the Chinese (Nanjing massacre), Korean women were forcibly sent to brothels. Unit 731 performed nazi level inhuman experiments on people (including Soviet citizens). As a result of the war, the Americans dropped two nuclear bombs, which was a war crime of the highest magnitude, which, no matter what anyone says, cannot be justified by anything. All powerful countries did what they wanted, such were the times.
about the islands, i feel like it would make sense for the closest 4 to go to japan and the rest to stay with Russia, but i know its much more complicated than that
The whole Kuril island chain guarantee the security of Okhotsk sea remain firmly on Russian control. Letting the Japanese have it, would mean a possible American installement there in the future. A non negotiable option for them. That's only one of many reason Russia wouldn't budge to Japan's demand on that.
I was lucky enough to have a history teacher who loved history and always gave interesting tidbits. Two I learned about the cold war were: a Soviet Ambassador in America (I believe Boris Yeltsin) got permission to go out to a grocery store in the US. When he saw the full shelves and cleanliness, he thought it was propaganda so on his trip (I forget where) he stopped at different stores to see the same exact scene. Fully stocked stores, tons of selection, and no lines that took people hours so they could grab a product to buy. He said that he was truly shocked and that he was dispared for his people. A short time later he defected. The other I don't remember as well but basically it was decided to drive the POWs through all the poor neighborhoods in the US before their release so they could see even the poor had cars and houses. It was a strategy to spread rumors of US/capitalist wealth and combat the propaganda that they were told that thr USA was starving and barely surviving under capitalism
I love how you read all of the comments. I know how much work it can be to heart so many comments, let alone to reply to them all. Yet you do take the time to read them and that is great to know even if you don't have the time to respond to them all.
Comrade Shoe Banger also said capital ships are bad m’kay. And this their reliance on subs and missiles led to them being unable to catch up the US Navy
Screw you internet! I was watching while eating and couldn't contain my laugh when he said they were the 69th country to join the UN. *I DIDN'T WANT TO BECOME THIS KIND OF IMMATURE ADULT DAMMIT!!!* Nice video btw. It was nice knowing those small datails like Japan not being part of the UN at that point, and how they also were influenced to oppose communists.
Hello and thank you for videos. I found your channel just a couple weeks ago and it was very interesting and really enlightening to look at things from perspective of person with culture different from mine. Being a Russian myself, i felt it would be okay to say a couple of things about the whole Kurils situation, since i never really thought about it before seeing you video. I have done a little research about it (mostly using english and russian wikipedia) on how it looks from the russian perspective. First, my knowledge before i looked into it: as i remember, in history classes soviet invasion of manchuria mentioned mostly in passing, something along the lines "we defeated germans and then went to pacify the final of world's aggressors, who also attacked the soviets before in 2 minor skirmishes (hasan and hahlin-gol)". Then, in adulthood i looked into things myself and from things in russian internet at the time came to conclusion: "soviet union attacked japan according to prior agreement with the allies, and did it precisely after the non-aggression has ended". Now i looked into things more diligently and this is what i found out: soviet-japanese non-aggression pact has been signed at April 13 and ratified at April 25. It should have lasted for five years starting from April 25 1941 and it had 2 important stipulations: 1) If pact is not denounced at least a year before it ends, it will automatically extend for another 5 years. 2) After a pact has been denounced it is still in effect for 1 more year. Soviet Union denounced it on April 5 1945, so according to above instead of lasting until April 25 1946 it should have ended at April 5 instead. Also, according to wikipedia: "The wording of the denunciation suggested that the Soviet Union wished to see the treaty go out of effect immediately, and Time magazine reported that the Soviet Foreign Commissar's tone indicated that the Soviet Union might go to war with Japan soon. However, the text of the treaty stated that the pact remained in force until one year after declaration of denunciation by one party, that is April 1946. When pressed by the Japanese Ambassador Naotake Sato, Molotov confirmed that the treaty did remain in force until April 1946". Then: "On May 8/9, 1945 (the date depending on the time