by Patricia Ormsby for the Saker Blog
The Initial News Blitz
In the immediate aftermath of Putin’s announcement on February 24 of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine, Japan’s media instituted a one-sided blitz condemning Russia of a sort that has become familiar to everyone else in the West.1 The blitz appeared to have been well-planned and coordinated in Japan, though it took about a week to eliminate the five-minute Vesti news segment from NHK’s selection of international news sources airing early each morning (this has not been restored since). In the subsequent month a person couldn’t watch any TV for more than 15 minutes without seeing more news on Ukraine or graphic blurbs announcing upcoming documentaries. Talk shows were populated with new, young “experts on Russia,” while well-known, respected experts went absent. These young professors appeared to have no knowledge of the Minsk Accords, for example, though I suspect it was simply made clear to them that the topic was off-limits. The overall impression from the media was that Russia’s incursion into Ukraine was entirely a war of territorial conquest entailing savage, horrifying brutality against innocent civilians.
I do not use social networking services, but the blitz appeared to have been even more intense there, and specifically aimed at women, judging from the effects. Virtually all the women I know in Japan responded viscerally to this propaganda. I witnessed rage at anything that reminded them of Russia. Russian signage installed for the Olympics was blocked off. One friend studying Russian told me she had contacted her teacher in Moscow and told her she could not bring herself to continue her lessons until Russia stopped that nasty invasion. Her teacher explained in tears that she had family in Ukraine. My friend should have realized that there was another side to this story. I explained to her how discriminatory the news on Ukraine in Japan was and the fact no one could really attest to the veracity of all the atrocities we were being bombarded with day and night; still she was just overwhelmed by it.
I can attest as a woman living in Japan nearly four decades that I could not watch the news without feeling that I would be a monster if I didn’t have any sympathy at all for the victims, even if I considered it all unverified and mostly likely misleading. I can’t tolerate such a level of cognitive dissonance, and just flee after a few minutes. My husband and his brother, by contrast, can continue watching with no emotional involvement, just out of curiosity to see how far the authorities will take such obvious propaganda.
Cracks in the Narrative
In contrast to the successful emotional man-handling of the women, virtually all of the men I know in Japan quickly saw through the deception and many, in fact, took umbrage at it. It was men who told me they were sick of hearing constantly about Ukraine. They pointed out how odd the unilateral condemnation of Russia was, considering this was the same sort of action America was constantly engaging in with other small impoverished countries far away that the news otherwise had no interest in. They recognized the attempted manipulation, and what they and an increasing number of women began to see behind it was an anticipated new attempt to rewrite Japan’s constitution enabling it to engage in military actions overseas.
In addition, the talk shows never really managed to shut out pro-Russian views entirely. Prior to the SMO, there had been some positive coverage of Russia in the Japanese media. The knowledge people possessed from before the conflict could not be erased. According to my husband, one commentator noted that Zelensky’s arming of civilians to help fight the invasion rendered the entire civilian population a military target under international law. The public’s perceptions of Zelensky’s role in the conflict changed. The Minsk Accords were brought up in one daytime program, catching one of the young “experts” off-guard. The general perception gradually formed among the public that there was indeed another side to this story.
Russian signage was restored at train stations in April. I have not heard recently of on-line harassment of Russians (or anyone suspected of being Russian, including Ukrainians), which was occurring during the first few weeks of the SMO. Prior to Biden’s recent appearance in Japan, the propaganda increased, but seems to have subsided since then somewhat, though the other day they aired a documentary on what a dictator Putin is.
Shrugging at Official ‘Truths’
Japan has had a long history, including times still within living memory, of life under tyranny. This tyranny has characteristics that distinguish it from European varieties, based on social systems rooted in Buddhism and Confucianism. I won’t go into it here but the result is they’ve inherited ways of coping with tyranny that allow them to lead relatively dignified and meaningful lives. One of these is their concept of “tatemae” versus “honne.” Tatemae literally means “façade,” while honne is composed from hon (main or regular) and ne (sound), and means “real intention” or “true meaning.” They recognize the necessity of the former just so that society can function smoothly without tripping over infelicitous details or long-standing conflicts. That the latter exists in contrast to the former is universally acknowledged. Confucianism gives its blessing to this system, valuing harmony above most other concerns. Everyone puts up their own tatemae and deals with their own honne as they see appropriate.
