Tensions high as Japanese football team plays in Nanjing

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Ida Torres in National, Sports with 15 Comments
Tensions high as Japanese football team plays in Nanjing

In a match that will probably be more than just about football, China’s Jiangsu Sainty hosts Japanese side Vegalta Sendai in Nanjing, the town where the reverberations of a brutal wartime massacre by Japanese soldiers are still being felt today. This is the first senior men’s football match in the city which features a Japanese side, so tensions are high and security is tight.

The soccer fixture is part of the group stage matches of the AFC Champions League, the premiere Asian club football competition. It is the first match to be hosted by the Champions League debuting Jiangsu, but that achievement will most likely be overshadowed by the historical tensions of this clash. Although only 100 tickets have been purchased by fans of the Japanese club online and a small number is expected to show up in the 60,000 seater stadium, thousands of police and security are being deployed at the venue. The Japanese embassy in Beijing has also told Japanese people living in China to keep a low profile during this match, as well as the Wednesday fixture between Beijing Guoan and Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Japan has reportedly asked for security precautions for the visiting team and its fans. In response, Chinese authorities have advised fans to only use designated buses to travel to the stadium, and the Japanese media to stay with the team at the hotel assigned to them. Even shops and food outlets are expected to be closed for the match.

These preparations and precautions might seem overkill, but given the state of relations between the two countries of late, you can never be too sure. Anger towards Japan over the Nanjing massacre, where China claims 300,000 civilians and soldiers died (several foreign scholars say the number is lower), is still apparent to this day. Fans posting on the Vegalta’s site are hoping that there will be no problems and that it will just be a great football match between two great teams.

[ via Asia One ]
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  • A.C.

    The Chinese are right. I strongly support that every member of the Japanese soccer team, who was involved in the Nanjing massacre, get’s disqualified immediately …

    • Truth

      Very funny and intelligent.

      The real question, however, is on which side are the Triads in Hong Kong and Maccau being betting? They never cared much for nationalism and always liked to back a winner. Or a loser if they can make more money that way. Or a referee if he is cheap.

      BTW, the story is not from Asia One but AFP again.

      AFP seem to employ reporters with an extreme anti-Japanese obsession. They cannot write a single article about Japan without mentioning Comfort Women or Nanking. In fact, I think they think this country is called the JapanComfortWomenNankingUnit731.

      I hope this website realises the AFP’s bias, and lack of imagination, and does not go down the same route.

      According to them even ‘Hello Kitty’ is responsible, “… and has never apologized!!!”

      * (Short editorial footnote: Yes, the Government of Japan really has apologized many, many times and paid all its due compensation).

      • -observer-

        I would like to see you have this discussion face to face outside of Japan. Lets say the USA or any western county and not get punched in the face.. pleas give it a go.

        • Truth

          Why? Why should Japan put up with this any more?

          Why should every article about Japan be about something which happened, or did not happen, 70 years ago?

          Why should anyone bow to the brainwash and propaganda of the nations who for the last 70 years have continued their own imperialism and genocides?

          • -observer-

            Because Japan passed a Law that allowed her to re-write the history books regarding WW2. So nations that expereinced japanese aggression 70yrs ago would like to remind Japan. This is so that this will not happen again. Does your history books say Japan was an Asian Liberator during WW2?

          • Truth

            Please allow me to answer you specifically. Are you writing from a Chinese point of view or an American point of view?

            Do you mean the School Education Law that requires all textbooks used in schools are authorized by the Ministry of Education. There is nothing unusual about that.

            It even allows local education board to have the final authority.

            Is America’s version of Asian history and its own aggressive imperialism objective?

          • -observer-

            I speak from a European perspective. As I studied during my younger years, we went through in depth the War in Europe, then we went through the War in Asia, The Japanese war crimes were highlighted by the beheading of sgt leonard siffleet, this is the image still fresh in my mind. From what i have read still No apologies or compensation to date. In Germany, there is no revison of what Hitler did, there is no dispute that 6 Million jews killed.

          • Truth

            There is still discussion about the number who suffered in the Holocaust. It’s just that in the USA it has been turned into an heavily protected, highly political and profitable industry; and, in Germany, any questioning of the facts has been legally suppressed and banned isn’t it?

            Academics keep refining our knowledge of history, almost keeping up with the propagandists. Japan, as you know, never accepted the German’s anti-semitism but the rule of war is that the victors get to write the history … at least in their own language.

            When did you go to school? Much progress has been made recently in understanding Asian history since the Post-War era. Are you of an older generation whose youth was full of old American war time movies and propaganda, and for whom it still has a strange fascination?

