Wednesday, December 5, 2007
"Using the outpouring of evidence in recent decades, Professor Yang has developed a far more nuanced and textured explanation for Nanjing than those early efforts. And for the most part, they focus on the dysfunctional operation of institutions either in the short term or long term. Among the factors he cites:
Yang concludes that all of these institutional factors, which reflect an accumulation of poor decisions, contributed to the scale of the Nanjing atrocities. He also finds that battlefield psychology played an exacerbating role. Japanese soldiers had become terrified during the heavier-than-expected losses in the battle for Shanghai. Revenging the death of fallen comrades was one response. Even according to the Imperial Army’s own rules of engagement, there were violations of discipline."
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2007/12_nanjing_bush.aspx
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Looking at the source cited above, I conclude that the causes of the tragedy would be:
1) Aggression.
The Japanese troops were demanded absolute obedience by their officers through inhumane means, and that was why their desire for aggression became so strong that there was a need for then to take it out on someone. The Chinese suffered as a result of the release of aggression by the Japanese troops, where they committed numerous atrocities against the Chinese.
2) Disrespect towards civilians.
The Japanese officers were in contact with military institutions and ultra-nationalists at an early age. They were probably affected by the ultra-nationalists that their country was the most important and they must bring glory to her. And thus, they tend to disrespect civilians probably because they think that civilians do not have the same thinking as they do. They must have felt that they were more superior.
3) Contempt for Chinese.
The Japanese army seemed to see the Chinese as a lower standard than themselves, and probably feel that the Chinese are inferior as compared to them. Therefore, the treatment of Chinese POWs are considered low off as compared to the Western POWs, since Westerners were often seen as more superior than Asians. Even though Japanese were Asians as well, the Chinese seemed to be a more inferior figure as compare to them, the Japanese.
4) Overlooked the need of clear instructions.
The field commanders of the Japanese failed to see the importance of giving the troops clear instructions on how to behave themselves and how to treat the POWs and civilians. That was probably how it led to the atrociousness that the Japanese had during the invasion of Nanjing.
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Even though some of these reasons were valid, but they are not accepted and not an excuse for them to kill so many innocent Chinese during their invasion, because it is fact that they caused it to happen. They were too cruel and inhumane.
- The Japanese Imperial Army had suffered a long-term decline of discipline. In the climate of more liberal trends in the 1920s Taisho period, officers responded by demanding absolute obedience of recruits through inhumane means. That in turn, it is argued, led to the need for those recruits to transfer aggression elsewhere. The poor Chinese were a convenient outlet once aggression in China began.
- The officer corps was changing in a radical direction. Younger officers tended to have lived in military institutions from an early age. They often had links with ultra-nationalist groups. And they tended to disrespect civilian institutions.
- The Japanese Army had a general contempt for the Chinese and had a lower standard for treatment of Chinese POWs as opposed to Western ones.
- In their drive to carry out their orders to seize Nanjing, field commanders overlooked the need to ensure adequate logistical preparation (particularly food), enough rest for troops, sufficient military policeman to maintain order, and to issue clear orders for the treatment of POWs and civilians.
Yang concludes that all of these institutional factors, which reflect an accumulation of poor decisions, contributed to the scale of the Nanjing atrocities. He also finds that battlefield psychology played an exacerbating role. Japanese soldiers had become terrified during the heavier-than-expected losses in the battle for Shanghai. Revenging the death of fallen comrades was one response. Even according to the Imperial Army’s own rules of engagement, there were violations of discipline."
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2007/12_nanjing_bush.aspx
----------------------------------
Looking at the source cited above, I conclude that the causes of the tragedy would be:
1) Aggression.
The Japanese troops were demanded absolute obedience by their officers through inhumane means, and that was why their desire for aggression became so strong that there was a need for then to take it out on someone. The Chinese suffered as a result of the release of aggression by the Japanese troops, where they committed numerous atrocities against the Chinese.
2) Disrespect towards civilians.
The Japanese officers were in contact with military institutions and ultra-nationalists at an early age. They were probably affected by the ultra-nationalists that their country was the most important and they must bring glory to her. And thus, they tend to disrespect civilians probably because they think that civilians do not have the same thinking as they do. They must have felt that they were more superior.
3) Contempt for Chinese.
The Japanese army seemed to see the Chinese as a lower standard than themselves, and probably feel that the Chinese are inferior as compared to them. Therefore, the treatment of Chinese POWs are considered low off as compared to the Western POWs, since Westerners were often seen as more superior than Asians. Even though Japanese were Asians as well, the Chinese seemed to be a more inferior figure as compare to them, the Japanese.
4) Overlooked the need of clear instructions.
The field commanders of the Japanese failed to see the importance of giving the troops clear instructions on how to behave themselves and how to treat the POWs and civilians. That was probably how it led to the atrociousness that the Japanese had during the invasion of Nanjing.
----------------------------------
Even though some of these reasons were valid, but they are not accepted and not an excuse for them to kill so many innocent Chinese during their invasion, because it is fact that they caused it to happen. They were too cruel and inhumane.
what we could have been, 8:56 PM.
