you can reblog this post instead of liking it btw

oh for real, y’all have NO idea how much a lot of asian countries still hate japan because of what they did during their (blatant) imperialist era.

china and korea vehemently hate their ass. a lot of southeast asian countries hate them too (look up ‘Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere’). they invaded countries and went on rampages. they pillaged and razed villages. they raped the local women and killed babies. to this day my grandparents still talk about it and tell me their personal stories: how their house was burnt; how the japanese soldiers would storm into homes and steal food then beat the men or kill them outright; how japanese soldiers threw babies into the air and bayoneted them; how people would get slapped in the face or got beat up for forgetting to bow to passing japanese soldiers (it’s not even cultural for southeast asians to bow in greeting). in my country alone, there have been hundreds of ‘comfort women’ that have been demanding for reparations from the japanese government and they’ve always been rebuffed and gaslighted by them. korea is the same and japan has since demanded they take down statues related to comfort women.

japan has never apologized for its war crimes and also does not teach that history in their schools. it’s been erased. japan uses propaganda a lot too to make themselves look better. there’s a reason so many countries are mad at them.

im not saying you should hate them, but pls know this history and be aware and critical of it. when asians are getting riled up about the rising sun design, there is a reason. when asians are getting mad about hetalia, there is a reason. when asians are criticizing japan, there is a reason. it’s not just the land of uwu and anime; it’s an unapologetic imperialist country that’s very blatantly covered up the atrocities they committed to the people of the countries they invaded and destroyed.

please also remember the philippines in these posts! japanese soldiers led filipino and american soldiers to their death during the bataan death march, barricaded doors to churches and burnt them to the ground during services, sexually assaulted and dismembered filipina women and have yet to recompensate us as well. the bahay na pula (red house), infamous as a murder site where hundreds of women were also attacked, is still up today. comfort women from that era are still alive today. my grandfather, who only passed away last august, was a part of that history. while being racist towards a country and its people is also not the answer, don’t glorify them and sweep it all under the rug because it’s in the past. talk about it because it’s not history; its our present, and if the problem persists, its our future as well.

If you’re interested, knowing better talked about this a few years back also