            Will we never allow the young to just get on with life as it is now and play football?

            Why has ‘death by the sword’ such a different value from death by a bullet, or fire bomb; or is what was so shocking that it was ‘death of a white man by an Asian’.

            Are you guilty for your great-grandparent crimes? It’s highly likely these boys’ great-grandparent were farmers rather than soldiers and had none so why spoil a game of football between boys whose grandparents were not even born at the time by dragging it back to WWII?

            That is active racism.

          • Zhijian Xi

            “in Germany, any questioning of the facts has been legally suppressed and banned isn’t it?”
            The German’s are much smarter, this strategy allows them to move on cleanly, and sever ties completely from Natzi. They apoligized, period! No attemp to defend and revise the past.
            While the Japanese are always defending their Imperialists, you are typical of what the Chinese are saying right wing untra nationalist:
            1. Denying Najing Massacre (on numbers)
            2. Denying Comfort Women (on coercion)
            3. Ligitimize Japan’s ocupation of Korea and Taiwan (As inheritance from EU Imperialists)
            4. Defending Japan’s attack to Pearl Harbor
            5. Defending Japan’s ocupation of Shenkakus/Diaoyu
            6. Changing text books
            Imagine what will happen if the German’s started to defend Natzi

          • Truth

            The situation in Japan is different for cultural reason.

            Firstly, we face opposition such as China and Korea who have a tendency to crude exaggeration and falsehood and their own intense political motivations. They are quite different from, say, the British or French who have a higher degree of understanding of the need of factual, objective history and the freedom of speech and criticism of their own government and history.

            In China and Korea academics do not have that and must parrot the party line or suffer terribly.

            Secondly, historically and culturally, Japan has a tendency not to speak up and out believing this is the best way to make peace. In the modern world, dominated by the loud Americans I think this is a disadvantage as their patched together version of history has been established as “the truth”, at least in the English speaking world.

            American too has much to hide and much to avoid being questioned about, like why was it across the Asian side of the Pacific in the first place? The American people have been indoctrinated by their own White Elite as much as the Chinese have recently but in a slightly different and are full of their own patriotism which has a foundation in dehumanising racism, not just about “Slapping Japs” but against black people, Asians and native Americans before them.

            For example, if one questions the cult of “Remember Pearl Harbor!” against the actual facts of history (e.g. American was legally and illegally already engaged in the war against Japan BEFORE Pearl Harbor; the American elite were engineering situations to make it look as if Japan struck the first blow in order to gain public support and Pearl Harbor was not the only one) Americans tend to explode because they cannot cope with the truth. They need to be seen as heroes, even if only in their own minds and they hate to discover they have been fooled by their own government.

            The version of the children’s history books has been falsely and exaggeratedly reported in the English speaking world. If you wish to discuss how, I am happy to do so.

            Senkaku and Takeshima, we have discussed, they are legally acquired Japanese territory on the basis of International Law and have nothing to do with WWII.

            Yes, the annexation of Korea and the initial acquisition of Manchuria and so on were legal and according to international treaty. Had Japan not been threatened or attacked by Russia or China they would not have happened. Likewise, had the USA not threatened Japan to open up to it in the first place, none of the above would have happened.

            I know the vocal Americans won’t like this and will say, “you’re just blaming the USA”, but it is a fact. Japan had the right to remain closed to foreign businesses if it chose to do so and experienced a period, in world history, of unparalleled peace, sustainability and culture during Edo.

            The USA has no right at all to be in Asia causing trouble for the sake of its corporations, and has continued to do so for the last 150 years.

            “Denying comfort women” suggests there is clarity on the matter. There is not and there is both very little evidence to accuse the Japanese military and opposing evidence to implicate traditional Chinese and Korean agents and the collusion of their governments. There are no accepted numbers, there is a lot of political jockey and handwashing going on but, immediately, one can compare Japan and Germany. Germany has never apologized and compensated whereas Japan has and compensated.

            The often repeated 200,000 figure is false. It was an estimate made by a left wing Japanese historian who has since admitted there is no evidence for it, however, it has entered the popular imagination as a “fact” because it is useful and convenient for oppositional political agendas.

            If you wish to discuss this in detail, I am happy to do so.

            Likewise Nanking, it is actually still being studied by an international committee of historian. It is another political hot potato where falsehoods and exaggerations have been entered into the popular consciousness for political or financial purposes. There is no denial that a battle took place but there is a lot of dispute about geography and timeframes.

