Did the Japanese ever apologize foranyting?

[Unkotare]

The oft-repeated claim that WWII is not taught in Japanese schools is also false.

 

[regent]

give your brain a chance. he was warned by his own men he was to close to the point.

who ordered him off Bataan and why??? what were the objectives of taking the PI ???

ok GENERAL REGENT your in charge now. what's your strategy for fighting a war without killing anyone???

At times MacArthur displayed some bravery but it was mostly show, with photographers present. His exit from the landing craft at Leyte was a good example. He was furious that Wainwright surrendered and he shot down Wainright's being put in for the medal of honor?
As for the Phillipines, that invasion was unneeded, did not further the advance to Japan and used resources that might have been needed for the invasion. The Phillipines were a dead-end and led only to MacArthur being able to say I have returned. When the war ended, MacArthur's armies were still fighting on Luzon, the war had passed him by.
Reading of MacArthur is interesting and I would suggest some books.

I agree that MacArthur was an interesting figure, but not necessarily a good military strategist. It was MacArthur who convinced pre-war strategists that the Phillipines could be held should Japan attack. It was MacArthur whose air force was decimated hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. It was MacArthur who attempted the disastrous strategy of attempting to defend all the Phillpines. Thus MacArthur was at the root of the initial defeat in the Phillipines and of untold suffering. Kimmel and Short were disgraced and fired after Pearl Harbor. The same fate could have occurred to MacArthur, but his perceived hero status saved him.

MacArthur's legend is the result of the publicity machine he ran during the war that gave sole credit to himself over his men. US leaders, in the wake of defeat after defeat, played along and made him a hero. Thus his medal of honor award. However making MacArthur such a hero was problematic when it came to running the war. It created a dual advance across the Phillipines and the retaking of the Phillipines which was a dubious strategy. US strategy always had to work around his large ego.

MacArthur was no coward. He was ordered off the Phillipines. His handling of Japan's occupation after the war was excellent. He also showed bold strategy in Korea with the amphibious landing an Inchon. Then Truman had to fire him when he got out of line.

Being ordered off the Phllipines does not make one a brave soldier. But I have to admit that my own infantry company, then involved in the recapture of Bataan, reported MacArthur's party had come by in a few jeeps and went beyond our company, the safe line. I was on patrol at the time and didn't get a chance to salute him. Nevertheless when I did my homework on the SW Pacific campaigns later, I was upset with MacArthur, his ego and using all those resources to retake all the Phillipine Islands and the resulting cost and discovered it was not needed. The entire operation was to simply fulfill his, "I shall return.

 

[whitehall]

give your brain a chance. he was warned by his own men he was to close to the point.

who ordered him off Bataan and why??? what were the objectives of taking the PI ???

ok GENERAL REGENT your in charge now. what's your strategy for fighting a war without killing anyone???

At times MacArthur displayed some bravery but it was mostly show, with photographers present. His exit from the landing craft at Leyte was a good example. He was furious that Wainwright surrendered and he shot down Wainright's being put in for the medal of honor?
As for the Phillipines, that invasion was unneeded, did not further the advance to Japan and used resources that might have been needed for the invasion. The Phillipines were a dead-end and led only to MacArthur being able to say I have returned. When the war ended, MacArthur's armies were still fighting on Luzon, the war had passed him by.
Reading of MacArthur is interesting and I would suggest some books.

I agree that MacArthur was an interesting figure, but not necessarily a good military strategist. It was MacArthur who convinced pre-war strategists that the Phillipines could be held should Japan attack. It was MacArthur whose air force was decimated hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. It was MacArthur who attempted the disastrous strategy of attempting to defend all the Phillpines. Thus MacArthur was at the root of the initial defeat in the Phillipines and of untold suffering. Kimmel and Short were disgraced and fired after Pearl Harbor. The same fate could have occurred to MacArthur, but his perceived hero status saved him.