zone), Nazi Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe and starting the secret three-month countdown for Soviet commencement of hostilities against Japan. On August 9, 1945, just after midnight Manchurian time, the Soviets invaded Manchuria. The declaration of war against Japan followed nearly six hours later. Because of the time zone difference of 7 hours, the declaration of war could be still dated August 8, 1945, being presented to the Japanese ambassador in Moscow at 11 p.m. Moscow time". Looks like this is where the "precise" part from my memories came from. Regarding the Kurils: Looks like i will have to play the devil's advocate. At September 2 1945 Japan signed Instrument of Surrender, "marking the end of hostilities" (according to the same source), and it was signed by the USSR representative. Thus, the fact what Soviet Union continued is indeed strange. But it must be pointed out, what invasion of Kurils started at August 18, and after the Instrument of Surrender Soviets occupied only 5 islands (Sibotzu, Taraku-Shima, Uri-Shima, Akiuri, and Suiseto), the rest has been already taken previously. Also, there has been no fighting in occupation of these 5 islands, their garrisons surrendered. But i, personally, consider their occupation, even without fighting, a hostile act, since, as far as i know, and correct me if i wrong, where has been no agreement between Japan and USSR about a transfer of these islands. Then thing get interesting. "Marking the end of hostilities" is not equal to ending a war or signing peace treaty. Allies signed a peace treaty at 1951 at San Francisco. Then, at 1956 there was Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration, which ended a state of war, opened diplomatic and trade relations, but it was not a peace treaty. In it was written, what USSR was ready to sign a treaty, in which it returned only Habomai Islands and Shikoton, but Japan did not want a treaty on these conditions, it also wanted Kunashiri and Etorofu. Thus, to this day, Russia and Japan are in this curious situation, where war has ended, but "the territorial problem was to be shelved for future negotiation". Wikipedia article about it while short is actually a pretty interesting. As far as public opinion goes, no one really talks or cares about the Kurils question, but if asked, general consensus is: "It is already our rightful soil, why would we want to give it away?" And i dont even want to go to the political side of things, i have big disdain towards current Russian government, so i cant give unbiased answer. P.S. I hope the fact that i did not include differences between english and russian articles is rightly viewed as my laziness and unwillingness to extend this already long comment instead of desire to present one-sided truth , but i want to point out, what while English page on invasion of Kurils is fairly short, Russian one is pretty extensive, going over many little details and providing many sources and actual numbers (that's there the "garrisons of 5 islands surrendered instead of fighting" part came from. btw, there has been actual fighting during this operation, but before September 2 and obviously after August 15 broadcast). I think current technology should make it fairly readable through autotranslation. One interesting bit from russian article: "initially planned landing on Hokkaido has been canceled by personal directive from Stalin". edit: forgot to mention, that "April 25" part also came only from russian articles, english articles say that pact started and should have ended on April 13. Interestingly enough, russian article makes same statement at it's end, so i am not sure about real start and end date.
I think Russia should keep the islands, just like how Japan kept a Chinese Island/rock from China. USA didn't wanna give it to Chi because of communism but it's now under Japan control and they haven't given it back. Also USA helped China to become the giant it's now, all because the USA hated Vietnam and the support they were getting from China. So USA open trade & helped China navigate in capitalism, in exchange they stopped supporting the Viet cong / NVA.
as rough as the past was for the world, i hope that with the open access to history and information, the newer generations that will eventually lead the world can take these lessons and move the world forward in the right direction. The future won't be worth it if we all arent there, but we wont make it to the future if we all don't work together.
New reaction movies, a French movie about Dein Bein Phu, Pork Chop Hill a black and white film, M.A.S.H a great t.v show of the Korean war, Tea Gu Ki a Korean film, We Were Soldiers about the beginning of the Vietnam War (well the first engagement between Americans and NVA troops), Hamburger Hill, and The Beast with the Soviets in Afghanistan. That's all I can think of. P.S The a movie called Siege of Jadotville not sure if it fits the theme.
