Japan's WWII war crimes are a dark chapter that isn't highlighted as often as it should be. When you think about war crimes, the Nazis are likely the first that come to mind, but let’s not forget about the horrors committed by Japan. Committed between 1937 and 1945 primarily in Asia and the Pacific islands, these atrocities were not just wartime strategies but grotesque crimes against humanity. They murderously rampaged through places like Nanking, Shanghai, and the Philippines, leaving a bloody trail that had devastating impacts on millions of innocent lives.
Here are ten atrocities that should absolutely outrage any decent person but strangely seem to fly under the radar of mainstream discourse:
The Rape of Nanking: In 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army stormed into Nanking, China, and what unfolded was one of the most horrific massacres in human history. Over 300,000 Chinese civilians were slaughtered, and tens of thousands of women were brutally raped. It's a historical fact that will make any Nazi brutality apologist shiver.
Unit 731: Forgotten by many, Unit 731 was Japan's hidden laboratory of horror. Between 1935 and 1945, Japanese 'doctors' conducted atrocious medical experiments on prisoners. These experiments included vivisections, biological warfare testing, and the use of lethal bacteria, all while keeping these 'patients' alive to note the results.
Comfort Women: The euphemistically named 'comfort women' were, in reality, sex slaves taken by the Japanese military from colonized countries. Women – primarily Korean and Chinese – were subjected to unimaginable suffering and assault, a war crime whose echo still resonates painfully today.
Prisoner ‘Mistreatment’: Calling it mistreatment is the understatement of the century. The Bataan Death March, occurring in 1942, saw Japanese soldiers force 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war on a deadly march. Harsh conditions and executions at random killed thousands.
The Manila Massacre: Between February and March 1945, the Japanese Imperial Army went on a killing spree in the Philippine capital, resulting in the deaths of 100,000 civilians. Hospitals, schools, and churches were no sanctuaries – Japanese forces executed anyone in their path.
Biological Warfare: Japan tried to weaponize pandemics, releasing plague-infested flees over Chinese cities. An act of mass murder you won't find in many history books but one that happened nonetheless.
Dutch East Indies Campaign: Japanese forces invaded what is now Indonesia in 1942. The native population suffered under food shortages and forced labor. This brutal occupation was driven by Japan's interest in resource exploitation rather than human empathy.
Human Experimentation Camps: Japan had numerous secret camps for testing chemical weapons on live subjects. Thousands of Chinese, Korean, and Russian POWs suffered mind-numbing tortures in the name of ‘science.’
Widespread Looting and Land Pillaging: Widespread looting of territories like Hong Kong and Southeast Asia didn’t just destroy economies; it ruined millions of lives. This seems to have been Japan’s version of 'cultural appreciation.'
Military Tribunal Whitewash: After the war, the Tokyo Trials were supposed to address these crimes. What happened? A minimal number of executions and a lot of pardons. While some handpicked officials were punished, many others, including infamous doctors from Unit 731, got the equivalent of a slap on the wrist.
These aren't just historical tidbits or dusty stories from old newspapers. They're brutal realities that devastated lives and are often soft-pedaled or completely ignored in today’s politically correct world. No wonder some folks walk around with cherry-picked historical narratives thinking they've got the moral high ground.
Hypocrites might rush to absolve these shameful acts, but who are we kidding? Japan got away with crimes that make one tremble with indignation, yet there’s hardly a field day about it on the evening news. Meanwhile, we’re all supposed to swallow whatever liberal mantra the mainstream media spoon-feeds us, forgetting atrocities committed under the Rising Sun.
There’s a sobering reminder here, a lesson that history isn't always written by the just. It's written by the victors, or in some cases, the ones most adept at dodging guilt. But the weight of these crimes won’t just slip through the fingers of time; they demand acknowledgment and justice. It’s high time we add this unpleasant but necessary chapter to our collective historical conscience.