Of course, this happens everywhere. The difference here is its universal acknowledgement. Dishonest official “truths” are tolerated until they jeopardize things that really matter. Even then, people here are more likely to try to resolve the issue quietly. Japan has to go along with America to a large degree, and as long as the latter does not confront Japan over its sneaky tendency to overlook rules at the local level, they see no reason at all to confront America. And in the matter at hand, what matters to them is not the blatant propaganda or emotional manipulation, but whether or not they as a country can maintain the neutral stance that they have benefited massively from over the past half century.
Left and Right
I have heard that there is a rightward faction in Japan that favors Russia, but have no other knowledge about them. The right wing that I am acquainted with still has a territorial beef with Russia over four of the Kuril Islands https://tass.com/world/1041010?utm_source=yandex.ru&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=yandex.ru&utm_referrer=yandex.ru and as a result no peace treaty has been signed between Japan and Russia in the 67 years since WWII.2 In general, though, Japan’s right wing tends to be isolationist. Shinto, which is largely but not exclusively right wing, is a highly localized religion, and most of the devoted practitioners I know have never been abroad and tend to look down on overseas travel. I attended a meeting of the Fuji Confraternities, a Shugendo sect centered around Mount Fuji, and was pleasantly surprised, given the moral stance inherent to any religion, that not once in three hours did anyone bring up the plight of the Ukrainians.
Japan’s left wing, aside from communist and socialist factions that favored the Soviet Union, strongly favors the US for its idealism and democratic principles. Many of them have traveled abroad, but mostly as part of groups on commercial tours, which are motivated to protect whatever façade will encourage future business. The linguistic distance between Japanese and other languages also makes it hard for them to obtain unfiltered information from abroad. The result is a romanticized view of America and tendency to give credence to Western news sources. My impression is this is true to some extent throughout Asia.
Civic-minded Seeking Knowledge
Given the cracks in the narrative mentioned above, however, there is a growing interest among the civic-minded in Japan, in particular among the left, in hearing about Russia’s viewpoint. I was happy to see a good turnout3 for a lecture by retired Ibaraki University professor Hideo Soga in Mito, Japan, on May 21 to promote understanding Russia’s point of view in the Ukrainian conflict.
In his talk and accompanying handout, Prof. Soga presented content from Putin’s speech to Russia’s citizens on February 24.4 This included the threat from NATO’s easterly expansion since 1990; NATO’s serial aggression against countries without approval through UN Security Council resolutions (Belgrade, Iraq, Libya and Syria); Russia’s inability to reach an agreement with NATO in December 2021 on vital security matters; the situation worsening year-by-year despite Russia being one of the top nuclear nations and possessing many of the most advanced weapons; further threats from NATO to expand into Ukraine, bringing in modern weaponry from nations inimical to Russia; the genocide of ethnic Russians in the Donbass necessitating a military response from Russia in accordance with UN Charter Chapter 7, Article 51; and Russia’s aim to neutralize and demilitarize Ukraine, removing the neo-Nazis, but not occupying the nation.
Prof. Soga described and illustrated NATO’s eastward expansion, gave a rundown of Ukraine’s history, with a diagram showing the percentages of different ethnic and language groups in different parts of Ukraine. He discussed Zelensky’s presidency, mentioning Kolomoisky’s backing and the events since 2014 that led Crimea to rejoin Russia and brought about civil strife to eastern Ukraine and the current conflict, with deep involvement by Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. He explained in more detail the conflict in the Donbass between separatists and Ukraine’s government, mentioning that NATO had turned a blind eye to massacres of civilians and destruction of residential areas by neo-Nazi brigades, in fact abetting it, and that attacks intensified in late 2021. He mentioned the Odessa massacre as well, providing a You-tube link.
He discussed the American Deep State, quoting Mutsuo Mabuchi, former ambassador to Ukraine (2005-2008), who pointed to involvement by Wall Street and the FRB, which had been established in 1912 under President Woodrow Wilson with the authority to issue money. He said these shadowy powers had expanded internationally since then and sought to create a “one world order” through globalization. Mabuchi, he said, considers Biden part of the Deep State.