For the civilian side I can think of a movie called The Right Stuff great movie, Apollo 13, a tv documentary about the Berlin Wall,(can't remember the exact name), a funny one about McDonald's first opening up for the first time. Or Pepsi getting Soviet equipment.
It is strange to make claims just now, given that the Soviet Union already refused the island of Hokkaido, which Japan itself offered. And in 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a Joint Declaration, according to which "the state of war between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan ceases from the date of entry into force of this Declaration, and peace and good-neighborly friendly relations are restored between them". In the Declaration, the USSR agreed to hand over Habomai and Shikotan to Japan after the conclusion of a peace Treaty. But because of US threats not to give Japan the island of Okinawa, Tokyo refused to sign a peace Treaty, because it turned out that Japan refuses to claim Iturup and Kunashir and the rest of the Kuril Islands. And in the end, again, it turns out that the Americans are only pushing their position in Japan. On the us, Japan can not YAP, but on Russia it has become normal recently.
Can you do videos on Japanese culture vs us culture. I wanna know the average Japanese persons views on Marijuana and how legalization in America effect you guys as far as tourist.
Japan played a good part. If America never bombed Japan, The soviets coulda invaded...but the only reason they didn't was cause America had an atomic bomb. But had they known America ACTUALLY didn't have anymore.
Japan is much more prosperous and advanced under free market capitalism than it would be under communism. If you look at North Korea and South Korea you can see the clear difference between the same people under failed Communism and free markets and democracy.
Russia really needs those 4 tiny islands because they have barely any land of their own, other than the entire northern half of Asia and eastern quarter of Europe.
its very bad that Yr Country still Allows the occupation of Okinawa BY the AMERICAN ARMY 70 year later sorry to saw but yr Country is a COLONY of America and NOT an ALLY
Sorry but you lose a war? You lose territory. That's natural. Don't get me wrong I like Japan and support it wholeheartedly against provocations of China and would like to see Japan and Russia become more closer. But the islands are Russian, inhabited by Russians and are to stay such. Cheers from Sevastopol 🇷🇺🇯🇵
After World War 2, I rarely heard about Japan in terms of history from the American perspective. But, when I think about it I guess it makes sense that if your relations with a nation are good, there is nothing to talk about. "No news is good news."
deadeyemax Not always the case tho, stuff still happens in African countries (like the tragic Second Congo War for example which nobody outside Africa appears to have heard abt, at least to me), but the news barely makes it mainstream..... so it’s either that or the media just doesn’t cover what happens in obscure places
@@boaoftheboaians Right, but none of that has any influence outside of the continent. No one is going to care about news that doesn't affect them and they can't do anything about.
As unfortunate as that is, it's the nature of humans.
thank you for making these, they’re interesting and perspective is important to understanding any historical event
I did not know Japan still had territorial disputes with Russia, South Korea, and China. That is interesting. Those 4 Kuril Islands are so close to Hokkaido and farther from Russia, so it makes sense that they should be Japanese, especially when you consider they were given to Japan twice by the treaty of Shimoda and the treaty of Saint Petersburg.
Also, it’s worth noting one thing about the part of this video around 10:50 where general MacArthur tells president Truman to nuke China.
In 1960, MacArthur challenged a statement by Truman that he had wanted to use nuclear weapons, saying that "atomic bombing in the Korean War was never discussed either by my headquarters or in any communication to or from Washington"; Truman, admitting that he did not have documentation of any such claim, said that he was merely providing his personal opinion. I personally trust general MacArthur more than Truman.
"Those 4 Kuril Islands are so close to Hokkaido and farther from Russia". Wait what?! How they can be farther from Russia? How islands that are part of Russia can be "far from Russia"?
A small excursion into history:
"In preparation for the Yalta Conference of the heads of the Allied Powers, responding to an American inquiry about Moscow's political wishes in connection with the upcoming participation of the USSR in the war with Japan, Stalin announced that the Soviet Union would like to receive South Sakhalin, that is, to return what was transferred Japan under the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905, and also receive the Kuril Islands.
