Western countries have always been biasing against China. Japan is an ally with America. Folks in western countries barely know the truth about China, not just the dispute of Diaoyu Island, but also China's history, society, politics, Taiwan and Tibet. You know what medias want you to know. The information is always filtered by media's attitude towards China. I am just glad to see someone is willing to show the truth. Japan refuses to admit and apology for their flagitious war crimes. Japan refuses to admit it brought trauma to several countries by invading them. Let's say what's done is done, China and Korea are willing to let go of the trauma. But Japan still refuses to apologize, and Japanese government recently revised their history text books by teaching their youngster incorrect history. Japanese right-wingists are rising, America should let people see the truth, instead of taking part with Japan.
9 Reviews
We deserve to know the truth, after all our soldiers are dying in these wars.
getmikeca29 April 2014
I've been curious about the South China Sea disputes as it's been quite dominate in the media recently. After reading so many inconsistencies from corporate media I dug a little deeper and found that prominent Japanese scholars agree with the content of this movie as do US military planners and official documents in Japan's national library. At present, Japan has "administrative control" over these islands and the US explicitly did not transfer sovereignty. This is a typical strategy for imperialists......having two enemies fight each other. Let's hope our leaders do the right thing and return these islands to their rightful owners. Neither Japan or China are our true allies but coupled with Crimea, this dispute has the potential to evolve into WWIII.
This article was written if www.forbes.com by Stephen Harner on Feb. 20, 2013 and can be searched online.
The new book on the Senkaku/Diaoyu island crisis by Yabuki Susumu (矢吹晋), professor emeritus of Yokohama City University, one of Japan's most eminent China scholars. The book (written in Japanese) is entitled:「尖閣問題の核心 」(The Core of the Senkaku Issue), and bears a subtitle:「日中関係はどうなる」 (What is to Become of Japan-China Relations). I believe that the book is the fairest and most objective, as well as the most thorough, exposition of the positions of both Japan and China, and–critically–the U.S., on the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute. At the risk of oversimplifying, I think I can summarize
Professor Yabuki's analysis and conclusions as follows:
1. The Japanese position on the Senkaku/Diaoyu issue is indefensible on several counts, including most fundamentally Japan's unconditional acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration (which required the return of all territories "stolen" from China).
2. The Meiji government's annexation of the Ryuku Islands (theretofore an autonomous kingdom) in January 1885, within which the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands were identified, followed three months later by the Qing Dynasty's surrender of Taiwan and the Pescadores to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki (ending the Sino-Japanese War) are both mooted by the terms of Potsdam. The islands were and are clearly part of Taiwan, which in addition has the most legitimate claim to continuous use/occupation.
3. The Japanese position that Senkaku/Diaoyu is part of Japanese territory because it was awarded to Japan by the U.S. in the Okinawa Reversion agreement of 1971 is similarly contrary to fact. The U.S. awarded to Japan only administrative authority over the islands, not sovereignty. Sovereignty was specifically not transferred. The U.S. continued to maintain was undetermined between the three claimants and would only be determined through discussion and agreement. (As I noted in the last post, the Obama administration–in a monumental blunder–effectively changed this policy by failing to object to and stop Japanese "nationalization.")
4. Japanese policy–and particularly public misunderstanding–has been based on the false assertion, uttered by then foreign minister Fukuda Takeo in testimony to the Upper House of Diet on December 15, 1971 that Okinawa Reversion had accomplished the restoration of Japanese sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Whether Fukuda misunderstood the issue, or intended to deliberately deceive the country through this testimony is unclear.
5. The Chinese position on handling the territorial issue was, before Japanese "nationalization," grounded on the 1972 agreement between Prime Minister Tanaka Kakue- Premier Zhou Enlai, when the terms of Japan-China diplomatic relations were determined, to "shelve" the issue–i.e., to avoid any acts that sought to enforce one side's claim to sovereignty.