            Chinese tend to be very unwilling to listen or hear detailed discussions about the complexities of second Sino-Japanese War, especially where it involved criticisms of their own conduct. Due to the intensity of political indoctrination and control, and the prolonged heritage of a lack of free press and academia, there is a kind of over-sensitivity and explosive immaturity when their accepted ideas are challenged.

            Again, if you wish to discuss what I mean exactly in a calm and balanced manner, I am happy to do so.

            There is a great difference between the mentalities and politics of Western Europe and NE Asia. The European countries have evolved much further from the feudal/medieval/pre-modern mindset that ruled and still still rules much of Asia.

            Please not, I am not framing this in a nationalistic manner. I do not see it in that way. It is about common social evolution and the problems and conflict that arise between nations, or peoples, at different level of social and political evolution.

            Japan was the first Asian nation to modernize and assert its own independency successfully against the aggression of White Europeans (including in this Russia and the USA). It was forced to rapidly modernize and did so quite remarkably.

            I am not saying that I would have done everything the way they happened but it is correct to say its history and culture has been quite deliberately and persistently portrayed in a false manner by parties who have no moral high grounds to do so, and when one looks patiently and closely at the facts of history, a far different picture starts to emerge than the ones America, let along China or Korea wish to portray.

            In my opinion, the majority of Chinese and Koreans still lack the frame of mind, the ability of introspection and the availability of objective information sufficiently to do so, and are being emotionally whipped by their leaders for political reasons; whereas the Americans suffer from a need to be seen as heroes, rather than the bullies they are, and lack the humility to do so. They need to believe they are right and their God is behind them.

            Of course, I have know perfectly well that there are good individuals with all three nations who are perfectly capable of rising above partisan interests but they are very few.

            Lazy, jingo-istic and even politically controlled popular media does not help in these matters.

            Asian under Japan would have been a far happier, healthier and social evolved place than Asia under the Whites Imperialists, or even the 50 years of Asia under the USA. Actually, Japan did and has done a lot of good things that it has never been given credit for, that the American sphere has no idea about because it is so busy creating Japan as an evil in order to justify its regional hegemony.

            Asia under the CPC does not bear thinking about. We should all pray it does not happen.

          • http://www.facebook.com/ken.matsushima.75 Ken Matsushima

            Interesting….

            I tried to respond to your claim that there were “No apologies or compensation to date.” In actual fact there have been not several… not dozens… but hundreds of apologies by Japanese officials from the Emperor and the Prime Minister on down. A sampling of about a hundred or so of these apologies can be found on Wikipedia.
            BUUUuuuuuttttt….

            apparently this website doesnt allow you to link to the Wikipedia article listing all of the apologies Japan has issued over the years. Is there some reason for that?

            No . . . . I mean a LEGITIMATE reason

          • http://www.facebook.com/ken.matsushima.75 Ken Matsushima

            Q: ” Does your history books say Japan was an Asian Liberator during WW2?”
            A: No.

            Do you have any other misconceptions that you want laid to rest?

          • Andrew

            Because Japanese history books still lie about this. Soldiers raped everything that moves without mercy, fathers and brothers were forced to rape their sisters and daughters and then kill them. It was one of the most fucked up things that has ever happened through-out history. People were kidnapped and used as test subject for live chemical tests. SHIT WAS BAD!!! Japanese still will not accept that this event ever occured. THAT IS WHY THE CHINESE ARE PISSED!!! AND THEY SHOULD BE!!! You would be too if you lived in Nanjing.

          • http://www.facebook.com/ken.matsushima.75 Ken Matsushima

            Andrew – not true. This is just more Chinese govt propaganda.
            Japanese history books do discuss the Nanjing massacre. And yes, all but one of those texts call it a MASSACRE, not an “incident”.

            The One – that’s right, just one – textbook that whitewashes WWII history was written by a right-wing group which did so for only one reason – to piss off the Chinese govt and create a pretext for friction between the two countries. Guess what – they succeeded! But only because the Chinese govt. played along.

            The fact that the books in question are used in only 12 jr. high schools in all of Japan (nearly all of them private schools funded in part by the right-wing Japan Foundation) apparently doesnt matter to the propagandists. Somehow theyve convinced you (and many others) that the one textbook used in 12 schools is actually the ONLY one. Well, youre wrong. There are over 20 texts, and there are　some 7200 Jr. High Schools. All but the one tell a full account of the war.

            Now . . . .would you like to discuss the Chinese education system’s “patriotism classes”, which are so objectionably racist that Hong Kong’s school system refused to accept the curriculum?

    • lolchina

      LOL!! very smart answer