World Weekly | Kanagawa's "Puzzle" Nagasaki | Japan | Kanagawa
On August 15th, we are about to celebrate the anniversary of Japan's defeat. And this year happens to be the 170th anniversary of the Black Boat Incident.
170 years ago, Rear Admiral Perry of the United States Navy opened Japan's doors with a strong ship and cannons, and later forced Japan to sign the Treaty of Kanagawa.
Nearly 100 years after the Black Boat Incident, the US military landed at the Houki Naval Airport in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan during World War II. The highest commander of the US Far East, MacArthur, stepped off the plane from Kanagawa Houki Airport, marking the beginning of taking over the defeated Japan.
Equally dramatic is that at the ceremony when Japan signed the surrender agreement, MacArthur specially hung the 31 star American flag on the Perry ship back then.
From the American Black Ships to the battleship Missouri, the name "Kanagawa" is also seen as a symbol of Japan's submission to the United States.
However, at present, as the relationship between Japan and the United States becomes increasingly complex and the Japanese people are dissatisfied with the US military presence, the relationship between Japan and the United States has shown both "compliance" and the ambition of Japan's right-wing forces to "restore their old dreams", arousing the vigilance of neighboring countries.
So, the "Kanagawa mystery" between Japan and the United States, mixed with various "ambiguous" elements, became increasingly apparent.
On August 6th, at the 78th anniversary commemoration event of the atomic bomb explosion, Japanese citizens of Hiroshima rang bells at the atomic bomb explosion site in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
The media noticed that as the Prime Minister from Hiroshima, Kishida reiterated Japan's "three non nuclear principles" in his speech, but did not explicitly mention whether Japan would join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, let alone the historical background of the Hiroshima nuclear explosion.
During World War II, Hiroshima was known as the "military capital" of Japanese militarism due to its proliferation of military factories.
And Eda Island in Hiroshima Prefecture is seen as the cradle of Japanese militarism. Yamamoto Isoroku, who attacked Pearl Harbor in the past, graduated from the Naval Academy on Eda Island.
The Wugang port opposite Jiangtian Island was the birthplace of the main ships of the Japanese "Combined Fleet" during the Pacific War, such as the "Yamato", "Akagi", and "Canglong".
Today, Wugang in Hiroshima Prefecture remains the exclusive base of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force.
According to foreign military websites, a large number of Japanese aircraft carriers, shield ships, and submarines are currently deployed in Hong Kong.
In July 2021, then Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi announced that Japan would deploy F-35B fighter jets that could serve as carrier based aircraft at the Nitta Harara base in Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu Island. And carry out modifications to Japan's "Izumo" and "Kaga" aircraft carriers to carry F-35B fighter jets. And receive technical support from the United States.
The Forbes website stated that the deployment of "two fighter squadrons" on Mamao Island south of Kyushu Island and on the Kaga aircraft carrier was the "core of the Tokyo War Plan.".
If Ma Mao Island, which is close to Okinawa, is an "unsinkable aircraft carrier," then the "Kaga" based in Wugang, Hiroshima, is a "movable island.".
In response, Japan's "August 6th Hiroshima Action Implementation Committee" drummed loudly and shouted, "Don't turn Okinawa into a battlefield.".
On June 24th, Russian President Putin signed a bill renaming September 3rd as the Victory Day of the Anti Japanese Militarism War and the End of World War II.
The media has noticed that Japanese officials at all levels, avoiding mentioning the United States, which dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing 400000 Japanese deaths, have emphasized the importance of so-called "nuclear support.".
Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Tomozaki: Russia possesses nuclear weapons, which is why it cannot be stopped.
In the view of Kistanov, director of the Japan Research Center at the Far East Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, "Tokyo must follow Washington's foreign policy and dare not provoke its own 'boss'.".
In response, Deputy Director of the News Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zaitsev, pointed out that "this hypocritical and opportunistic attitude towards the history of World War II has become a business card of the Tokyo authorities.".
Two high-profile American blockbusters were also "off beat".
Barbie and Oppenheim are both produced by Warner Bros. in the United States.
Barbie is about the awakening of women. Oppenheimer tells the story of the atomic bomb.
The two films can be said to be "impossible to beat", but the American public relations team is promoting them through a mix and match.