MacArthur's legend is the result of the publicity machine he ran during the war that gave sole credit to himself over his men. US leaders, in the wake of defeat after defeat, played along and made him a hero. Thus his medal of honor award. However making MacArthur such a hero was problematic when it came to running the war. It created a dual advance across the Phillipines and the retaking of the Phillipines which was a dubious strategy. US strategy always had to work around his large ego.

MacArthur was no coward. He was ordered off the Phillipines. His handling of Japan's occupation after the war was excellent. He also showed bold strategy in Korea with the amphibious landing an Inchon. Then Truman had to fire him when he got out of line.

MacArthur was a good strategist but a bad front line commander. He was way past his prime as a hard charging WW1 soldier and had even retired as Chief of Staff when FDR sweet talked him into coming out of retirement and becoming the front line commander of the area most likely to be attacked in the coming war. FDR was a politician and probably told Mac that he would be some kind of envoy to the Philippines. Mac hobnobbed with the elite in Manila instead of commanding Troops and when the doo-doo hit the fan in Pearl Harbor Mac had a full day to comply with the War Plan but he seemed incapable of making a decision at the time and his entire air-force was destroyed parked wing to wing on the ground. The Medal of Honor citation was awarded purely for political pay back after Mac (was ordered?) abandoned his Troops and escaped.

 

[Peach]

Emp Hirohito shouldhave been hanged 0 -same as Hitler had he bbe n caught.

Approved everythingJapan did from 1931 -45.

Hirohito was more a figurehead after Tojo took over, to keep the Japanese society from falling apart, we let Hirohito remain. I learned Hirohito was a virtual prisoner after 1941, Tojo of course was hung.

 

[namvet]

At times MacArthur displayed some bravery but it was mostly show, with photographers present. His exit from the landing craft at Leyte was a good example. He was furious that Wainwright surrendered and he shot down Wainright's being put in for the medal of honor?
As for the Phillipines, that invasion was unneeded, did not further the advance to Japan and used resources that might have been needed for the invasion. The Phillipines were a dead-end and led only to MacArthur being able to say I have returned. When the war ended, MacArthur's armies were still fighting on Luzon, the war had passed him by.
Reading of MacArthur is interesting and I would suggest some books.

I agree that MacArthur was an interesting figure, but not necessarily a good military strategist. It was MacArthur who convinced pre-war strategists that the Phillipines could be held should Japan attack. It was MacArthur whose air force was decimated hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. It was MacArthur who attempted the disastrous strategy of attempting to defend all the Phillpines. Thus MacArthur was at the root of the initial defeat in the Phillipines and of untold suffering. Kimmel and Short were disgraced and fired after Pearl Harbor. The same fate could have occurred to MacArthur, but his perceived hero status saved him.

MacArthur's legend is the result of the publicity machine he ran during the war that gave sole credit to himself over his men. US leaders, in the wake of defeat after defeat, played along and made him a hero. Thus his medal of honor award. However making MacArthur such a hero was problematic when it came to running the war. It created a dual advance across the Phillipines and the retaking of the Phillipines which was a dubious strategy. US strategy always had to work around his large ego.

MacArthur was no coward. He was ordered off the Phillipines. His handling of Japan's occupation after the war was excellent. He also showed bold strategy in Korea with the amphibious landing an Inchon. Then Truman had to fire him when he got out of line.

Being ordered off the Phllipines does not make one a brave soldier. But I have to admit that my own infantry company, then involved in the recapture of Bataan, reported MacArthur's party had come by in a few jeeps and went beyond our company, the safe line. I was on patrol at the time and didn't get a chance to salute him. Nevertheless when I did my homework on the SW Pacific campaigns later, I was upset with MacArthur, his ego and using all those resources to retake all the Phillipine Islands and the resulting cost and discovered it was not needed. The entire operation was to simply fulfill his, "I shall return.

look he could have taken a safe ride on a sub from Bataan to Aus but instead chose to ride out on John Buckley's worn out PT boats. why??? to prove to FDR and the brass you could break the Jap blockade. if you had the balls for it.
there was more to it than "I shall return". from the PI the US had hundreds of air base's that cut off supplies going to the empire. and new naval base's for Subs whose mission was to send the Maru's to the bottom.