In putting forward claims to the Kuril Islands, the Soviet government did not strive for "territorial acquisitions" at the expense of foreign lands, but for the restoration of rights in the territories that had belonged to Russia since 1786 and, due to certain circumstances, were under Japanese rule.
By the decision of the Yalta (Crimean) conference of the heads of state - participants of the anti-Hitler coalition - I.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill - as a result of the war, they were transferred to its former owner of Russia - the Soviet Union. The deprivation of these islands by militarist Japan also followed from the conditions of the Potsdam Declaration, on the basis of which the Japanese government signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. The withdrawal of all the Kuril Islands without exception, up to the island of Hokkaido, from the jurisdiction of the state or administrative authorities of Japan was also envisaged in the Memorandum of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Powers, General D. MacArthur No. 677/1 of January 29, 1946. In 1951, the Japanese government signed and then ratified the San Francisco Peace Treaty, in which it "renounced all rights, legal grounds and claims to the Kuril Islands and to that part of Sakhalin Island and the adjacent islands, over which Japan acquired sovereignty under the Treaty of Portsmouth dated September 5, 1905 "
Actually, the USSR should have received Hokkaido as well. This was discussed at the Crimean Conference and all three sides agreed with this.
"especially when you consider they were given to Japan twice by the treaty of Shimoda and the treaty of Saint Petersburg.". This is the position of the Japanese side. To be more precise, this is their interpretation and it is very different from what it was in the documents.....
"The Soviet-Japanese joint declaration signed in Moscow on October 19, 1956, provided that the USSR and Japan "agreed to continue after the restoration of normal diplomatic relations ... negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty. Article 9 of the Joint Declaration does not provide for any double interpretations: "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Island to Japan, however that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after conclusion of a peace treaty between the USSR and Japan." What's most interesting that these negotiations were initiated by the Soviet side. Directly by the head of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev. But Khrushchev rejected the Japanese-proposed version of an agreement that negotiations for a peace treaty would include a territorial issue. Negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty after 1956 by the Japanese government were actually terminated. With strong pressure from the US administration which was not interested in the normalization of Japanese-Soviet relations, in violation of the conditions reached in the Joint Declaration, the Japanese government arbitrarily put forward a demand to "return" to Japan not only Habomai and Shikotan, but also the largest and most developed islands of the Kuril ridge - Kunashir and Iturup. Because of that the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 27, 1960, sent a memorandum to the Japanese government, in which it indicated that "only on condition that all foreign troops are withdrawn from Japan, the islands of Habomai and Shikotan will be transferred to Japan, as provided for by the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan of October 19 1956 ". This condition is valid to this day. The question of the possible transfer of Habomai and Shikotan is possible only after the withdrawal of the occupying foreign troops from Japan (read as the US army) and the signing of a peace treaty. As we understand it will never happen =))
In general, the first to whom the Japanese should ask questions is to the United States and especially to Britain.
“The issue of restoring the territorial rights of the USSR in the Far East was discussed by the leaders of the“ big three ”- Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill during the Tehran conference (November - December 1943). Churchill began by saying that “the Soviet fleet should sail freely in all seas and oceans.” Remembering that as a result of the Japanese-Russian war, Russia lost part of its territory in the Far East, he emphasized that “the governance of the world should be concentrated in the hands of nations who are completely satisfied and have no complaints."
Stalin, in a conversation with US Ambassador A. Harriman on December 14, 1944, formulated the wishes of the Soviet government in connection with the participation of the USSR in the war against Japan. Since during this meeting, the political conditions for the entry of the USSR into the war were outlined by Stalin most fully and it was they that formed the basis for the negotiations in Yalta on the Far Eastern issue, we will cite in more detail the content of the conversation:
“Stalin says that he is ready to convey to Harriman the wishes of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union would like to receive South Sakhalin, that is, to return what was transferred to Japan under the Portsmouth Treaty, as well as to receive the Kuril Islands. In addition, in Tehran, the president, on his own initiative, raised the issue of providing the Soviet Union with access to the warm seas in the Far East. At the same time, the president spoke about Port Arthur and Dairen, which Russia used to use on a lease basis. The Soviet Union would like to restore the use on lease terms of these ports, as well as the railway leading to them through Mukden, Changchun, Harbin and the Sino-Eastern Railway, which shortens the Soviet Union's routes of communication with Vladivostok. At the same time, China must fully retain its sovereignty in the territories along which these roads pass. Further, the Soviet government wants the status quo of Outer Mongolia to be fully preserved.