6. Yabuki cites his own research and authoritative third party sources to charge that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs removed from official transcripts of the Tanaka-Zhou discussions that agreement to "shelve" the issue, allowing future Japanese governments to fraudulently claim that the issue was not discussed and that China asserted a claim over the islands.
7. Under the circumstances above, the decision of the Noda government to "nationalize" the islands was a grave provocation, a fundamental change in the status quo, tantamount from the Chinese point of view to aggression and forceful annexation of Chinese territory. An equivalently forceful Chinese response to "balance" the level of its sovereign claim was inevitable.
This article was written if www.forbes.com by Stephen Harner on Feb. 20, 2013 and can be searched online.
The new book on the Senkaku/Diaoyu island crisis by Yabuki Susumu (矢吹晋), professor emeritus of Yokohama City University, one of Japan's most eminent China scholars. The book (written in Japanese) is entitled:「尖閣問題の核心 」(The Core of the Senkaku Issue), and bears a subtitle:「日中関係はどうなる」 (What is to Become of Japan-China Relations). I believe that the book is the fairest and most objective, as well as the most thorough, exposition of the positions of both Japan and China, and–critically–the U.S., on the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute. At the risk of oversimplifying, I think I can summarize
Professor Yabuki's analysis and conclusions as follows:
1. The Japanese position on the Senkaku/Diaoyu issue is indefensible on several counts, including most fundamentally Japan's unconditional acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration (which required the return of all territories "stolen" from China).
2. The Meiji government's annexation of the Ryuku Islands (theretofore an autonomous kingdom) in January 1885, within which the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands were identified, followed three months later by the Qing Dynasty's surrender of Taiwan and the Pescadores to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki (ending the Sino-Japanese War) are both mooted by the terms of Potsdam. The islands were and are clearly part of Taiwan, which in addition has the most legitimate claim to continuous use/occupation.
3. The Japanese position that Senkaku/Diaoyu is part of Japanese territory because it was awarded to Japan by the U.S. in the Okinawa Reversion agreement of 1971 is similarly contrary to fact. The U.S. awarded to Japan only administrative authority over the islands, not sovereignty. Sovereignty was specifically not transferred. The U.S. continued to maintain was undetermined between the three claimants and would only be determined through discussion and agreement. (As I noted in the last post, the Obama administration–in a monumental blunder–effectively changed this policy by failing to object to and stop Japanese "nationalization.")
4. Japanese policy–and particularly public misunderstanding–has been based on the false assertion, uttered by then foreign minister Fukuda Takeo in testimony to the Upper House of Diet on December 15, 1971 that Okinawa Reversion had accomplished the restoration of Japanese sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Whether Fukuda misunderstood the issue, or intended to deliberately deceive the country through this testimony is unclear.
5. The Chinese position on handling the territorial issue was, before Japanese "nationalization," grounded on the 1972 agreement between Prime Minister Tanaka Kakue- Premier Zhou Enlai, when the terms of Japan-China diplomatic relations were determined, to "shelve" the issue–i.e., to avoid any acts that sought to enforce one side's claim to sovereignty.
6. Yabuki cites his own research and authoritative third party sources to charge that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs removed from official transcripts of the Tanaka-Zhou discussions that agreement to "shelve" the issue, allowing future Japanese governments to fraudulently claim that the issue was not discussed and that China asserted a claim over the islands.
7. Under the circumstances above, the decision of the Noda government to "nationalize" the islands was a grave provocation, a fundamental change in the status quo, tantamount from the Chinese point of view to aggression and forceful annexation of Chinese territory. An equivalently forceful Chinese response to "balance" the level of its sovereign claim was inevitable.
