Olympic Charter
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].” 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). 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 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.
These frequent and massive atrocities were clearly part of the Japanese government’s strategy to attack and conquer other countries of the world. Sixty seven years have elapsed since the end of WWII, yet the Japanese government leaders are still denying the existence of these atrocities. 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. Therefore, the International Olympic Committee should not select Tokyo to be the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympic. [2]
Significance of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Dispute for the American People
History of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Dispute: During the past half year a territorial dispute between Japan and China over a small group of uninhabited islands (called Diaoyu Islands by the Chinese and Senkaku Islands by the Japanese) in the East China Sea has increased significantly in intensity so that both sides have sent military ships and planes to that area. The confrontations so far have resulted in only warnings, water canon fights, and some damaged Chinese fisherman boats (rammed by Japanese military ships), but it could very well escalate to a serious, major armed conflict between the two countries. From the China side, both the Republic of China (ROC) and People’s Republic of China (PRC) have been involved. Although the U.S. government has stated that it doesn’t take a position regarding the territorial sovereignty of these islands, it has repeatedly stated that these islands are covered under the Japan-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. This article discusses that this issue could have great significance for the American people and urges the American people to pay more attention to this issue.
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