The Rape of Berlin-the after effects

[FascistLibertarian]

while NOT EVEN MENTIONING the issue of the comfort women is insulting, provocative and disgusting in the extreme.  To view that as anything but highly prejudicial defies logic (and good taste):  only an idiot could spend more than five minutes on this site and think the people here are stupid enough accept this kind of crap at face value:

So when I talk about the bad things America did in the Pacific I have to mention what the Japanese did? Is that a fact?
Like I couldn't just talk about the Rape of Berlin or the way the Nazis treated Gays or the way we treated the Japanese?
Why not?

Other people here seem content to label the Japanese as a singular group who were pretty much all bad. Everyone is expected to freely condemn the conduct of the entire Japanese Army. Yet if someone like me points out Americans were complicit in rape, organized prostitution, and (through the Japanese who arranged everything) the comfort women system they are condemned and labelled stupid and a troll. Because there was a fundamental difference in the severity (the Japanese behaved in a horrible manner, everyone knows this) I should not bring up the bad things Americans did? Why not? I'm sure the fundamental difference didn't matter to the women who was having sex with someone they didn't want to.

American troops raped a lot of Japanese. Exact numbers will probably never be known. If you were an American during or after Okinawa or landing on Japan for the occupation you pretty much had the ability to do what you wanted. After all, your side won, it was a horrible war against an evil enemy, and now its time to party! Its a classic situation where people are not going to be held accountable or responsible for their actions. Many of the people in the occupation force would feel Japan was getting whats coming to them. The Japanese government was mostly concerned mostly with keeping the Americans happy. Japanese communities formed groups for protection and tried to ensure their women were safe from rape (ie not alone at night). How legit their fears were is hard to say. This also of course has a lot to do with cultural and racial issues and the tough nature of that war. The horror of some of those last islands for the people that were there, the dehumanization of the enemy, not having access to women for a long time.
The American military set up military only brothels which than ran and moved around women in order to staff them and/or ensure white hookers.

These are facts and because they were not as horrible as what the Japanese did you think they
1) have no merit
2) are insulting to US Vets so should not be talked about

The Japanese comfort women system didn't stop in 1945 so know what your talking about before getting all high and mighty.
It went right on serving the Americans, except now it was mainly Japanese women and the wasn't a war on.
If it was so horrible, then why did the Americans not charge anyone for the system, and why did they keep using it?
Pretty easy to say it was bad now though, everyone pretty much agrees.

I am not saying these are the things we need to focus on, but they did happen, the Pacific War was brutal and the people who fought in it human.

Rape is/was not a part of our service traditions.

I never said it was. I have never read anything to suggest otherwise. I am not saying rape is part of the American service tradition, but that there is evidence that it happened to a noticeable and historically important degree in certain specific situations. Rape has been a part of warfare for a long time (as people have pointed out). I am not saying the rapes in Okinawa and Japan are suprising, I wasn't there and cant judge.

The Japanese conducted themselves much better in other conflicts. The brutality of their system and the lousy or boring nature of their job doubtlessly contributed to how individual Japanese acted. As well hard resistence would often ensure the Japanese were brutal after a surrender. I have read reports of Japanese officers who killed soldiers on the spot who were accused by Canadians of raping women after the fall of Hong Kong. Different groups of Japanese handled different situations differently. Some of the time the women would be okay at first then get raped or taken to be a comfort women later.

This whole thing is a grey area where the Japanese are a hell of a lot darker than the Americans. I do not understand why you all think that because of this pointing out the bad Americans did is some kind of slander and I should say I am sorry.
The issue of forced prostitution and who was forced against their will to do what is really hard to prove (sadly).
That doesn't mean that the Americans are perfect and that they didn't do bad things. The issue of the conduct of American troops in this respect (the end of the pacific war and the occupation) is never talked about.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Is there a point to this?

 

[geo]

FL,
I would ask you to provide your references for the amaazing number of rapes conducted by american GIs after the occupation of Japan. 
Excluding IwoJima & Okinawa, no US troops were on Japanese soil prior to the capitulation. Thereafter, in many Pacific regions, the US retained Japanese troops for security - they stayed armed.

By 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean war, the US were dependent on Japan as a main base & as Allies.

After the terms of surrender were signed, any rape would be punishable by the US authorities themselves - and I have no doubt that the US did in fact deal with the issue & did not tolerate rape in any way shape or form.

 

[1feral1]

Americans were complicit in rape

You are nothing but a trolling turd seeking an audience.

Shame on ya!

Mods lets lock this up?

Wes

 

[Red 6]

Fascist Libertarian: I have been researching about the Pacific War for many years. Cite your sources for this claim — "American troops raped a lot of Japanese. " How many is "a lot"? Is it 10, 20, 75, 2,000, or what? This claim is totally without merit if your source isn't cited. I for one am of the opinion that our occupation of Japan was incredibly peaceful, especially considering how brutal the war had been. Were there instances of criminal conduct by members of the American forces? Yes, as there are by members of every military force. But they were certainly not the norm, nor were they a widespread pattern of criminal activity. The American servicemen who served in World War II were liberators, not oppressors.

 

[geo]

Red6
Also, per my last post, by the time US GIs made it to the Japanese islands, surrender had been signed & sealed & though occupation forces the country was at peace.