an unbiased documentary worth the time to watch
sherryjyxu12 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is an unbiased documentary which reveals the truth. However, since it is short, many more details are omitted, so 9 points out of 10. It is definitely not a propaganda (i.e. unlike those anti-China, anti-communist articles, news, and movies convincing that communists are bad for everything and only democrats, whose leader invaded a Western Asian country with some ridiculous reasons and tormented her for almost nine years, are the future of mankind). I cannot comment on all western textbooks but at least the western textbooks I have read are all ignoring or cutting off many crucial details about the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, the unfair treaties they forced China to sign, the Sino-Japanese War, and the Japaneses' massacre of Chinese people. Even Wikipedia has altered the "Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China" to "the Boxer Rebellion". Westerners are calling those patriots, who dared to confront with the imperialists' tyranny and fight for their country, rebellion force. The Wikipedia article "Eight-Nation Alliance" skips right through the imperialists' invasion of China to Chinese people's rebellion, which on its own looks like that the Chinese are dangerous people who killed so many Westerners and Christians. If the invasion history are also posted, those Chinese people's actions will be justified. Not only Japan, but the Western countries are also trying to ignore and erase their evidence of invasion.
Many people are saying something like "Why can't China just get along with Japan, then the world will be a better place". But this can only be achieved if Japan could face and admit their crimes. China CANNOT get along with Japan not because what they have done to her but because the Japanese government have never apologized and admitted their crimes against China. Furthermore, the Japanese textbooks are denying their crimes and transmitting falsified information about the history. User rogerthat1945's comment is a perfect example of slandering China and misleading people with the wrong history. A good guess would be--he is taught by Japanese textbooks.
Regardless of China's governance right now, history is history. China is the victim of the INVASION of Japan and those arrogant western countries. China deserves the apologies from all of those invaders!
Many people are saying something like "Why can't China just get along with Japan, then the world will be a better place". But this can only be achieved if Japan could face and admit their crimes. China CANNOT get along with Japan not because what they have done to her but because the Japanese government have never apologized and admitted their crimes against China. Furthermore, the Japanese textbooks are denying their crimes and transmitting falsified information about the history. User rogerthat1945's comment is a perfect example of slandering China and misleading people with the wrong history. A good guess would be--he is taught by Japanese textbooks.
Regardless of China's governance right now, history is history. China is the victim of the INVASION of Japan and those arrogant western countries. China deserves the apologies from all of those invaders!
unbelievable Chinese propaganda
manningsmark9 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is hilarious. The previous user who rated 10 has not rated any other titles. I admit that I haven't either. However this also has grammatical and lexical mistakes which show that this is simply Chinese propaganda. I am not pro or anti Japanese/Chinese but just thought people should be aware of the extent of Chinese propaganda.
Keep trying Xi Jin Ping. There's no fear in accepting the facts and hiding behind a nationalistic facade. In the UK for example, if Scotland wants to be independent so be it, stop being so damn insecure, you've got over a billion people!!
Anyway,I would suggest anyone watching this to at least read some other academic and peer-reviewed articles or documentaries by respected institutions rather than CCTV funded political propaganda.
Keep trying Xi Jin Ping. There's no fear in accepting the facts and hiding behind a nationalistic facade. In the UK for example, if Scotland wants to be independent so be it, stop being so damn insecure, you've got over a billion people!!
Anyway,I would suggest anyone watching this to at least read some other academic and peer-reviewed articles or documentaries by respected institutions rather than CCTV funded political propaganda.
The great movie for the truth
assail-gao12 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The previous user who rated 1 has not rated any other titles. It sounds like he will put whatever taking China's side into the category of simple Chinese propaganda. I just thought people should be aware of the extent of western bias about China and get out of the myth of "we are good guy your are bad guy so whatever we said is for the truth or free speech blabla ... for good but whatever you said is propaganda". Stop being so damn insecure and hiding behind such a shield, there is no fear in accepting the facts and admitting you are wrong.
The previous user said "In the UK for example, if Scotland wants to be independent so be it, stop being so damn insecure, you've got over a billion people!!"
Besides his baleful sense of humor, I think it shows his anti-China intention and misleading. That is a territory conflict between China and Japan. It is about territory integrity being endorsed by nations all around the world, including UK and US. So, I think a better example would be, "if Spain wants Gibraltar, we UK would give it. The Queen already has enough colonies, or already lost enough, including HongKong and Singapore. She would not mind to lose one more, would she? :-)" I am fairly sure the previous reviewer has no double-standard problem so he would explain why there was such an independent war in north America over 200 years ago if the nice and generous UK people really do not mind it.