Harriman says he thinks that the president in Tehran meant the internationalization of Dairen and Port Arthur, as it would be more in line with modern ideas. However, he, Harriman, does not remember this exactly.
Stalin replies that this issue can be discussed.
Harriman declares that he will convey to the President about the wishes expressed by Marshal Stalin."
Trust the USSR is like trust Nazi Germany, never worked.
I love your reaction to these historical events. I would love to learn more about ancient Japanese history from you. Would you be interested in reacting to Meiji Restoration, samurai and the Sageku Jidai videos?
It was quite interesting to hear that there is actually a part of Japans' constitution denouncing war
I heard about Article 9 from a video game.
"We were the 69th country to join the UN"
Hentai approves
I am a south korean....really want reunification of the korean peninsula, also I oppose againts sanctions on japan. Its not like I am siding with the japanese but with the world economy crippling, we HAVE to clme togather.
As an American, I don't know what needs to be done to fix the historical animosity between Korea and Japan (though onus is on Japan because duh), but it just makes sense for the two wealthy, democratic and independent East Asian states to work together.
@@argosime i am afraid that the tension between korea and japan will not cease unless one grovel. I am not saying it must be, one should consider each others prespectives and not trying to understand them because this is a suger coated fantasy like outcome, however what we can do is to embrace it.
@@UandMeDasame Korea is like Asian Poland. Stuck between strong countries. China is big like Russia and Japan is advanced like Germany
@@yin6287 yea..during the old days that is, now i can proudly say that we are the 7th or 8th strongest in the world(global fire power)♥♥
@@yin6287 Korea is nothing like Poland, unlike Poland they had stable borders for 1000y more or less.
10:05 nice
Very noice
Noice
So, I have been doing nothing in my spare time but watching reactions to Oversimplified(hyperbole alert). I like that no two reactors share the same exact culture and/or life experiences, so they are each able to add a new and unique insight. Also, while a science nerd first, I'm a history nerd second and have nothing but love for anyone who appreciates the subject.
Thank you for reacting to these vids.
Sincerely, your newest subscriber (AKA Becca)
the communism thing is still present in the us today, you can see it pretty much everywhere in politics these days where people just call random stuff communist. Its super blatant where people think communism=socialism/social policies when theyre quite different from each other. also a fun fact is if you look up night time satellite images of berlin, you can still see the difference between east and west berlin, where the east is using older street lights and bulbs
If only we had nuked the Soviet Uniom after Japan surrendered followed by the Chinese communists lurking in the mountains we wouldn't be dealing with Russia or China and they pain and destruction they have and will continue to unleash in the future now would we be dealing with Communist or Socialist stooges in the west who hope to retry the same evil and death the world already experienced. We should have listened to MacArthur and hit them in '45/'46.
Those islands have more symbolic or even sacral meaning rather than economic or strategic to Russia, because of that enormous amount of people we lost in WW2. Giving those islands back to Japan would be considered a treason to the memory of the fallen grandfathers. So I don't think this problem will be solved in the near future, especially when Russian people live there already.
Don't forget the rhenium mines... can't forget the rhenium...
@@_Meng_Lan What can I say, everyone committed atrocities in those years. The Japanese massively massacred the Chinese (Nanjing massacre), Korean women were forcibly sent to brothels. Unit 731 performed nazi level inhuman experiments on people (including Soviet citizens). As a result of the war, the Americans dropped two nuclear bombs, which was a war crime of the highest magnitude, which, no matter what anyone says, cannot be justified by anything. All powerful countries did what they wanted, such were the times.
