Don't blame ordinary Japanese
dalianvet  Updated: 2005-04-13 08:51

Dear Chinese Friends:

I agree that Japan should come to terms with its past history. I also agree that Japan should not gain a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council. The Japanese government's attitude towards Japan's terrible mistakes of the early 20th Century, as indicated by its white-washed history books, its leaders' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, and statements by its politicians, all reveal that Japan is clearly not ready to gain entry into the U.N. Security Council at the present time. The fact that many Japanese politicians are still in denial of some of the most terrible crimes against humanity in history is very scary and a cause for concern in East Asia.

However, having said, let me make a plea to the protesters: Please, please don't blame the ordinary Japanese citizens living in China. It is O.K. to oppose the Japanese government, but it is not O.K. to hate an entire nationality of people. Some of the Japanese living in China are very friendly to China and may not share the views of their country's right-wing politicians. The same can be said of Americans living in China. Remember, many of us foreigners are private citizens. We do not work for or represent our governments.

If you hate an entire race of people and blame the people for the mistakes of their government, that is just wrong, wrong, wrong! This kind of hate and racism is the very thing that leads to wars, genocide, and discrimination. Yes, Japan did very terrible things in World War II. And yes, the U.S. shouldn't have bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in May 1999. But if you blame the Japanese and Americans who are friendly to China ,and who disagree with their governments' foreign policies, then China will lose its foreign friends.

I think most Chinese people understand this. But there is also a large minority that do not understand this. For those who are more educated and more sophisticated, please educate those fellow countrymen who are not. I'm doing the same thing in America, trying to educate those Americans who have ignorant anti-China views and telling them about how China has changed in recent years.

I know, you are probably going to reply to me and say, "But in America after September 11th, many Americans discriminated against Muslims" and so on. Yes, that's true, but does that mean it is right? Does that mean all Americans agreed with that? No.

It is O.K. to protest against the Japanese government. But please, do not discriminate against all Japanese people. Value those who are friendly to China, and remember: even when governments disagree, and even when some citizens in Japan, U.S., etc. have a bad attitude, we can still build bridges of friendship between our peoples. The harrassment of Japanese citizens in China is inappropriate, just like how the harassment of American citizens in May 1999 (after the embassy bombing) was inappropriate, too.

Protection of foreigners in China comes not only from extra security during crises, but also from educating the public through the media and through the education system. Japan's education system needs to tell students the truth about World War II. But China's education system should also teach Chinese students not to hate the Japanese as a people. Maybe it is not the Chinese government's intention to teach hate, but many Chinese teachers do not clearly tell their students the difference between opposing the Japanese government's attitude and hating the Japanese people. When teaching English in China, so many of my students made example sentences during dialogue practice saying thinks like "I hate Japanese people." This is very scary and very dangerous. The Chinese government should take serious measures to correct this.

Once again, it is understandable for Chinese to protest against Japan's actions. However, fellow protesters, don't let it go too far. Try to keep it at a reasonable level.

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