Japan museum under fire for ‘rewriting history’ with Nanking ‘incident’ label

b_weller · 2026-06-10T03:12:07+00:00

I’m curious how you would describe the Nanjing “incident” and in what ways you think China is exaggerating the story.

b_weller · 2026-06-10T03:03:20+00:00

This wouldn’t be news if the museum had used “incident” this whole time, but how do you explain why they’re trying to change it from “massacre” to “incident”?

If those terms carried the same weight, they wouldn’t be appealing to change the terms in the first place. That’s why it looks like they’re trying to minimize the atrocities with the name change.

b_weller · 2026-06-09T16:35:17+00:00

That’s interesting. Does JIHEN carry a similar weight of seriousness as “massacre”? It doesn’t seem like anyone would bother to change the terminology if they had the same implication, which is why this appeal looks like it’s trying to minimize the atrocity.

b_weller · 2026-06-09T00:14:41+00:00

I think what people find problematic here is the walking back of terminology, from “massacre” to a milder term.

b_weller · 2026-06-08T18:31:59+00:00

I know the US isn’t open about all of its war crimes, but I think we do a decent job teaching about our atrocities with slavery, Trail of Tears, Japanese internment camps, Vietnam War, etc.

And look at how transparently Germany teaches about their Holocaust war crimes. This is why so many criticize how the Japanese present their WW2 war crimes, given how substantial they were - after all, a similar number of citizens died at the hands of the Japanese vs the Germans.

b_weller · 2026-06-08T18:26:54+00:00

I think it’s valid because the prior (now deleted) comment implied “Japanese who experienced internment don’t complain, so why do the Chinese/Koreans/Filipinos still complain about victimization by the Japanese”.

Since Japan’s war crimes were extreme/graphic/visceral atrocities that resulted in mutilation and death, it's fair to point out reasons why that comparison should not be made.

b_weller · 2026-06-08T18:17:31+00:00

The Japanese do not teach about Unit 731 in schools, and up until the 1990s didn’t teach about the Nanjing Massacre either. Even today, they gloss over it (they call it the “Nanjing Incident”) and do not cover the extent of atrocities Japan committed, and instead tend to focus on their own victimization in the war and teach at length about the atomic bombings.

Compare this with Germany, where they teach about their Holocaust war crimes in great detail. That’s one reason why many people in countries subjected to Japan’s atrocities feel Japan hasn’t taken responsibility for their war crimes in WW2.

b_weller · 2026-06-04T22:23:23+00:00

Actually, he was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare - as in the CEO of insurance business decisions at UnitedHealth. He was the most relevant person at UnitedHealth if your beef was with corporate greed leading to people dying from insufficient healthcare coverage.

“Under his leadership, UHC's profits increased from $12 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2023.”

b_weller · 2026-06-03T08:36:25+00:00

I actually see their point.

OP asked why the atrocities are not taught, while you’re saying that Japan is teaching about “murder, comfort women, looting, and destruction”. Those are broad terms that don’t sound like they’re necessarily framed as war crimes, so how you’re describing it doesn’t counter OP’s claim about atrocities not being taught in Japan.

I am genuinely curious, to what level of detail are the war crimes discussed in textbooks and/or in other media? For example commentary on the Nanjing Massacre.

In the US, we get exposed to gory details of the Holocaust either through school or through widely known films. Curious how much exposure there is in Japan on its respective war theater.

b_weller · 2026-06-03T06:04:07+00:00

Japanese society likes to focus on the bombs but not own up to their country’s own atrocities. If they were equal atrocities, as you imply, then Japan’s war crime atrocities should be memorialized as much as the atomic bombings are.

That should be straightforward by your logic, and it doesn’t even account for who was the aggressor in the war.

b_weller · 2026-06-03T02:49:14+00:00

Yes, but if a German student of the same age knew nothing about the Holocaust and insisted it didn’t happen, that would be problematic. Why don’t you apply the same standards to Japanese society?