I love how informative your commentary is! Great video!
Love your thoughts. I'm very impressed.
You’re awesome man. So glad I found your channel! - Your friend from America
about the islands, i feel like it would make sense for the closest 4 to go to japan and the rest to stay with Russia, but i know its much more complicated than that
The whole Kuril island chain guarantee the security of Okhotsk sea remain firmly on Russian control. Letting the Japanese have it, would mean a possible American installement there in the future. A non negotiable option for them. That's only one of many reason Russia wouldn't budge to Japan's demand on that.
I was lucky enough to have a history teacher who loved history and always gave interesting tidbits. Two I learned about the cold war were: a Soviet Ambassador in America (I believe Boris Yeltsin) got permission to go out to a grocery store in the US. When he saw the full shelves and cleanliness, he thought it was propaganda so on his trip (I forget where) he stopped at different stores to see the same exact scene. Fully stocked stores, tons of selection, and no lines that took people hours so they could grab a product to buy. He said that he was truly shocked and that he was dispared for his people. A short time later he defected.
The other I don't remember as well but basically it was decided to drive the POWs through all the poor neighborhoods in the US before their release so they could see even the poor had cars and houses. It was a strategy to spread rumors of US/capitalist wealth and combat the propaganda that they were told that thr USA was starving and barely surviving under capitalism
I love how you read all of the comments. I know how much work it can be to heart so many comments, let alone to reply to them all. Yet you do take the time to read them and that is great to know even if you don't have the time to respond to them all.
Comrade Shoe Banger also said capital ships are bad m’kay. And this their reliance on subs and missiles led to them being unable to catch up the US Navy
Love hearing you react to history like this!
10:05 Nice.
Why not share the islands? 😂 They'll be great places to throw some parties with both Japanese & Russians with their sake & vodkas! :D
Actually had to go look up McArthur’s height after this and was shocked to see he is only 6’0”
Screw you internet! I was watching while eating and couldn't contain my laugh when he said they were the 69th country to join the UN.
*I DIDN'T WANT TO BECOME THIS KIND OF IMMATURE ADULT DAMMIT!!!*
Nice video btw. It was nice knowing those small datails like Japan not being part of the UN at that point, and how they also were influenced to oppose communists.
Oversimplified videos are all great if you wanna learn about some history of different nations
GHQ = General Headquarters
1:59
America and Britain: Now hol' up
*We were the 69th country to join the UN*
Me: Nice
Hello and thank you for videos. I found your channel just a couple weeks ago and it was very interesting and really enlightening to look at things from perspective of person with culture different from mine. Being a Russian myself, i felt it would be okay to say a couple of things about the whole Kurils situation, since i never really thought about it before seeing you video.
I have done a little research about it (mostly using english and russian wikipedia) on how it looks from the russian perspective.
First, my knowledge before i looked into it: as i remember, in history classes soviet invasion of manchuria mentioned mostly in passing, something along the lines "we defeated germans and then went to pacify the final of world's aggressors, who also attacked the soviets before in 2 minor skirmishes (hasan and hahlin-gol)".
Then, in adulthood i looked into things myself and from things in russian internet at the time came to conclusion: "soviet union attacked japan according to prior agreement with the allies, and did it precisely after the non-aggression has ended".
Now i looked into things more diligently and this is what i found out: soviet-japanese non-aggression pact has been signed at April 13 and ratified at April 25. It should have lasted for five years starting from April 25 1941 and it had 2 important stipulations: 1) If pact is not denounced at least a year before it ends, it will automatically extend for another 5 years. 2) After a pact has been denounced it is still in effect for 1 more year.
Soviet Union denounced it on April 5 1945, so according to above instead of lasting until April 25 1946 it should have ended at April 5 instead.
Also, according to wikipedia: "The wording of the denunciation suggested that the Soviet Union wished to see the treaty go out of effect immediately, and Time magazine reported that the Soviet Foreign Commissar's tone indicated that the Soviet Union might go to war with Japan soon. However, the text of the treaty stated that the pact remained in force until one year after declaration of denunciation by one party, that is April 1946. When pressed by the Japanese Ambassador Naotake Sato, Molotov confirmed that the treaty did remain in force until April 1946".