Finally, Prof. Soga summarized his own views of the situation, saying that the American Deep State (neocons) seeking control over Russia’s assets and enabled by Yeltsin and Russia’s oligarchy, exploited the division between Russia and Ukraine and that Putin’s initial goal was to restore Russia’s assets, which he did by excluding the oligarchy, renationalizing privatized assets and rebuilding Russia’s economy. This, he said, made him enemy number one of the Deep State, whose overriding task became to topple him somehow. This led them to expand NATO eastward, with the Deep State camouflaging its goal of world domination under nice names like globalization and democracy. Putin, he said, was justified in resisting its infringement of nations’ right to independence. For Russia to maintain its independence, a buffer zone, he said, would be necessary, with Russia surrounding itself with friendly or neutral states. At the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse, NATO was supposed to have recognized this. He said that far from recognizing these needs, Zelensky’s regime promoted expansion of NATO into Ukraine and was fanning the flames of division between the closely related Russian and Ukrainian ethnic groups. This, he said, justified Russia’s military response.
I note he did not bring up the biological research laboratories or Zelensky’s stated aim for Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons.
More Work Needed toward Fuller Understanding
I attended Prof. Soga’s lecture with the hope of learning how people in Japan with some degree of receptivity to non-mainstream points of view were perceiving the situation in Ukraine, and I was well rewarded. In the discussion following Prof. Soga’s presentation, I could see that the media blackout of anything from Russia’s point of view had resulted in major gaps in people’s understanding, and I was able to offer up some information in addition to Prof. Soga’s, but I held back to avoid dominating a discussion I mostly wanted to listen in on. They had the impression that Russia was meddling like America does in countries it has no business in, likening it to Japan if it were to intervene in China on behalf of the Uighurs, but Prof. Soga’s presentation went a long way toward correcting that misunderstanding. There was the question of how the Azov battalion could be Nazi if Zelensky was Jewish, in response to which I explained that the victims of the Nazis were not limited to Jews, and described the Soviet Union’s experience in World War II, where for example, my Russian teacher’s mother in Belarus was forced to watch her own husband’s execution by the invading Nazis despite not being Jewish. The ladies attending were also under the impression that Western countries enjoy more freedom of speech than elsewhere. I told them the situation had changed and there is a lot of censorship going on in Europe and America now. They had not heard that before.
That kind of news comes as a shock to people, who will be inclined to return to and believe in more soothing sources, but if they know this dissident idea exists, they may come to see evidence that what I’ve told them has truth.
Overall, the discussion focused on concerns that Japan might be persuaded to become involved in the conflict, and I think even from a global perspective the most important thing for the Japanese is to be alert to that possibility. In light of my conversations with other people in Japan as well, I expect there to be considerable resistance within Japan to being dragged into a conflict with Russia.
It, of course, remains to be seen when push comes to shove from America, if what the average citizen thinks will make any difference anyway.
After the lecture, I had a chance to talk to Prof. Soga, and he asked me if I knew what percentage of America’s budget goes to the military. I didn’t have an exact figure—in the ballpark of “absolutely enormous.” He asked, “Why can’t the American people address this? Why is no one there discussing this? This is the root of all the pressure for a war in Ukraine.” He wondered if, like in Japan, the problem was people are interested in nothing beyond their own narrow familial and social circles. I replied that that was not as much the case in the US as in Japan to focus intensely on one’s own group to the exclusion of all other considerations.5 In America, I explained, the “defense budget” is something no one can criticize from either side of the political spectrum because they’d be seen as opposing a “strong America.” It’s something no one can touch.
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1Japan has identified as “Western” since the Meiji Era more than a century ago, when it embarked on modernization and began emulating colonists’ successes rather than becoming another passive victim. In particular, it admired Germany, from where it derives much of its scientific terminology.
2A friend well acquainted with the matter says the politically dominant LDP party has made moves toward a peace treaty, but each time America quickly scuttles it.
3About 20 people. Given what has happened in response to COVID over the past two years, this is big. The Japanese believe in self-restraint for the greater good, so this demonstrates real interest, and the participants will share what they learned with their social circles.
4On YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qS6J-WbTD8 and a Japanese translation of the text is available here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220304/k10013513641000.html I think it is significant that NHK provides this translation, but am also grateful to Prof. Soga for pointing it out. On TV, we typically see Putin frowning and moving his lips while hearing the newscaster give an unfavorable interpretation of what he is saying.
5Thorsten J. Pattberg has catalogued a few of the absurdities this can lead to in his series of articles on Japan (latest here: https://10.16.86.131/top-guns-kishida-and-us-biden-showdown-with-russia-and-china/). In addition, Japan has relatively little volunteerism, and social injustices wind up ignored with the victims forced to fend for themselves. That’s a downside. An upside is more stability in society.