On the official social media account of the movie "Barbie", Barbie and the father of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer, are placed together in the background of a nuclear explosion scene. The caption below says, "This will be an unforgettable summer.".
The parody of "Babenheimer" in the United States has caused dissatisfaction among the Japanese people. Some Japanese netizens believe that "Babenheimer" is an insult to the group of atomic bomb victims.
A Japanese "X", also known as a Twitter user, created a photo of the 9/11 attacks in the United States and wrote, "This is the feeling your actions have brought us."
Japanese people: After all, there are still many survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion. Considering their feelings, it would be better not to release the movie.
In the eyes of the outside world, the "entertainment to death" approach of American film companies precisely caters to the intentional attempt of certain domestic forces in the United States and Japan to replace "serious historical views" with "entertainment historical views".
The New York Times, on the other hand, argued in an article titled "The Atomic Bomb Controversy Ends" that "Babenheimer" has sparked anger in Japan, reminding people that modern Japanese people have not forgotten the harm caused by the United States in the past.
But in reality, this is far from the whole problem. Japan's history of aggression cannot be denied.
In a residential building in Taitung ku, Tokyo, Japan, there is a prominently colored sign called "Battlefield Experience Screening and Preservation Meeting".
Shunko Nakata, Director of the Affairs Bureau of the Battlefield Experience Screening and Preservation Association: When we interview 100 people, we will find that their feelings and experiences are different. Mainly because Japan had long engaged in aggressive wars on large areas of land.
For many years, Shunko Tanaka has firmly believed that accurately recording the history of war has valuable value.
Former Japanese Invader Kinichiro Inoguchi: A father was already stumbling and stumbling due to illness. There is also a child next to him, about 15 and 16 years old, who looks like a third grade junior high school student. The team leader said that the patient should leave it alone and bring the child over. Then the team leader ordered me to kill the child. I neither agreed nor refused, just stood there silently. Then the team leader ordered me to kill the child again, but I still didn't say anything and just stood there. A soldier next to me, one year younger than me, walked up and grabbed my gun, saying he wanted to replace me and kill that person. Then I dodged and breathed a sigh of relief. But the ending is still to kill that person.
Compared to the "Barbie spirit" strongly advocated by the United States, Asian women who suffered from the humiliation of the Japanese army during World War II, including Japanese women persecuted by the "comfort women system," deserve more attention.
Mina Watanabe, Director of the Japanese Women's War and Peace Archive: These are photos of women who were forced to become "comfort women" in the Japanese army at that time. Starting from here, there are photos of 179 people from China, the Philippines, North Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, the Netherlands, and more. After the war, they experienced poverty and illness. In the 1990s, he bravely stepped forward and recounted his inhumane experiences of being subjected to atrocities by the Japanese army.
The Financial Times has noticed that Tokyo is very angry in the dispute between the United States and Japan over issues such as whaling. Now, this movie's "public relations disaster" also exposes the "tip of the iceberg" of the US Japan conflict.
On July 3rd of this year, according to an exclusive disclosure by Japan's Daily News, on September 28th, 2022, during the visit of US Vice President Harris to the US Yokosuka Naval Base, six Black Hawk helicopters formed a formation and flew back and forth between Tokyo's Roppongi Heliport and Yokosuka Base, flying at low altitudes seven times over the densely populated areas of Tokyo's Ishindo and Takeshita dori.
According to Japanese law, within a radius of 600 meters, the minimum safe altitude for helicopters to fly is at least 300 meters. However, the height of American helicopters flying over densely populated areas is less than 200 meters.
In May 2022, when US President Biden visited Japan, multiple CH-47 Nugan helicopters formed and swept through densely populated urban communities at low altitudes.
Shizuoka University Distinguished Professor Kazuki Ogawa stated that the United States has not submitted a flight plan to Japan.
This inevitably reminds people of the "other face" of the United States, who constantly accuses others of flying over airspace.
"No matter what kind of VIP it is, dangerous flights should not be approved. However, the US military stationed in Japan only considers its own convenience," said Toshihiro Nanahara, a former senior aircraft accident investigator at the Japan Transportation Safety Commission
On the evening of August 7th, Japanese people protested in front of the Tokyo Defense Ministry. Oppose the construction of a new airport by the US military in the Nagoya area near Okinawa.