Then: "On May 8/9, 1945 (the date depending on the time zone), Nazi Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe and starting the secret three-month countdown for Soviet commencement of hostilities against Japan. On August 9, 1945, just after midnight Manchurian time, the Soviets invaded Manchuria. The declaration of war against Japan followed nearly six hours later. Because of the time zone difference of 7 hours, the declaration of war could be still dated August 8, 1945, being presented to the Japanese ambassador in Moscow at 11 p.m. Moscow time". Looks like this is where the "precise" part from my memories came from.
Regarding the Kurils: Looks like i will have to play the devil's advocate. At September 2 1945 Japan signed Instrument of Surrender, "marking the end of hostilities" (according to the same source), and it was signed by the USSR representative. Thus, the fact what Soviet Union continued is indeed strange. But it must be pointed out, what invasion of Kurils started at August 18, and after the Instrument of Surrender Soviets occupied only 5 islands (Sibotzu, Taraku-Shima, Uri-Shima, Akiuri, and Suiseto), the rest has been already taken previously. Also, there has been no fighting in occupation of these 5 islands, their garrisons surrendered. But i, personally, consider their occupation, even without fighting, a hostile act, since, as far as i know, and correct me if i wrong, where has been no agreement between Japan and USSR about a transfer of these islands.
Then thing get interesting. "Marking the end of hostilities" is not equal to ending a war or signing peace treaty. Allies signed a peace treaty at 1951 at San Francisco. Then, at 1956 there was Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration, which ended a state of war, opened diplomatic and trade relations, but it was not a peace treaty. In it was written, what USSR was ready to sign a treaty, in which it returned only Habomai Islands and Shikoton, but Japan did not want a treaty on these conditions, it also wanted Kunashiri and Etorofu. Thus, to this day, Russia and Japan are in this curious situation, where war has ended, but "the territorial problem was to be shelved for future negotiation". Wikipedia article about it while short is actually a pretty interesting.
As far as public opinion goes, no one really talks or cares about the Kurils question, but if asked, general consensus is: "It is already our rightful soil, why would we want to give it away?" And i dont even want to go to the political side of things, i have big disdain towards current Russian government, so i cant give unbiased answer.
P.S. I hope the fact that i did not include differences between english and russian articles is rightly viewed as my laziness and unwillingness to extend this already long comment instead of desire to present one-sided truth , but i want to point out, what while English page on invasion of Kurils is fairly short, Russian one is pretty extensive, going over many little details and providing many sources and actual numbers (that's there the "garrisons of 5 islands surrendered instead of fighting" part came from. btw, there has been actual fighting during this operation, but before September 2 and obviously after August 15 broadcast). I think current technology should make it fairly readable through autotranslation. One interesting bit from russian article: "initially planned landing on Hokkaido has been canceled by personal directive from Stalin".
edit: forgot to mention, that "April 25" part also came only from russian articles, english articles say that pact started and should have ended on April 13. Interestingly enough, russian article makes same statement at it's end, so i am not sure about real start and end date.
Hey bud I would recommend turning up your video volume
thanks great video
I think Russia should keep the islands, just like how Japan kept a Chinese Island/rock from China. USA didn't wanna give it to Chi because of communism but it's now under Japan control and they haven't given it back.
Also USA helped China to become the giant it's now, all because the USA hated Vietnam and the support they were getting from China. So USA open trade & helped China navigate in capitalism, in exchange they stopped supporting the Viet cong / NVA.
as rough as the past was for the world, i hope that with the open access to history and information, the newer generations that will eventually lead the world can take these lessons and move the world forward in the right direction. The future won't be worth it if we all arent there, but we wont make it to the future if we all don't work together.