 

[MaryL]

People are pointing out the obvious, the Japanese DID apologize for some atrocities they committed. I don't know what I expect from them, but their apologies seem a little weak and a little late. They started the war. But in August when the anniversary of bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki rolls around, they trot out this “poor little innocent victims” routine. They don’t say that, but it’s implied. They were victims of their own hubris, if anything. Don’t mention THAT. I have to say, how convenient it is they underplay the chain of events JAPAN initiated that led up to their “victimization”...

 

[namvet]

At times MacArthur displayed some bravery but it was mostly show, with photographers present. His exit from the landing craft at Leyte was a good example. He was furious that Wainwright surrendered and he shot down Wainright's being put in for the medal of honor?
As for the Phillipines, that invasion was unneeded, did not further the advance to Japan and used resources that might have been needed for the invasion. The Phillipines were a dead-end and led only to MacArthur being able to say I have returned. When the war ended, MacArthur's armies were still fighting on Luzon, the war had passed him by.
Reading of MacArthur is interesting and I would suggest some books.

I agree that MacArthur was an interesting figure, but not necessarily a good military strategist. It was MacArthur who convinced pre-war strategists that the Phillipines could be held should Japan attack. It was MacArthur whose air force was decimated hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. It was MacArthur who attempted the disastrous strategy of attempting to defend all the Phillpines. Thus MacArthur was at the root of the initial defeat in the Phillipines and of untold suffering. Kimmel and Short were disgraced and fired after Pearl Harbor. The same fate could have occurred to MacArthur, but his perceived hero status saved him.

MacArthur's legend is the result of the publicity machine he ran during the war that gave sole credit to himself over his men. US leaders, in the wake of defeat after defeat, played along and made him a hero. Thus his medal of honor award. However making MacArthur such a hero was problematic when it came to running the war. It created a dual advance across the Phillipines and the retaking of the Phillipines which was a dubious strategy. US strategy always had to work around his large ego.

MacArthur was no coward. He was ordered off the Phillipines. His handling of Japan's occupation after the war was excellent. He also showed bold strategy in Korea with the amphibious landing an Inchon. Then Truman had to fire him when he got out of line.

MacArthur was a good strategist but a bad front line commander. He was way past his prime as a hard charging WW1 soldier and had even retired as Chief of Staff when FDR sweet talked him into coming out of retirement and becoming the front line commander of the area most likely to be attacked in the coming war. FDR was a politician and probably told Mac that he would be some kind of envoy to the Philippines. Mac hobnobbed with the elite in Manila instead of commanding Troops and when the doo-doo hit the fan in Pearl Harbor Mac had a full day to comply with the War Plan but he seemed incapable of making a decision at the time and his entire air-force was destroyed parked wing to wing on the ground. The Medal of Honor citation was awarded purely for political pay back after Mac (was ordered?) abandoned his Troops and escaped.

he was ordered out by FDR who was not going to see a US Gen go into captivity. the Japs hit the PI the same day they hit Pearl Harbor

 

[namvet]

People are pointing out the obvious, the Japanese DID apologize for some atrocities they committed. I don't know what I expect from them, but their apologies seem a little weak and a little late. They started the war. But in August when the anniversary of bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki rolls around, they trot out this “poor little innocent victims” routine. They don’t say that, but it’s implied. They were victims of their own hubris, if anything. Don’t mention THAT. I have to say, how convenient it is they underplay the chain of events JAPAN initiated that led up to their “victimization”...

this

 

[ThirdTerm]

Hirohito was more a figurehead after Tojo took over, to keep the Japanese society from falling apart, we let Hirohito remain. I learned Hirohito was a virtual prisoner after 1941, Tojo of course was hung.