Patricia Ormsby has lived in Japan since 1984, where she works as a translator. She led ecotours from Japan to Baikal from 1995 to 2002 and has added Russian, Thai and Indonesian to the languages she speaks in addition to Japanese. She and her husband left Tokyo in 2001 and went rural, where they farm organically. She was certified as a Shinto priestess in 2001.
I found this a fascinating article on the Russia-Ukraine conflict as perceived in Japan, as well as an interesting insight into a widespread Eastern view of America, and things American. It reflects on the effectiveness of the propaganda efforts of the United States in propagating its values among the vast and diverse, non-American world. It exemplifies the views of Gustave Le Bon on ‘mass behaviour’ and the subsequent work of Edward Bernays in putting these ideas into practice.
There are always ‘outsiders’ who do not buy in to the popular ideas promoted among the masses as a means of control. Professor Soga is obviously a rare, and brave, voice in Japan, just as President Putin, at a different level, has chosen a form of Russian nationalism rather than submit to American ideology beloved of oligarchs everywhere. For this, we outsiders can be thankful and wish him, and Russia, success.
Thanks, Patricia Ormsby, for your well-written, perceptive and informative article. It was heartening to read.
If you get a chance to watch movies Hollywood made in Japan and Korea in the 40’s, you will be treated to a feast of propaganda
Excellent polemic. Thanks for at least an inkling for how people in Japan are thinking.
@5 In America, I explained, the “defense budget” is something no one can criticize from either side of the political spectrum because they’d be seen as opposing a “strong America.” It’s something no one can touch.
Right, and this is exactly what is going to occur in America, the political leaders will hear from the people in the streets in the form of instability, and since the same solution is applied with every disturbance, the disturbances can only grow and take different forms as they evolve.
No one knows where this is all going, not even the Gods, who have nothing ( not even a dime) except their health and some vague concept of blending in with the disaster to then magically, make improvements?
“…the politically dominant LDP party has made moves toward a peace treaty, but each time America quickly scuttles it”
Yes. In 1956 (?) the Soviet union and Japan came to an agreement over the Kuril Islands but Washington sabotaged it and the draft treaty never got any further.
Thank you for this data.
Thank you Patricia for well written sober POV from a local angle. It is encouraging. An avalanche begins with a pebble or snowflake..
I remember reading about this 1956 Soviet-Japanese treaty effort on Saker website a few years ago.
/lavrovs-statement-following-talks-with-foreign-minister-of-japan/
We were excited about the possibilities then. Those were promising days when the chemistry between Abe and Putin promised a thaw, and a possible reorientation of Japan.. how much in hindsight was it the Empire seducing Russia via a proxy? And/or Russia expanding geopolitical maneuver room with China so as not to be overreliant and a junior partner?
Similarly Russia’s current expanding oil relationship with India as middleman to Europe is a masterstroke in many ways.
Interesting point on Japan’s military & constitution, Russian scholar Andrei Shkolnikov too said that the mid-long term goal is to make Japan, Poland & Turkey attack Russia simultaneously, expects at least 2 of them to obtain nukes with US-UK help
Many think the reason Japan still has a big nuclear power industry even after what happened at Fukushima and the opposition from the public that brought (see https://cnic.jp/english/), and despite the heavy subsidization that is needed to support it is that there are elements within the government that want the stockpile of plutonium from it to be available for production of a bomb at short notice.
I think the Japanese will only understand what is really going on when they are taught that the nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima were a warning to the USSR to stay clear. Nothing to do with defeating Japan in WW2. Japan was prostrate and defeated already.
The car sent to pick up the Americans and take them to the Imperial Palace was running on alcohol extracted from pine trees.
Source:
“Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy”
https://www.amazon.com/Japans-Imperial-Conspiracy-David-Bergamini/dp/0688019056
“the nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima were a warning to the USSR”
True. No need to teach anyone anything though, this has been obvious to even the most uninterested observer.
“Japan was prostrate and defeated already”
Not true. The Japanese had fought to the last man on Okinawa (Apr-Jun 1945) and introduced kamikazes to the battlefield. The nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima actually saved Japanese and American lives that would have been lost in an invasion of the main islands of Japan.