10:06 noice
New reaction movies, a French movie about Dein Bein Phu, Pork Chop Hill a black and white film, M.A.S.H a great t.v show of the Korean war, Tea Gu Ki a Korean film, We Were Soldiers about the beginning of the Vietnam War (well the first engagement between Americans and NVA troops), Hamburger Hill, and The Beast with the Soviets in Afghanistan. That's all I can think of. P.S The a movie called Siege of Jadotville not sure if it fits the theme.
For the civilian side I can think of a movie called The Right Stuff great movie, Apollo 13, a tv documentary about the Berlin Wall,(can't remember the exact name), a funny one about McDonald's first opening up for the first time. Or Pepsi getting Soviet equipment.
I love how you do your own research before hand!
5:03 looks like a family divorce between America(mother) ,Soviet Union(Father), and Britain(the child taken by the mother)
"We were the 69th to join UN" ... I see what you did there ;)
I'm rather curious on how Japan sees America. Such as knowing American history or any US presidents
I love these reactions!
We are the 69th country to join un
Noice
It is strange to make claims just now, given that the Soviet Union already refused the island of Hokkaido, which Japan itself offered. And in 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a Joint Declaration, according to which "the state of war between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan ceases from the date of entry into force of this Declaration, and peace and good-neighborly friendly relations are restored between them". In the Declaration, the USSR agreed to hand over Habomai and Shikotan to Japan after the conclusion of a peace Treaty. But because of US threats not to give Japan the island of Okinawa, Tokyo refused to sign a peace Treaty, because it turned out that Japan refuses to claim Iturup and Kunashir and the rest of the Kuril Islands. And in the end, again, it turns out that the Americans are only pushing their position in Japan. On the us, Japan can not YAP, but on Russia it has become normal recently.
The Best GODZILLA Movies were Made In Japan 🇯🇵 during the Cold War‼️
I have always wondered what's the Japanese perspective of the American occupation post-WWII. How is it looked on by the Japanese people today?
US capitalist vs Soviet Communist should be interesting
I just realized one thing. Does Mao Zedong sound like devil (魔王) in Japanese? :D
Oh legit, but devil is akuma, you mean the demon king, like Oda Nobunaga, who called himself that of the 6th heaven
Tbh, Japan doesn't really need the kuril islands
in next video you can react to "The unconquered", movie about poland
I am so confused how you didn’t laugh at any of this or his other videos
Ok
I appreciate it but why did you heart this? Lol
Ooooohhhh i was first that’s why
Would love to meet you.
Russia still do not like the idea that you beat them so it might be difficul5
Can you do videos on Japanese culture vs us culture. I wanna know the average Japanese persons views on Marijuana and how legalization in America effect you guys as far as tourist.
Japan played a good part. If America never bombed Japan, The soviets coulda invaded...but the only reason they didn't was cause America had an atomic bomb. But had they known America ACTUALLY didn't have anymore.
@Ivan Karaschuk yeah
Japan is much more prosperous and advanced under free market capitalism than it would be under communism.
If you look at North Korea and South Korea you can see the clear difference between the same people under failed Communism and free markets and democracy.
Extremely poor audio.
Please react to buzzfeed unsolved phoenix lights and spontaneous human combustion of Mary reeser.
Russia really needs those 4 tiny islands because they have barely any land of their own, other than the entire northern half of Asia and eastern quarter of Europe.
Yeah and U.S. Okinawa occupation is totaly normal.
I did not see u Lough on your video it makes me sad😔😔
its very bad that Yr Country still Allows the occupation of Okinawa BY the AMERICAN ARMY 70 year later sorry to saw but yr Country is a COLONY of America and NOT an ALLY
69 nice
pj masks
Sorry but you lose a war? You lose territory. That's natural. Don't get me wrong I like Japan and support it wholeheartedly against provocations of China and would like to see Japan and Russia become more closer. But the islands are Russian, inhabited by Russians and are to stay such.
Cheers from Sevastopol 🇷🇺🇯🇵
Yeah, there is a way to solve this Kuril islands problem. You japanese have to quit trying return these lands. Kurils and Sakhalin are russian.
Need lovely 😍💋 💝💖❤️
10:05 nice.