Come on. China wants that island because it is the right thing to do. It because it belongs to China. No one should accepts the wrong facts. On the other hands, its justice to set it right again. I am not 100% sure but I can sense what deeply in the previous reviewers blood from his analogy of "you do not need it because you already got 1 billion people" - so he implied western people or culture has no sense of justice. They has no interest in right or wrong. Western people just consider two facts "what we want?" and "How can I get it?" but never ask themselves "Is that right thing to do?" For example, we want lands - then take it from Indians; we want labors, then take the freedom from Africans ... UK returned Hongkong to China not because it was the right thing to do but simple because it cannot.
Stop the fear of the rise of China since you would not mind losing Scotland ... And you've already lost enough so you would not mind lost some more :-)
China want Diaoyu island because it belongs to China, it is the right thing to do, like Hongkong. China does not want Scotland because it does not belong to China. It is very simple -- everyone does the right thing. If you ever took something from others, stop the "please-accept-the- fact" crap, return it and apologize, beg for victim's pardon, and pray if the other side chose not to forgive you.
It has been long time for UK's and Japanes to forget about their broken arrogance. More and more wrong things would be set back again. The Diaoyu island is a chance for Japanese to set things right up and pray for Chinese's forgiveness, like Germans keep taking every single chance to appeal for the forgives from Jews. This movie is actually a chance and even a favor for Japanese to set things back to right and apology then regain the chance to survive in east Asia and next century, in a world ruled by China.
Japan attacked pearl harbor, killed over 4000 US soldiers there - as return, US nuked two Japan cities, burned out 3/4 of Tokyo, killed million's of Japan civilians. Considering this fact, China is too nice, isn't it?
The previous user said "In the UK for example, if Scotland wants to be independent so be it, stop being so damn insecure, you've got over a billion people!!"
Besides his baleful sense of humor, I think it shows his anti-China intention and misleading. That is a territory conflict between China and Japan. It is about territory integrity being endorsed by nations all around the world, including UK and US. So, I think a better example would be, "if Spain wants Gibraltar, we UK would give it. The Queen already has enough colonies, or already lost enough, including HongKong and Singapore. She would not mind to lose one more, would she? :-)" I am fairly sure the previous reviewer has no double-standard problem so he would explain why there was such an independent war in north America over 200 years ago if the nice and generous UK people really do not mind it.
Come on. China wants that island because it is the right thing to do. It because it belongs to China. No one should accepts the wrong facts. On the other hands, its justice to set it right again. I am not 100% sure but I can sense what deeply in the previous reviewers blood from his analogy of "you do not need it because you already got 1 billion people" - so he implied western people or culture has no sense of justice. They has no interest in right or wrong. Western people just consider two facts "what we want?" and "How can I get it?" but never ask themselves "Is that right thing to do?" For example, we want lands - then take it from Indians; we want labors, then take the freedom from Africans ... UK returned Hongkong to China not because it was the right thing to do but simple because it cannot.
Stop the fear of the rise of China since you would not mind losing Scotland ... And you've already lost enough so you would not mind lost some more :-)
China want Diaoyu island because it belongs to China, it is the right thing to do, like Hongkong. China does not want Scotland because it does not belong to China. It is very simple -- everyone does the right thing. If you ever took something from others, stop the "please-accept-the- fact" crap, return it and apologize, beg for victim's pardon, and pray if the other side chose not to forgive you.
It has been long time for UK's and Japanes to forget about their broken arrogance. More and more wrong things would be set back again. The Diaoyu island is a chance for Japanese to set things right up and pray for Chinese's forgiveness, like Germans keep taking every single chance to appeal for the forgives from Jews. This movie is actually a chance and even a favor for Japanese to set things back to right and apology then regain the chance to survive in east Asia and next century, in a world ruled by China.