I think it’s probably a bit too optimistic to believe that Japanese can see through the propaganda more than others. I haven’t been to Japan since the crisis broke, but my guess would be that it’s just political apathy. Ukraine is far away and it doesn’t concern Japan directly. What concerns Japan are the Kuril Islands and the country’s security treaty with the US. The security treaty makes Japan even more of a vassal than most European countries, who can at least form a common front at times. Japan is all alone in its unequal relationship with the US. The country doesn’t have any margin of maneuver to divert from US policy.
Japan is just a vassal state of the US. Japanese politicians are servile, cringing, bought and paid for whores. US servicemen on Okinawa and elsewhere commit horrific rapes and other crimes against Japanese with complete impunity – they are never punished, just sent home. It is pitiful to see what Japan has become.
Japan as a nation is literally dying off with record low birthrates. It’s a sad, decaying (spiritually, not physically) place, like walking through Venice at night, despite the bright lights and gadgetry.
I think the Okinawa humiliation is more easily tolerated by the Japanese because they don’t consider Okinawans as really Japanese. The Ryukyu Kingdom was more a part of China until the mid-1800s and was annexed by Imperial Japan.
If I can add, the Japanese see themselves as superior Asians. Their history of the wanton massacres of Asians during WW2, including 500,000 thousand Chinese in Nanjing alone is a testament to their DNA.
They were being forced by USA and went with the biggest white racist on the block: Hitler. They are now fully owned and controlled by the biggest bully who gives comfort to the other White bullies.
Their hierarchy of emperor first system is alive and well. They are simply not allowed to think freely. That is why China who have ripped that emperor system to shreds will always come out on top.
Some may argue that the western world has long since shed this system. No, the king’s and queens have just been replaced, by emissaries such as Musk, Bezos, Soros, Gates etc. And the other non- jews who have mated.
Behind them lies the real power, names that are never mentioned. It has always been this way for centuries.
I disagree with a blanket statement on the Japanese as I would regarding any ethnicity. There seem to be people in the elite circles who deem Japanese superior to other Asians, and if so, they are the ones that turn up their regal noses whenever I show up. Japan, for whatever internal dynamics bring it about, does have a history of repeated invasions of its closest neighbor Korea. During the Edo period, when Japan shut off all contact with other nations, save for the port of Nagasaki through which it traded with the Dutch, it ceased from that for more than two centuries, but immediately prior to that with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and immediately after that in the Meiji Period, they invaded Korea. Given analogous situations in the future, I have no doubt they’ll do it again.
They went along with Nazi Germany willingly, but what is important to bear in mind is the average citizen had no clue what was going on. An elderly gentleman who long ago had worked for the thoroughly modern railways and was more recently in the throes of Alzheimers remarked to me with a bright smile, “Hitler’s the greatest, isn’t he?” Seventy years of intervening shame completely erased!
Japan’s conservatives are strong proponents of the Emperor system’s hierarchy, as it provides stability, but the liberal side is quite opposed to it.
“The country doesn’t have any margin of maneuver to divert from US policy.”
While this is true, the Japanese do have a spine occasionally. Former PM Abe was replaced when he refused to go along with Israel and the US blaming Iran for attacking a Japanese flagged ship (the other usual political corruption scandals just made it easy to get rid of him).
The apathy is very real, and a result of their intense focus on close relationships as well as a distinct awareness that they are in fact powerless, that the US gave them a “democracy” in name only. Regarding the Kuril Islands, virtually none of them care. No one even in Hokkaido has a living memory having lived there. It really comes down to, as you note, no margin of maneuver to depart from US policy.
Patricia, thank you for a well presented article
Thank you Patricia for an enlightening article. If you do find similar information on the present US drive to further militarize Japan as part of the China containment strategy I would be very interested. I live in SW China…
I’ll keep my eyes open. Thank you for the suggestion.
People in Japan shouldn’t wonder why Americans don’t question or oppose the military budget. We Americans know that if you do you will be shunned, maybe lose your job, and if you are too prominent or loud about it, maybe assassinated by the CIA, FBI, or local police. It’s been going on since the Vietnam War. The US is a fascist uniparty dictatorship.
Thank you for this informative article. Encouraging to hear that more than a few in Japan still think for themselves. If only that were possible in my home country of Canada where the far-left political class and national media have entered into an unholy alliance to subvert democracy and open, free thought. Pity really.
The last time such an open discussion, as Ms. Ormsby participated in, was permitted in the U.S. was during the Vietnam war. I am glad that such a discussion occurred in Japan. I also thank The Saker for posting it.
