A popular Japanese comic announced yesterday that it would censor one of its own stories after nationalist anger about its portrayal of Japanese brutality during the Rape of Nanking.
Young Jump, which sells two million copies a week, halted publication of its long-running story, The Country Burns, in September after being inundated by phone calls and e-mails objecting to the latest episode.
The magazine ran an apology yesterday for illustrations showing Japanese soldiers bayoneting helpless captives, assaulting women and beheading civilians during the assault on the Chinese city in the 1930s.
The publisher also said it would delete 10 pages and amend another 11 when the story is released in book form. There is no precedent for such self-censorship in Japanese comics, which often have graphic war scenes.
The Country Burns relates the travails of a civil servant during the turbulent 1930s. It is written by the manga artist Hiroshi Motomiya, whose work contains serious social commentary.
Japanese apologists claim that the Rape of Nanking is a fabrication or that the number killed was small and not unusual for wartime.
In October, the Right-wing Sankei newspaper denounced Mr Motomiya's account of "the fictional, so-called Nanking Massacre".
In fact, women, children and civilians were killed in a rampage that lasted for months. Most historians believe between 100,000 and 300,000 were killed.
Mr Motomiya studied contemporary pictures and accounts of the massacre. However, nationalists questioned the veracity of one particular picture he echoed in an attempt to cast doubt on the evidence and imply the massacre never happened.
Similar tactics were used against Iris Chang's 1997 bestseller, The Rape Of Nanking. A Japanese edition was cancelled after threats to the publisher.
Ms Chang was yesterday reported to have committed suicide in California after battling with depression.
Originally posted by: wischeez
What kind of magazine is called "Young Jump"??
Originally posted by: Ronstang
This doesn't surprise me at all. My friend spent 6 months in Japan in the early 90s and when he returned he told me that they teach that Pearl Harbor was propoganda and not true. He told me that the reason there are so many Japanese visiting the Arizona Monument in Pearl Harbor is to see how far the lie has been carried. After hearing that I lost what little respect I had for the people and culture of that island. It is one of the reasons I will not buy a Japanese car under any circumstance.
Originally posted by: brigden
It's kind of like American school boards removing pages of text books that discuss evolution, isn't it?
Originally posted by: brigden
It's kind of like American school boards removing pages of text books that discuss evolution, isn't it?
Originally posted by: Ronstang
This doesn't surprise me at all. My friend spent 6 months in Japan in the early 90s and when he returned he told me that they teach that Pearl Harbor was propoganda and not true. He told me that the reason there are so many Japanese visiting the Arizona Monument in Pearl Harbor is to see how far the lie has been carried. After hearing that I lost what little respect I had for the people and culture of that island. It is one of the reasons I will not buy a Japanese car under any circumstance.
Not really. The murder of 100,000 to 300,000 people 70 years ago isn't being covered up by failing to include a discussion of evolution. This is a whole other level of stupidity.Originally posted by: brigden
It's kind of like American school boards removing pages of text books that discuss evolution, isn't it?
Originally posted by: ThePresence
Flyboys should be required reading.
Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Originally posted by: ThePresence
Flyboys should be required reading.
:thumbsup:
Agreed.
Did you read that on my recommendation?
Originally posted by: iamme
Originally posted by: brigden
It's kind of like American school boards removing pages of text books that discuss evolution, isn't it?
not necessarily. it'd be more like American schools omitting portions of American history that involved massacring of Native Americans.
Originally posted by: ThePresence
Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Originally posted by: ThePresence
Flyboys should be required reading.
:thumbsup:
Agreed.
Did you read that on my recommendation?
Yes. I remembered your thread about it and I saw it at Costco so I snatched it up. :beer: for you!
Originally posted by: datalink7
Originally posted by: iamme
Originally posted by: brigden
It's kind of like American school boards removing pages of text books that discuss evolution, isn't it?
not necessarily. it'd be more like American schools omitting portions of American history that involved massacring of Native Americans.
True, though I don't think they do that anymore (at least in my high school years (1997-2001), we discussed the massacreing of Native Americans in depth).
Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Great!
Glad you enjoyed it.