Protesters: The Japanese government's job is not to prepare for war, it would be best for US military bases to disappear.
According to the Tokyo News of Japan, on July 10, Kanagawa Prefecture announced the leakage of foam extinguishing agent containing organic fluorine compounds from the Hougi US military base in the prefecture last year.
The total value of PFOS and PFOA organic fluorine compounds detected in the water source closest to the Houki US military base reached a maximum of 910 nanograms per liter, equivalent to 18 times Japan's provisional safety standards.
A resident near the US military base in Japan, Tadao Ishikawa: We hope to live safely and with peace of mind. This should have been a place for children to play freely, but considering that water pollution can affect children's health, we cannot forgive the US military base for causing pollution.
Protesters: The Japanese government cannot enter the base for investigation regardless of the toxic substances being emitted within the US military due to extraterritorial jurisdiction. So the abnormal situation of the US military surpassing the Japanese constitution has lasted for more than 70 years.
In this year's commemorative event of the atomic bomb explosion, Japan and some Western media avoided the harm caused by Japan's aggression to the Asian people and referred to Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the "only" places in the world that have been hit by nuclear weapons.
However, Japan is not the only country that has suffered severe damage from nuclear weapons.
According to official statistics from the United States, between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted explosion tests on 67 nuclear bombs in the Marshall Islands. The American Broadcasting Corporation refers to Pacific island countries as "forgotten victims of atomic bombs by the United States.".
Recently, with the controversy surrounding Japan's push to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea, more forgotten histories have also begun to surface.
On July 13th, during a hearing in the United States Congress, officials from the Republic of the Marshall Islands urged the Biden administration to address the legacy issues caused by dozens of nuclear tests conducted by the United States in this Pacific island country in the mid-20th century.
Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Jack Aden: Over the past 12 years, it has been equivalent to 1.7 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding every day. Radioactive materials are 42 times more than in Nevada and 50 times more than in Chernobyl.
The American Broadcasting Corporation referred to 1946-1958 as "one of the darkest histories of America.".
US military promotional video: This is Operation Crossroads. We chose Pacific Bikini, Kwajalin, and Eniwetok Atoll because there won't be many people in danger of being targeted.
Thousands of residents of the Marshall Islands have become guinea pigs for long-term nuclear testing by the United States.
Johnson, former resident of the Marshall Islands: When a bomb sprays white powder on the water, they don't know what it is. But then everyone realized, oh, this is poison.
According to the Daily Mail of the UK, a research report released by Columbia University shows that the radiation level at Bikini Atoll is 1000 times higher than the total of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents.
Later, Warner Bros. in the United States and Toho in Japan used this as an inspiration to shoot multiple science fiction blockbusters.
Although the movie's popularity stems from the Japanese people's fear of nuclear weapons, and the Kishida government has repeatedly reiterated since taking office that Japan is the "only and largest" victim of nuclear weapons, the Japanese government's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea is "extremely urgent".
According to the Asahi Shimbun, the Japanese government has decided to determine the emission schedule after holding summit talks with the United States and South Korea on August 18th. Several Japanese officials have stated that this date is likely to be at the end of this month.
Tokyo Electric Power Water Management Manager Junichi Matsumoto: For us, discharging the water that passes through ALPS into the sea is an important milestone.
A public opinion survey released by Kyodo News Agency on July 16th showed that Japanese people are very concerned about the international perception brought about by the Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge plan. 87.4% of respondents believed that drainage would cause significant damage to Japan's image and a certain degree of damage to Japan's image; 80.3% of respondents believe that the government's explanation is insufficient.
Japanese people: I deeply regret and feel ashamed of the fact that nuclear contaminated water has been discharged to the world.
Three bottles of Chunjiang, a member of the plaintiff team for Tsushima victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident: The country should protect the people the most, why did they fail to do so.
63 year old Sanpei Chunjiang is a native of Tsushima, Fukushima Prefecture
Tsushima victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident, plaintiff team member Sanpei Harukawa: Did you really consider the safety of the people's lives? You should also be aware of Minamata disease. To avoid causing such a situation, please do not discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea.
