This week we have been talked about various issues including the effects of U.S. military presence in Okinawa, the racial identification dilemma for mixed-race Japanese, human rights abuse at the Japanese immigration center, Japan’s dual identity as victim and aggressor in the WWII, domestic violence, sex crime and gender stereotypes in Japan. Besides the lectures and discussions, the excursions to Yasukuni shrine and robotics labs in Waseda are also educational and thought-provoking. In this week’s reflection, I would like to talk about my reflection on my tour to Yasukuni Shrine, gender stereotype.
Yasukuni Shrine
Yasukuni Shrine is special because it is the place where the mundane spirit of those Japanese who sacrificed for the country was transformed into divine spirits, “the common foot soldier was rewarded in death by becoming equal to the Emperor.” Every country has such a place to commemorate those who dedicated their lives to the nation, but what makes Yasukuni Shrine controversial is the 14 Class-A war criminals it honored. Countries being invaded by Japan find it extremely disrespectful for war victims and regard as a sign that Japan never fully recognized and confess its nefariousness. The narratives of Japan’s wartime history in Yushukan Museum is extremely controversial and whenever the government officials, especially the Prime minister, visited the shrine, the anti-Japanese sentiment always quickly burst out in countries like China and South Korea. As a Chinese, I found the narratives in Yushukan museum biasedly victimize Japan and detach suffering individuals from the war.
Historic narratives of Second Sino-Japanese War
The most part of the exhibition was about how technological advance the weapons Japanese army had used, how eager Japanese wanted to build a “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” where East Asians can be emancipated from the West. Only until the last part did the museum show the actual photos and last letters of those who died in the war. Looking into the eyes of those who give their lives to the war, I know how valuable the peace we have today, but displayed last letters were selected so intentionally that make me feel disappointing again. Most letters expressed the soldier’s sincere miss to their families, but also their unquestionable loyalty to supreme His Majesty. Many claimed they had given up their lives because their sacrifice glorifies the Emperor and the Empire. No one questioned the meaning of the war, and no one shown his/her struggle with killing another person. I believe a sincere and reflective narrative of the war should focus on individual struggles in war, like what is shown in the All Quiet on the Western Front: “I” struggled painfully after killing another man. The poor man “I” killed was a father, a husband, and a son; he was a commoner like “me.”
A Last letters from Japanese soilder
My general impression about Yasukuni Shrine and Yushukan museum is that the rightist narrative lack of reflection on history, show no remorse for the Japanese army’s atrocity, and does not respect the victims in the war. I hope in most Japanese’ opinions, the museum shows a biased perspective about wartime history, and I hope everyone has a consensus about how valuable peace is.
For the gender stereotype controversies in East Asia, I did hear many critiques that Asian men are losing masculinity. In recent years, influenced by the K-pop culture, male idols wear makeups, dye their hair bright-color and loss aggressiveness. Some idols are willing to accept female fans claim themselves to the protector in the imagined relationship between the fan and the idol. The ideal “manly” man, reflected in the comments in Terrace House, has to be emotionally strong, protective, responsible, and have some “manly” hobbies like outdoor activities. As the sole breadwinner of a family, the men deserve the respect and obedience from his wife and kids, and that’s the traditional power relation in Eastern Asia family. According to my observation, the appreciation of “less manly” men mostly concentrated on those economically independent women, who search for less aggressive love from the male and trying to challenge the traditional aesthetics about men. On the contrary, not many boys I have met regarding these “less manly” male idols as models to follow, many claims these idols look like gays. The homophobia is deeply rooted in the pop culture in East Asia, with LGBTQ groups are underrepresented in the entertainment industry. Even there are entertainers in the sexual minority group, their public images are confined by gender stereotypes.
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