Wow, you got a little carry away there at the end, buddy. I completely agree with sapphirerain that every nation has their dark side, and the important thing is to learn from the mistakes we made in the past, so we don't repeat the history again.   See 12 other replies

I read it somewhere the Imperial Japan completely underestimated US industrial ability. They thought by attacking Pearl Harbor, they can put US Pacific Fleet out of commission long enough for them to secure enough regions in the Pacific. Instead US quickly rebuilt the Pacific fleet and brought wraith upon the Imperial forces. Lesson here is always have good intel before going to war, or you will get your butt handed to you.   See 12 other replies

My uncle got drafted into the Imperial Army when they colonized Taiwan, he was fortunate enough to survive the war. However, you need to remember that these alliance during are always political alliance rather than Idealistic one. Just think why would Nazi Germany, who preached master race, allied itself with people they considered inferior. Just like Allied forces made alliance with Soviet Union because we needed their vast resources, not because we share the similar ideology.   See 12 other replies

By saying that Japanese did all those horrible thing " for their Emperor" is just a stereotypical, if not naive, view of WWII. You are right Japanese invaded all these places to expand the domain, but it was driven by more than just " for the emperor". Being the most powerful nation at the time in Asia, and probably the only asian nation capable of standing up against the West, Japanese saw themselves as the protector of Asia. They desire to free asia from years of western colonialism. The developed the concept of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and they were willing to achieve this goal by colonizing their asian neighbors, which is quite ironic.Also, US helped rebuild Germany and Japan not simply out of good will. Every allied commanders of the time knew that when they finally defeated the Axis, they would have to confront their ally, Soviet Union, and they would need all the help they can get, even they are the old enemy. Plus, US probably felt guilty for dropping two A-bombs that killed many civilians, same reason why US did not eagerly pursuit the war crime committed by the Imperial forces during the war compared to all those German war crime trials.
Plus, if you want to truly learn about the war in Asia during WWII, 'The Rape Of Nanking' is a bad choice in that it is not the first hand account, and a single event hardly defines what goes on during that time.   See 12 other replies

Re: Bruce B's Comments:I don't follow your thoughts regarding the Shogun and the world having a dim view of the US' barbarous behavior.The Japanese in WWII were taking over all the countries in their part of the world to expand their empire for their emperor. To get an idea of what life was like for their fellow Asians, read up on 'The Rape Of Nanking'. There's a good amount of information on the web about this - it happened in China.Do you realize the US was one of the few countries in history to help defeated enemies rebuild to beyond what they were before the war?The democratic Japan we see today is there because the US occupied Japan after WWII and demanded they create a constitution and institute a democracy. They no longer treat their emperor as a god who must be obeyed at all costs, which is how they viewed their emperor prior to their defeat in WWII. Today, each Japanese realizes he/she has the same worth as their emperor.We gave Japan monies, food, clothing, and temporary housing and helped them rebuild after the war. We did the same in Europe, even to Germany. We also sent them people with the expertise to help get their industries up and functioning again.What other country can you think of who was on the winning side of a total war and had crushed its enemies -- yet took NOTHING from them. We helped our former enemies rebuild and to stand on their own feet and be contributing members of the world again.If Japan hadn't gone through the changes we forced upon her after WWII the 'Japanese Car Invasion' wouldn't have happened. Japan is who she is today in large part by how the US treated Japan after WWII. The same is true regarding the former West Germany, but to a lesser extent because we shared West Germany's care with France and Great Britain. Is helping former enemies rebuild, and see them prosper, examples of barbarous behaviors on the US' part?   See 12 other replies

They didn't think attacking Pearl Harbor was a good idea. However, with the US embargo on oil to Japan in effect at the time, over 85% of Japan's oil supply suddenly disappeared while they were in the middle of a war. Japan was desperate in that moment, not sane.   See 12 other replies