Actually he was pretty much in charge of Imperial Japan's wartime policy-making and he always had a final say like Churchill did for Great Britain. A prime minister who advised him against war was sidelined and after that he only listened to hawks in the military. Japanese historians tend to write revisionist accounts on Hirohito to perpetuate the myth that he was a pacifist and Tojo lied about the emperor's wartime role during the war crime trials to save his life. But in a way, the emperor was somewhat misled by his military advisers who misinformed him on Japan's 'smashing successes' in the Pacific even after the tide of war turned against it and he fought on, hoping for a favourable settlement with the US. In the final days of the war, he was ready to sacrifice the entire Japanese population to save his face and he grudgingly admitted defeat after Hiroshima.

 

[Unkotare]

I don't know what I expect from them, but their apologies seem a little weak and a little late....

Really? Have you read all of them? Nearly 50 or so since the end of the war?

 

[Unkotare]

But in August when the anniversary of bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki rolls around, they trot out this “poor little innocent victims” routine. They don’t say that, but it’s implied. ...

Oh, "it's implied"....I see. Not apologetic enough about it for you? What other country that has been on the receiving end of the atomic bombing of two major cities seems to handle it better in your opinion? You know, just so we have an example....

 

[Unkotare]

he was ordered out by FDR who was not going to see a US Gen go into captivity.r

FDR didn't seem to mind seeing over 100,000 loyal American citizens thrown into concentration camps (by him) though...

 

[peach174]

The Japs invaded other nations for control of natural resources.
Germans wanted control of the world and wanted to wipe out a whole race.
Very big difference between the two.

 

[regent]

All meaningless, the real question: why the return to the Phillipines? The navy was on the right path in the Central Pacific and it was apparent to many that the Phillipines were a dead end. And why spend the resources retaking all the Phillipine islands instead of just Leyte and Luzon? Our goal was Japan, not Mindinao, wrong direction. It was FDR's mistake, and politics was probably involved, in giving MacArthur permisson to retake those 7000 islands. MacArthur was being pushed by the Republican party to run for president. Anyway, a truism for many of the GI's in MacArthur's command, "stick with Mac and never get back."

 

[eots]

For their BRUTAL colinaztion of SE ASis and Rape of Nanking and the Battan Death March etc

Yet US made a apology for incarceration of Japaense-American citizentson the West Coast

the space bar.... its the bigone at thebottom

 

[Unkotare]

For their BRUTAL colinaztion of SE ASis and Rape of Nanking and the Battan Death March etc

Yet US made a apology for incarceration of Japaense-American citizentson the West Coast

This was an oddly inappropriate comparison to start the thread with. Trying to suggest an equivalency between the nation of Japan apologizing to other nations for its wartime aggression and the government of the United States apologizing to her own citizens.


.......................

 

[whitehall]

I agree that MacArthur was an interesting figure, but not necessarily a good military strategist. It was MacArthur who convinced pre-war strategists that the Phillipines could be held should Japan attack. It was MacArthur whose air force was decimated hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. It was MacArthur who attempted the disastrous strategy of attempting to defend all the Phillpines. Thus MacArthur was at the root of the initial defeat in the Phillipines and of untold suffering. Kimmel and Short were disgraced and fired after Pearl Harbor. The same fate could have occurred to MacArthur, but his perceived hero status saved him.

MacArthur's legend is the result of the publicity machine he ran during the war that gave sole credit to himself over his men. US leaders, in the wake of defeat after defeat, played along and made him a hero. Thus his medal of honor award. However making MacArthur such a hero was problematic when it came to running the war. It created a dual advance across the Phillipines and the retaking of the Phillipines which was a dubious strategy. US strategy always had to work around his large ego.

MacArthur was no coward. He was ordered off the Phillipines. His handling of Japan's occupation after the war was excellent. He also showed bold strategy in Korea with the amphibious landing an Inchon. Then Truman had to fire him when he got out of line.