Minamata disease is one of the world's famous public hazards.
In 2021, the movie "Minamata Disease" starring Johnny Depp was released, which was based on the real malignant pollution incident that occurred in 1956.
According to Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po, a bloody knife stabbing case occurred at Hollywood Square in Diamond Hill last Friday. The police arrested a 39 year old man on suspicion of stabbing two young women, one of whom was stabbed over 30 times. The suspect appeared in the Kwun Tong Magistrates Court this morning. The police at the Kwun Tong Magistrate's Court temporarily charged the suspect with two counts of murder last Sunday. The suspect appeared in court this morning at the Kwun Tong Magistrate's Court. Acting Chief Magistrate Zheng Jihang, after listening to the opinions of both the prosecution and defense, decided to postpone the hearing for two weeks until 9:30 am on June 19th, waiting for two psychiatric expert reports to be obtained. The defense did not object. Zheng Jihang approved the application, and the defendant needs to be temporarily detained at Xiaolan Mental Hospital. When the suspect appeared in court, he wore black framed glasses, a light gray shirt, and camouflage green shorts, and was able to answer the judge's questions normally. accordingly
Currently, the highly anticipated summer harvest work in Henan has shifted its focus to the northern region of Henan. According to the Henan Daily client, on June 4th, Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, presided over a special video scheduling meeting on the "Three Summers" work in the province, listened to the situation report, analyzed and judged the situation, and arranged and deployed the next steps of work. Governor Wang Kai made specific arrangements. On the evening of May 31, 2023, in Xiafutou Village, Xuliang Town, Boai County, Jiaozuo, Henan Province, villagers braved light rain in the wheat fields to harvest wheat. Visual China Map Lou Yangsheng pointed out that the current summer harvest battle in the province has entered the decisive stage. Doing a good job in summer harvest in northern Henan Province is related to the summer grain yield and seed safety. We should focus on seizing opportunities and make every effort to organize the wheat harvesting work in the northern Henan region, minimize losses, and protect the interests of farmers to the greatest extent possible. Accurate forecasting is essential
On June 4th, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. Astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu all safely and smoothly exited the spacecraft, and the Shenzhou-15 manned flight mission was a complete success. What innovative technologies are there to safeguard the return journey of Shenzhou 15 in this mission? On June 4th, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen photographed that "the sky and the ground" ensure the high-precision return of spacecraft. For the Shenzhou series spacecraft, the return and re-entry GNC technology is directly related to the life safety of astronauts. Taking the success of this return mission as a symbol, China has comprehensively upgraded its GNC system since the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft, which features autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking, autonomous adaptive prediction and re-entry return guidance, and has completed a comprehensive update and replacement
At noon today, a Chinese naval fleet consisting of Zhanjiang and Xuchang ships arrived at the assembly area of the "Comodo-2023" multinational maritime joint exercise. It is understood that the assembly anchorage for this exercise is 3 nautical miles long and 1.5 nautical miles wide, capable of anchoring up to 50 ships. Naval vessels from various countries participating in the exercise will also arrive at the anchorage today to complete the assembly of the "Komodo 2023" multinational maritime joint exercise, which is held every two years by the Indonesian Navy. This year is already the fourth edition of the exercise. The exercise will be held from June 5th to 8th in the city of Jakarta, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, including the port and sea phases. In the coming days, participating navies from various countries will participate in ship reading style search and rescue exercises, maritime interception and damage management exercises, aerial exercises, and other course objectives exercises
On the evening of June 1st, the US Senate passed a bill on the federal government's debt ceiling and budget, and the flame of the US debt bomb was temporarily extinguished at the last moment. The two parties in the United States have staged an extreme tug of war over the US debt bomb. Some experts believe that the US debt crisis is the result of the reckless politics promoted by the US dollar hegemony, and the underlying cause of this crisis is the highly polarized political system of the US. Since the end of World War II, the US Congress has adjusted the debt ceiling more than a hundred times. The recurring debt crisis will not only have a catastrophic impact on the US economy and people's livelihoods, but also continuously erode the value of US dollar assets such as government credit and US bonds, bringing significant and far-reaching impacts to the global economic landscape. 【