Quote:
Originally Posted by HOZ
I think this is the best explanation as to why.
I would add
Racism and a feeling of superiority towards their neighbors. The Japanese had dragged themselves out of the Middle Ages, defeated a European power and became the reigning Asian/World power in the world all within 4 decades. No other Asian nation could do what Japan could. Technologically, militarily, etc, etc, etc...
That is an ego boost if there ever was one! That makes it easier to portray others as less than human.
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I think we can ignore the Japanese accomplishments. It's more like teenage soldiers relieving wartime stress and treating other humans as animals because they have been encouraged to act as savages themselves by the military machine and cultural conditioning.
We see the same barbaric instincts coming out of people in all wars, in WWII, Iraq, etc. with the same brutal disregard to the suffering of other human beings and even people taking an enjoyment out of the torture and murder of other human beings. We all have these instincts deep down but they are tempered by upbringing, the culture of our peers, and even education. Many of the instances of American caused attrocities in the Vietnam War were caused by the tendancy of the US Army to put the least educated and redneck (I don't know how to put this any other way easily) soldiers in leadership positions.
This is actually a big area of interest of mine, I was just in Hong Kong at the Victoria and Stanley Prisons where many Chinese and European Expats were tortured and executed by the Japanese in WWII.
I am not interested in assigning blame but rather my interest stems from people not forgetting these things or having history being whitewashed and ignored. Many Japanese students are never taught these lessons from their own history or have them whitewashed from their textbooks. People need to learn from their own history and not have a false history promoted to them.
Human nature is at it's heart barbaric and we are capable of causing horrible suffering which has always plagued civilization, I find that modern society often forgets just how bad it was at some points in our not so distant history or even in many parts of today's world and our short sightedness, forgetfulness of history, and lack of vigilance is what allows this suffering to continue.