It curious how Japanese are so easily manipulated by what they see on their television sets. It seems they lack certain common sense after years of zombification by the Americans.
The Japanese leadership is as pitiful as the German leadership. Both countries share much in common after being subjugated for over 3/4 of a century. Prisoners in their own home, sleepwalking through life.
This is also part of what happens when people focus too much on close relationships. They lack perspective about what goes on beyond their sphere. But it looked to my like people throughout the West were manipulated into a frenzy of rabid hatred. I don’t know how it compares in terms of length and severity in each country. In Japan, nobody has been jailed for holding the wrong views. None of the TV commentators has been attacked for revealing embarrassing discrepancies in the narrative, they’ve been simply, quietly shut out.
This does provide each of us in our local circumstances a chance to see what happens when a scapegoat is identified and a complicit media jumps on it.
What a wonderful person! To be able to have so much understanding and empathy, while helping others to learn and experience different ways of thinking is a great gift, and we can learn from it just from this article.
Thank you Patricia and also the saker team.
Domo Arigato Gozaimashita, Patricia San!
It is so refreshing to read good analysis of an Asian nation by a thoughtful and insightful westerner.
I attended my last 3 years of high school in Yokohama 1973-1976.
I very much like the Japanese, and I know how to behave as a “good-foreigner”, which allows a lot of freedom, if one remains polite and moderately considerate, and is seen to be sincerely trying…
It took me at least ten years to overcome my culture shock. My husband was very helpful (and Nitobe Inazo wrote a whole book a century ago for his Canadian wife trying to explain the reasons for cultural features), but I think it was receiving deeper cultural training at a shrine, where rather than just hearing about how the society works, you experience a very ancient, traditional form of it for several days on end. Even the Japanese around me struggled, but I could see, though an organic group perspective, how this unusual system works as well as it does. Our position as “foreigner” has value in this context, and makes me think of the hirsute pioneer deity Sarutahiko, in that we open new roads for them https://www.godchecker.com/japanese-mythology/SARUTAHIKO/
Sarutahiko Wikipedia: Sarutahiko’s name consists of an etymologically obscure element, Saruta, which is traditionally transcribed with kanji that suggest the meaning “monkey-field” as a sort of double entendre, followed by the Classical Japanese noun hiko “a male child of noble blood, a prince.”[6]
I wondered if “Saru” referred to “monkey”. In my first (10th grade) high school, I was mocked as “aka jiri saru”, “red assed monkey”, which was just funny to me. My next 2 years I got to go to an international school with no uniforms and girls. Much better!
Still, in that first Catholic boy’s school, I took Judo, and was introduced to sitting meditation. I remained interested in Zen Buddhism, and eventually had the chance to receive extensive teachings from Tibetan lamas, beginning in 2001, which was a good time to engage “Daruma”.
Here we all go!
There is one line of thought in Japan that the divine figures in their mythology are based on legends of people who actually lived long ago. Sarutahiko could have been a sojourner–he looks Caucasian–bringing knowledge from distant lands. He lived and died and has a grave, which you can visit at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine near Ise.
Finally, a reasoned and intelligent article about Japan. Removed. Mod.
Living in Japan myself, I too saw the propaganda onslaught aimed directly at women and children – the only news was crying children, young local expat Ukranian women crying, Ukranian women sweeping up broken glass while crying… it continues today. One sided. Appeal to emotion and authorities. Transparent. And the wife still falls for it.
Another eye opening propaganda attempt was with the Olympics – one of the morning TV shows changed its entire image to the transgender flag and its colors right before the Olympics started. Apparently there was to be an NGO blitzkreig by international woke media in shaming of Japan (including an amplification of the ever present “they need to be more multicultural and less racist” movement), but the borders were shut and it never eventuated.
Ah, sorry Mods.
I thought ALL propaganda was to be abhorred and ridiculed. Irrelevant articles stirring up anti-general-population-sentiment of somewhere else are only bad when THEY do it. Got it.
No wonder we are where we are today.
Thanks,
nobody.
The Olympics and it seems most international athletics have stooped to the level of propaganda organ for the globalists.
“The result is a romanticized view of America and tendency to give credence to Western news sources. My impression is this is true to some extent throughout Asia.”
America is baseball, hot dog, apple pie, Hollywood, the Super Bowl, Facebook … and bombing other countries back to the Stone Age!