MacArthur was a good strategist but a bad front line commander. He was way past his prime as a hard charging WW1 soldier and had even retired as Chief of Staff when FDR sweet talked him into coming out of retirement and becoming the front line commander of the area most likely to be attacked in the coming war. FDR was a politician and probably told Mac that he would be some kind of envoy to the Philippines. Mac hobnobbed with the elite in Manila instead of commanding Troops and when the doo-doo hit the fan in Pearl Harbor Mac had a full day to comply with the War Plan but he seemed incapable of making a decision at the time and his entire air-force was destroyed parked wing to wing on the ground. The Medal of Honor citation was awarded purely for political pay back after Mac (was ordered?) abandoned his Troops and escaped.

he was ordered out by FDR who was not going to see a US Gen go into captivity. the Japs hit the PI the same day they hit Pearl Harbor

OK, MacArthur was informed of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor 3:AM Philippine time. According to records he took no significant action until 12:30 Philippine time when the attack came. The "war plan" called for MacArthur's bombers to bomb Formosa upon receiving information of a Japanese attack and it would have taken the Japanese by surprise with loaded and fueled planes on the ground but he did nothing. The Japanese couldn't believe their luck when they destroyed the American planes on the ground. True to form MacArthur blamed subordinates for his own lack of leadership.

 

[namvet]

MacArthur was a good strategist but a bad front line commander. He was way past his prime as a hard charging WW1 soldier and had even retired as Chief of Staff when FDR sweet talked him into coming out of retirement and becoming the front line commander of the area most likely to be attacked in the coming war. FDR was a politician and probably told Mac that he would be some kind of envoy to the Philippines. Mac hobnobbed with the elite in Manila instead of commanding Troops and when the doo-doo hit the fan in Pearl Harbor Mac had a full day to comply with the War Plan but he seemed incapable of making a decision at the time and his entire air-force was destroyed parked wing to wing on the ground. The Medal of Honor citation was awarded purely for political pay back after Mac (was ordered?) abandoned his Troops and escaped.

he was ordered out by FDR who was not going to see a US Gen go into captivity. the Japs hit the PI the same day they hit Pearl Harbor

OK, MacArthur was informed of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor 3:AM Philippine time. According to records he took no significant action until 12:30 Philippine time when the attack came. The "war plan" called for MacArthur's bombers to bomb Formosa upon receiving information of a Japanese attack and it would have taken the Japanese by surprise with loaded and fueled planes on the ground but he did nothing. The Japanese couldn't believe their luck when they destroyed the American planes on the ground. True to form MacArthur blamed subordinates for his own lack of leadership.

lets see those records. he had no idea the invasion force was that close to him just like Kimmel and short were clueless

 

[regent]

he was ordered out by FDR who was not going to see a US Gen go into captivity. the Japs hit the PI the same day they hit Pearl Harbor

OK, MacArthur was informed of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor 3:AM Philippine time. According to records he took no significant action until 12:30 Philippine time when the attack came. The "war plan" called for MacArthur's bombers to bomb Formosa upon receiving information of a Japanese attack and it would have taken the Japanese by surprise with loaded and fueled planes on the ground but he did nothing. The Japanese couldn't believe their luck when they destroyed the American planes on the ground. True to form MacArthur blamed subordinates for his own lack of leadership.

lets see those records. he had no idea the invasion force was that close to him just like Kimmel and short were clueless

With Pearl Harbor still burning what kind of clue did MacArthur need? Nine hours after the Pearl Harbor attack the commander of the Far East Air Force went to see MacArthur twice that morning and MacArthur was too busy to see the General, and so MacArthur's planes sat waiting on the ground to be destroyed.
No official inquiry has ever been done on why MacArthur let his air force be destroyed on the ground. Kimmel and short were removed and MacArthur was to end up with command of the SW Pacific theater.

 

[MaryL]

I don't know what I expect from them, but their apologies seem a little weak and a little late....

Really? Have you read all of them? Nearly 50 or so since the end of the war?

No I haven't. You got me there. My father was wounded by a Imperial Japanese solider in a battle none of you folks heard of or care about. And, if he HAD died, I wouldn't be here. That little subtle detail hasn't escaped my awareness. The Japanese can apologize until hell freezes over. I am not feeling any sympathy for them. I don’t forgive them for starting the war. My father had to re-live that war in his dreams, he had the loss of a limb to show for it. I don’t forget HIS suffering.