Japan attacked pearl harbor, killed over 4000 US soldiers there - as return, US nuked two Japan cities, burned out 3/4 of Tokyo, killed million's of Japan civilians. Considering this fact, China is too nice, isn't it?
Excellent documentary for everyone, but not perfect.
lipingyuan6 July 2014
As a Taiwan born Chinese descendant now a US resident, the movie gave me broad perspective on the Japan-Sino (Japan - Eastern Asia in general) relationship. It is very balanced from a long term point of view. I have many Japanese friends. They are all very nice, clean and gentle as individuals. But when they form a group with pride and loyalty, things can get out-of control in a big way. To be fair, Chinese can be similar. But they usually don't do crazy things to outsiders. They do have cultural evolution and Tibet/Taiwan problems which they consider as internal issues.
I praise the director, as one of many American, can be critical of US foreign policy. (US government is "for the people" internally, but very bossy in foreign policy. It is based on the "US interest" which can be very subjective, biased and war prone.) This kind of criticism is very much lacking in China and Japan. I hope that there will be more different and balanced voices coming out of China and Japan (and oversea Chinese/Japanese). Such will be the first step toward "reconciliation" in the short term. Government recent actions (from US, Japan and China) were generally useless if not hazardous.
One minor issue: I didn't give it a 10 because it didn't mention (enough) about Taiwan, which is the closest populous land to Daioyu island. It is a major traditional fishing area of Taiwan's fisherman. Taiwan should have a bigger (if not major) say on the subject.
I praise the director, as one of many American, can be critical of US foreign policy. (US government is "for the people" internally, but very bossy in foreign policy. It is based on the "US interest" which can be very subjective, biased and war prone.) This kind of criticism is very much lacking in China and Japan. I hope that there will be more different and balanced voices coming out of China and Japan (and oversea Chinese/Japanese). Such will be the first step toward "reconciliation" in the short term. Government recent actions (from US, Japan and China) were generally useless if not hazardous.
One minor issue: I didn't give it a 10 because it didn't mention (enough) about Taiwan, which is the closest populous land to Daioyu island. It is a major traditional fishing area of Taiwan's fisherman. Taiwan should have a bigger (if not major) say on the subject.
The best movie for us to know Diaoyu islands
liupeng-8327616 February 2017
China has never recognized the right of administration of the United States or Japan over the islands, and Tokyo refuses to admit its war crimes against the Chinese and other nations during World War II.
The US play a very negative role in dispute In 1971, the United States appointed Japan as the administrator of the Diaoyu Islands. But China has never recognized the right of administration of the US or Japan. Officially the United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands, but it does recognize the islands fall under the security treaty obligations the US has with Japan. There are still serious doubts about the possibility for the US to play a constructive role in this ongoing dispute. WHATEVER, THE ISLANDS BELONGS TO CHINA!
The US play a very negative role in dispute In 1971, the United States appointed Japan as the administrator of the Diaoyu Islands. But China has never recognized the right of administration of the US or Japan. Officially the United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands, but it does recognize the islands fall under the security treaty obligations the US has with Japan. There are still serious doubts about the possibility for the US to play a constructive role in this ongoing dispute. WHATEVER, THE ISLANDS BELONGS TO CHINA!
Maps change. Who can be trusted?
rogerthat194527 April 2014
Back when the Islands was on a map drawn by china, the whole of china was smaller and was actually four countries, and Tibet was far larger. This was around the time that Japan reached into 1/3rd of Korea, and into Russia past Hokkaido. QED Maps change; but the land is in Japanese ownership, and they appear to be slightly more trustworthy than the Chinese at this point in history.. china is a nation forged by war and murder, and the Chinese have worked with the Mongolians a number of times to try and go to Japan and wipe it out, and so Japan is rightfully wary of giving china any foothold from which to place or launch missiles or whatever. Its ALL about who can be trusted more. As an 'outsider' (of the village mentality), I would not even go to china....Japan on the other hand is far more civilised. Not perfect, but far more civilised than the often hysterical (Tiananmen) china.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