It is really amazing how people around the world from Japan to Europe are so brainwashed into believing in the (false) gospel of American Values™.
I guess that’s why they call the United States of America the Empire of Lies.
I still love America or at least what she was supposed to be, and I hope that after she falls splat on her face, she’ll pick herself up and dust herself off, sadder but wiser. Pathocracy is an ailment known even to strike the finest nations.
America is going reap what it has sown around the world and be on the receiving end of retribution for the USA’s ongoing crimes against humanity around the planet.
America’s wars, regime change operations, capitalist exploitation, and genocidal violence–all morally justified by the founding lies of America as the “Land of the Free”–will not stand.
If the USA implodes and breaks apart into a million pieces, they should consider themselves fortunate, as they could be “bombed back to the Stone Age” themselves.
I do hear you.
First to congratulate a commenter who made it up there with an article! Congratulations, Patricia Ormsby, and very good article.
Thank you very much.
Thank you Patricia for this enlightening article.
It is truly heartwarming to see that when presented with facts, people will try to understand and put themselves in others’ shoes. Propaganda, lack of information and the prohibition against critical thinking are the tools of tyrants.
As a French living in the US, I have nonetheless had the privilege to work and live in many countries around the world, including Russia and Crimea, and I am an unapologetic Russophile. My experience has been that ordinary people rarely agree with their governments’ policies, especially regarding international affairs. This is true of a majority of Americans on Ukraine, I want to believe. I have hope for the US, although there is going to be a lot of pain down the road. I am more severe vis-a-vis Europeans (who have been shooting themselves in the foot for decades) who have no sense of self-preservation, whether culturally, economically or politically. I know that there is a strong liking for Russian culture in France, built over a long history. Unfortunately, Europe is now under the control of the Anglo-Saxon fascist (i.e. corporations) elite.
It is very strange to me to be an American patriot, a nationalist, and at the same time, to wish for Russia’s victory in Ukraine. I guess we just fighting against the globalist agenda, which treats nations, cultures and people as mere resources to be harvested…
I have been in Japan for 40 years working as a media professional. I’ve worked for almost every major company and literally all the ministries. So I am more familiar than most with how media messages are tailored to Japanese policies, which reflect long standing cultural values. There is no Russophobia in Japan as there is in the US — although there is Sinophobia, which has been around since the 19th Century. But there IS Americaphilia. In this culture of “dependence” (amae / Doe et al), American is “senpai” (senior) and Japan is “kohai” (junior) and must follow. So Japan is just following the policy of its idiot senpai. The average Japanese simply doesn’t care. This will change as the US collapses. https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/usa-civil-war-2023?s=w You can read my articles on Japan and Russia on medium.com.
How have the Chinese accepted the Nakasaki and Hiroshima events as if they had not happened and/or were not controversial?
I can’t say I know much about it, but what I did encounter on a few parts of the Chinese internet, including even Global Times, was the notion that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just desserts for atrocities like Nanjing, as if those who perpetrated the bombings were even concerned about the lives of those affected by Japanese imperialism (turns out the US also firebombed parts of China as well).
It reeks of hypocrisy when anyone who is otherwise critical of USAian war crimes and imperialism conveniently praises the nuclear bombings as a godsend.
Some “alliance” it’d turn out to be if the Soviets (the real target of the bombings, hat tip to ‘Mr P’) defeating the Kwantung army in Manchuria were ignored in favor of the USAian propaganda line in Chinese schools.
Since nothing is ever black or white, I am not certain that this speaks of the 1.4 billion (?) citizens who live in China.
Thank you for your insights!
Japan’s attitudes towards the US and also fascism are complex. Here are two articles published on Medium.com and Southfront on this. These are free to republish in part or in full.
https://julianmacfarlane.medium.com/japaneseism-subtle-fascism-df8077eee41f
https://julianmacfarlane.medium.com/japanese-militarism-redux-402f304f7574
Absolute unequivocal dross.
Typical female chaff.
It never ceases to amaze me how many Western women in Japan think that they know something of Japanese people.
Four decades of hiding among people who are too well mannered to call you out for your nonsense.
There are loads of such western women in Japan.
You fail to argue any points, state any facts, or contribute anything except dross and rubbish. A missed opportunity to educate us.
“Yokozuna” means “grand champion Sumo wrestler”.
Are you that?
