The Olympic Games in theory allow different nations the chance to engage in friendly competition with each other that provides entertainment to a lot of people. It can also be a cover for conflict between nations, where by “fighting” with each other for sport victory, political leaders see it as an extension of their proxy wars with other nations. Perhaps the most famous example of this was the 1936 Olympics with Track-and-Field athlete Jesse Owens, who was an American black man from Alabama who won four gold medals and was considered to have been a serious shame to Germany at a time when ideas of racial superiority were being promoted by the Reich.
There was also the infamous boxing matches between American Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling, which was portrayed as a struggle between the US and the Reich. Schmeling won the first match and Louis won the rematch:
To the credit of both men, the two became friends later in life, and when Louis fell into poverty, Schmeling helped him, including paying for his funeral.
The issue here is not about race, but how sports are commonly exploited as an extension of politics.
Now in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, can one imagine if Germany decided to raise the Swastika? It would cause an international outrage.
But what if somebody did the same thing but in a different form? For example, say that Germany raised a flag with the Eisernes Kreuz- the iron cross -that is used to represent commonly German imperialism and was used by the National Socialists? Would not one reasonably suspect that such was alluding to a return to German militancy, especially in light of the current age?
That is what Japan is going to do as for the upcoming games she is going to raise not only the national flag of Japan, but the Imperial flag of Japan:
The organizing committee for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic games in Tokyo has announced that it won’t place any restrictions on displays of the Rising Sun Flag, a symbol of the country’s militaristic past, to be used without any restrictions, a decision that’s likely to be controversial.
On Sept. 3, South Korean broadcaster SBS reported that the organizing committee had responded to an inquiry by saying there’s no reason for it to ban the Rising Sun Flag, which is widely used in Japan. According to SBS, the organizing committee explained that it doesn’t think the flag should be banned because it’s not inherently political.
Now in fairness to the Japanese, the “Rising Sun” flag is, technically, not absolutely and “inherently” political symbol. It’s just that the history of Japan’s imperial desires are tied to and cannot be separated from it.
This rising sun symbol is believed to date from the 7th century in the area of Kyushu, where it was made to represent the rising sun and Japan, being the easternmost island archipelago before the Pacific ocean, as the land where the “sun rises.” This is an idea that has always been with Japanese history, and hence why she is called the “land of the rising sun.” Even the word “Japan,” or “Nippon”, is written using the Chinese-derived characters (kanji) that literally translates in China as “sun” and “root/start/origin” and, and thus means “where the sun begins.”
This flag was used continually throughout the centuries in correspondence with the Chinese as well as art forms in various styles, but with the same basic concept in mind. Associated with Samurai and all things Japanese, it is arguable that the idea of the “rising sun” may be older in Japan than the concept of Japan as a nation herself. During the years of the Tokagawa Shogunate, frun 1600 to 1858, the flag was used as the national symbol of what was then the closed society of Japan.
Following the Meiji restoration that was forced by the Americans, it became the national flag of Japan and was used by the subsequent Japanese Empire up through the Second World War.
Thus in a technical sense, the Japanese are correct. However, it does not erase from it the history tied to that flag, which is the entire martial history of Japanese imperialism against her neighbors, especially the Chinese and the Koreans.
The Rising Sun Flag is used on a limited basis in Japan today by organizations such as the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), but a large number of Japanese fans at the Tokyo Olympics are likely to bring it with them and wave it from the stands while cheering on Japanese athletes. That would likely provoke altercations with visitors from Korea, China, and other countries that were once invaded by imperial Japan.
…
“The Japanese know full well that their neighbors regard the Rising Sun Flag as a symbol of Japan’s militaristic and imperial past. Japan needs to be more humble about owning up to its historical legacy,” said Kim In-chul, the ministry spokesperson.
“We plan to keep working with the relevant ministries to ensure that this matter is addressed,” Kim added.
Ted and I have been saying for a long time that Japan is looking to return to militarism, and this was made clear by her actions and responses. Japan never renounced militarism at all, for unlike Germany, who while not Christian anymore does have a Christian past, she apologized for her crimes, while Japan has stood in staunch defense of them and is indignant at those who attempt to raise the issue. The main proof of this is in the Yaksukuni Shrine, which is a Shinto temple that worships not only the Japanese fallen in the Second World War, but over a thousand known war criminals, including at least fourteen “Class A” criminals, involved directly in the mass murders carried out by Japan that were no different than the crimes committed by the Reich in Europe.
This is a scene form the movie “The Men Behind The Sun”, which was about the Japanese war crimes committed in Unit 731, their equivalent to the German Aktion T4 program. It was a horrible eugenics project, and many people died in it.
The people who did this are not “national heroes,” let alone “gods” to be worshiped, but are some criminals of the worst order.
People complain in the US that “so-and-so” cannot be honored because he was a “slaveowner.” This is not to deny the many issues that happened with slavery in the US, but what is more evil- a man owning slaves that he likely cared for in some way and remembering that slavery is still legal in the US (read the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution), or Japan doing bizarre experiments on people and never apologizing at all but standing defiant?
The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee plans to increase its cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. While acknowledging the difficulty of forcing Japan to ban the flag, a committee spokesperson said that the committee would be working with the Foreign Ministry and other government bodies to ensure the flag is added to the list of banned items to prevent scuffles from breaking out between Japanese and South Korean fans. (source, source)
For those who do not believe that Japan and her neighbors do not hate each other, it is very real and just remains covered up underneath a bunch of video games, cartoons, and superficial nonsense.
There have been many arguments on 4Chan between Koreans and Japanese, as well as posts made by either group against each other. Look for the Korean versus Japanese flag differences and see their responses to each other:
The hate is real. It has never died.
Likewise, make no mistake that no matter what Japanese nationalists say, that flag always has been about Japanese imperial power, and that the Japanese government under Shinzo Abe that is allowing for it to be flown again is a sign to the world that Japan wants to repeat the horrors of World War II.
People say that the Trump administration needs to be hard on China and “watch out for China,” yet when was the last time that China invaded Japan, or attacked the USA in a serious way?
Trump is just as criminally liable as the Japanese are because he is taking off the shackles placed upon Japan that keep her from indulging genocidal fantasies from her past that have never died and are very much alive just under the surface of the anime and fake makeup painted on their women’s faces.
It is classic misdirection. While everybody is shouting down China- a serious nation likewise -nobody is watching the historical Japanese monster rise from the grave once again.