{"id":2947,"date":"2013-06-04T01:00:15","date_gmt":"2013-06-04T05:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dontow.com\/?p=2947"},"modified":"2013-06-04T15:40:17","modified_gmt":"2013-06-04T19:40:17","slug":"why-tokyo-should-not-be-selected-to-host-the-2020-summer-olympic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dontow.com\/2013\/06\/why-tokyo-should-not-be-selected-to-host-the-2020-summer-olympic\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Tokyo Should Not Be Selected to Host the 2020 Summer Olympic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Olympic Charter<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter of the International Olympic Committee, Olympism seeks “to create a way of life based on … social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles [1].”\u00a0 Japan is a country that still has not acknowledged and apologized for the massive and inhumane atrocities that the Japanese Imperial Army inflicted all over Asia during World War II (WWII).\u00a0 These atrocities included (1) forcing over 200,000 women and girls into sexual slavery (euphemistically called “comfort women” by the Japanese government), (2) slaughtering of\u00a0 300,000 Chinese (many were women and children) in the Nanking Massacre over the six-week period from late 1937 to early 1938, (3) massive use of biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction in over a dozen provinces in China killing over a million Chinese, and (4) torturing and murdering of prisoners of war (POWs) and using POWs as slave labor.<\/p>\n

These frequent and massive atrocities were clearly part of the Japanese government’s strategy to attack and conquer other countries of the world.\u00a0\u00a0 Sixty seven years have elapsed since the end of WWII, yet the Japanese government leaders are still\u00a0 denying the existence of these atrocities.\u00a0 Such behavior by the Japanese government shows a complete disregard for social responsibility and ethical principles, and is in complete violation of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter.\u00a0 Therefore, the International Olympic Committee should not select Tokyo to be the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympic. [2]<\/p>\n

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Comparison of Japan and Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n

One should compare the actions of Japan and Germany, a country that also inflicted massive and inhumane atrocities on people in Europe during WWII, especially with the Holocaust on the Jewish people.\u00a0\u00a0 In 1970 Chancellor Willy Brandt of West Germany fell to his knees at the site of the Warsaw ghetto and expressed the guilt, sorrow, and responsibility of Germany for the Holocaust.\u00a0 Germany has acknowledged, apologized, and compensated their Holocaust victims.\u00a0 Furthermore, it is a crime in Germany to publicly refute their WWII actions.<\/p>\n

What about Japan?\u00a0 Mr. Shinzo Abe, Japan’s current prime minister and her prime minister during 2006-2007 has repeatedly said that “there was no coercion of women into sexual slavery during WWII, and there is no testimony from anyone in Japan.”\u00a0 Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, said in an interview in 1990 that the Nanking Massacre “is a story made up by the Chinese.”\u00a0 Takashi Kawamura, mayor of Nagoya, said in 2012 that “there was no Nanking Massacre, only the results of conventional acts of combat.”\u00a0 As recently as May 2013, current Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and co-leader of the Japan Restoration Party said that the system of using women and girls as sex slaves in countries occupied by Japan was a wartime necessity in order to give Japanese soldiers a chance to rest, and the “comfort women” were not forced into sexual services through violence, threat, and abduction.<\/p>\n

All of these are lies, as these atrocities were well documented by many eye witnesses, including Western journalists, businessmen, diplomats, missionaries, educators, and other international observers.\u00a0 Furthermore, the Japanese teacher and journalist Tamaki Matsuoka has interviews of over 250 former Japanese soldiers, with many of these interviews video-recorded, confirming the Nanking Massacre.\u00a0 Adding additional insult, Japanese government leaders, including her prime ministers, have regularly paid tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo where 14 convicted and executed Class A war criminals are enshrined.\u00a0 This is analogous to German chancellors paying tribute at a memorial for Hitler.\u00a0 In addition, through its regulatory powers, the Japanese government has essentially rewritten their textbooks so that generations of Japanese already do not know about this part of WWII history.<\/p>\n

Petition for 2020 Summer Olympic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many governments have already passed resolutions condemning Japan\u2019s position on the comfort women issue, including resolutions passed in 2007 by U.S. House of Representatives, Canadian Parliament, Lower House of the Dutch Parliament, and European Parliament.\u00a0 Apparently words alone are not sufficient to change Japan\u2019s position.<\/p>\n

If we don\u2019t learn from history, then history can repeat itself, in the form of another Pearl Harbor attack, Nanking Massacre, Bataan Death March, sexual slavery, germ warfare, etc.\u00a0 For the sake of world peace, the world must take more serious actions than just words.<\/p>\n

Therefore, we ask all peace loving people of the world to sign a petition to urge the International Olympic Committee and the various national Olympic Committees not to select Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, unless the Japanese government officially acknowledges and apologizes for their WWII atrocities.<\/p>\n

The English online petition can be accessed by clicking on the word petition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Translation of Petition into other Languages<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the help of many friends, we have translated the English petition to several other languages:\u00a0 Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.\u00a0 These translations can be accessed or downloaded by clicking on the appropriate item below:<\/p>\n