Are you an “internet Yokozuna”?
If you are a yokozuna, you are an official Shinto priest. So let’s hear what you know!
Since Japanese real economy halted in 1990 the country itself has lost all its “Men of Nomura” steam and hype. With US operation there is demographic background.
Japan Population Forecast (annual change)
2020 126,476,461 -0.24 % -301,734
2025 123,975,982 -0.40 % -500,096
2030 120,758,057 -0.52 % -643,585
2035 117,166,141 -0.60 % -718,383
2040 113,356,476 -0.66 % -761,933
2045 109,529,351 -0.68 % -765,425
2050 105,804,027 -0.69 % -745,065
And this is actually quite “positive” table. There are much worse forecasts based on fact that fertility has been stable low level (around 1.3 born children per woman) during many decades. High life expectancy is just fooling ignorants. Japan didn’t have real boomer generation. So it’s actually a forerunner. Europe, China and white America are following Japanese though not perhaps as fast.
The future of Japan is more and more rollator – and steady decline.
Japanese are worshipping USA because they realized how much more powerful it was during 20th century. Let’s not forget that global oil production in 1940 was 70% dominated by US and Venezuela. For instance USSR could produce just 18.3 million tons crude oil in 1944 and in 1940 some 35 million. USA produce over 180 million and production increased to 4.5 mbarrel per day. Even with all those “Dutch Indian” resources the Japanese could have never produce more than 7-8 million. US WW2 oil dominance is too often ignored fact.
When talking about multipolar world we should understand that US total dominance continued during years of Stalin and started to be more limited since mid 1960’s. USA with much self-sufficiency than Europe and Japan will stay mighty power though relatively can’t never get dominance it had during years of Eisenhower. I think no decent American have to feel any panic of it. USA is as safe as any nation could be. Its only danger is sitting somewhere in Washington.
Good read, Patricia. I have tried to keep away from the TV here in Tokyo throughout this part 3 months, but what I have seen can be summed up on two words: emotionally manipulative. Even more so than what I’ve been exposed to on overseas news sources. I mean, it’s so insidious, some guy lit himself on fire (and died) last weekend apparently “in protest” at the “invasion”.
i rather a fool bbq’s himself than lashes out and kills a bunch of innocents, as exemplified every second day in united states.
I didn’t hear about the self-immolation–that is shocking! These poor people think they have to do something, anything to address the horrors they see visited upon Ukraine, without the first inkling that what the TV presents might not be true. In essence, the Japanese public is being tortured.
A wonderful article. I have also been interested in discerning who sees through the narrative and who doesn’t and I have to agree with Patricia for the most part. The same applies to COVID too. There was a group of people who understood this all to be essentially bullshit but the reason they wore the mask is exactly for the reasons outlined in this article. Its just about showing respect to others and protecting social harmony. For the most part, people are not harrassed either over these issues for the purposes of maintaining harmony. It has been a real education witnessing this important difference between our cultures. I have a lot of respect for it.
However, things may change this year as US neocon attention turns to Taiwan. If China do respond to US provocations by reunifying Taiwan with the mainland then they control the vast majority of semiconductor production (that is, not just raw materials but the products themselves). Allied with Russia, that unmistakably is game over for the West and its ambitions in the “Great Game”.
Japanese politicians and the media cartel here can must more easily lean on anti-Chinese sentiment to legitimate political change. It would be far more prudent to hold a netural, long-term perspective concerning things one cannot change, and instead seek to uphold the currency and prepare for economic crisis by purchasing gold, strategic resources, utilizing usable uncultivated land, and de-dollarizing. If Japan are smart, their neutral stance will mean that their currency is not rejected and they can use a national credit system to industrialize in important sectors such as neon gas and the like and then use this as an export to uphold their economic system. If they are stupid, then they will use affairs in Taiwan to revise the constitution and militarize without a firm economic footing. Obviously, the latter spells disaster for Japan.
It is a country, culture and people that I love. I truly hope they make wise decisions in the coming months.
They are terrified of China, and if Taiwan is brought under Chinese control, it will be like their worst nightmare. They will be clamoring for the ability to exert military force abroad. It could be a real disaster.
Hello and thank you for the article. It was an interesting read.
I am a a Japanese citizen living in Japan and I would love to know more about the professor in Igaragi you mentioned. Could you please provide me with his Japanese character so I can look him up on internet.
Thank you!
Sumie