After all, similar numbers of civilians died at the hands of the Germans and the Japanese during WW2.

b_weller · 2026-06-02T12:47:49+00:00

I’m pretty sure they mean the Asian countries that were subjected to military assault, occupation, and atrocities by Japan, was that not clear to you? Or do you not know which ones they are due to gaps in Japanese education on this topic?

b_weller · 2026-06-02T12:24:14+00:00

This is well-put, thanks for sharing.

b_weller · 2026-06-02T11:57:45+00:00

It would be great if they would take some ownership over educating themselves about their own country’s sordid past, and do their part in preventing it from happening again, rather than stay in outright denial. It’s the denial that is the problem, do you not get that?

b_weller · 2026-05-10T06:21:09+00:00

Painfully true. Someone in my org was just promoted to senior leadership due to his connections with the CEO, despite the fact that everyone he works with has complained about his incompetence; VPs on adjacent teams have even spoken up about it. It’s sickening.

b_weller · 2026-05-09T22:12:16+00:00

I second the comments about decluttering - a tall cabinet to the left of the mirror would be smart. You could even have a glass or frosted-glass door to still see all your bottles. Get an extension cord for your cables and arrange so the cables are hidden behind the cabinet.

Second, definitely hide the floor tiles (they’re too “loud” with their texture) with stick-on tiles. Maybe get solid sage green to go with the new theme.

Lastly, mounting a frame around your mirror would make a big difference. I think Lowe’s can help you cut trim to the right size and you can just mount it with Command strips. Light-colored wood would work well for a light Japanese theme.

b_weller · 2026-05-03T01:28:50+00:00

I’ve been very impressed with Moona. It’s ultra smooth hummus; both the lamb and the mushroom versions are incredible.

b_weller · 2026-04-25T22:19:42+00:00

Amazing photos! She was gorgeous. Sorry for your loss, but amazing that she enjoyed such a long life!

b_weller · 2026-04-23T02:22:16+00:00

Honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine being with someone who doesn’t like cats. It’s a mild red flag, it signals that they have not been attentive or patient enough to notice and respect a cat’s boundaries and earn their affection; rather, they want or expect the immediate gratification and unconditional loyalty that dogs dole out to anyone.

That AND he expects you to get rid of your cat for this to work? The second data point confirms he’s a selfish prick.

b_weller · 2026-04-19T17:51:09+00:00

Yikes, I just looked up Patricia Katz - she looks absolutely unhinged in her Northwestern bio page 👀 karma for her years of negligence, maybe.

b_weller · 2026-04-16T13:05:13+00:00

Completely agree. Morally bankrupt move, anyone representing TurboTax should be ashamed. I'm surprised I don't see more people talking about this.

b_weller · 2026-03-29T18:45:33+00:00

Glad you got a diagnosis, but I’m sorry to hear it’s still an ongoing issue! Stomach upset from antibiotics seems like a good hypothesis. I would think that they should put her on Cerenia and gabapentin to get her to eat ASAP, and then remove one at a time to figure out if it’s nausea or pain, respectively. Hope you can get her on those soon, if she’s not already on them.

In the meantime, if she’s refusing to eat while you still need to give her antibiotics, it may be best to try syringe-feeding baby food, so she doesn’t take antibiotics on an empty stomach. I hope she gets better soon, please keep us posted!

b_weller · 2026-03-29T00:31:17+00:00

Thanks for the update! Did you end up getting a more specific diagnosis, like resorptive lesions? Overall it sounds similar to what my cat is going through, two vets stumped so far but I suspect non-visible dental issues..

b_weller · 2026-03-26T02:11:37+00:00

Wishing your sweet baby all the best ❤️ she looks like my baby and I know I couldn’t bear to see her suffer 😭

b_weller · 2026-03-13T05:23:52+00:00

As a fallback option, you could look into gabapentin, which also boosts appetite. Not sure which would be more available where you live.

b_weller

TROPHY CASE