askchapo

22768 readers

420 users here now

Ask Hexbear is the place to ask and answer ~~thought-provoking~~ questions.

Rules:

Posts must ask a question.
If the question asked is serious, answer seriously.
Questions where you want to learn more about socialism are allowed, but questions in bad faith are not.
Try [email protected] if you're having questions about regarding moderation, site policy, the site itself, development, volunteering or the mod team.

founded 4 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Is Japan considered formerly colonized? Why did it seem to go better for Japan than many other colonies? (hexbear.net)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

20 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm not saying that things were hunky-dory by any stretch, but looking at the horror stories from most of the world, Japan seems tonhave been considerably less fucked over. Why?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago

I have never seen anybody call Japan -- as in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu -- a former colony. Ainu Mosir and Ruuchuu are areas which are continually being colonized by Japan and the United States, but Japan itself is better described as a vassal of the United States.

As I understand it (I could be wrong), the reason why basically boils down to that Japan itself was a fascistic genocidal empire, and so as their empire crumbled, they could be groomed into a useful bulwark against the USSR and Japan's own recently-liberated colonies, using the same methods of treat-giving that also worked in Europe.

The colonizer mindset itself remains alive and well in Japan.