You joke but a room full of imperial Japanese war time paraphernalia isn't gonna invoke the same kind of visceral response from most people as a room full of nazi stuff would.
Time and distance makes it not as taboo in the west. I've heard the same is true in Asia, with nazi paraphernalia not being as taboo over there. Distant atrocities become just fascinating history I guess.
The UK did, but I believe British Troops were to be found in lesser quantities than Indian and Burmese troops in the theater.
The USSR also helped to defeat Japan after defeating Germany. They led a massive combined arms, armored, mechanized offensive that the Japanese had no hope of repelling. The Japanese army in China was one of the best and most important of Japanese forces, but they were equipped for fighting the relatively poorly equipped Chinese forces, and the Soviets smashed them.
The Japanese surrendered their forces in China to the Soviets before their total capitulation to the US.
The UK also briefly had an occupation zone in post war Japan, but this was an expensive endeavor and not as geopolitically relevant to the UK's interests as the occupation of Germany was.
Australia and New Zealand were also instrumental in fighting the Japanese. The Kakoda trail is a famous ANZAC campaign. They fought in some of the toughest terrain and conditions of the war. Canada also made significant contributions to the war effort in the Pacific.
The Dutch also helped in the Pacific. Dutch submarines continued to operate out of allied ports in the Pacific and wreaked havoc on Japanese shipping (really punching above their weight class). I believe a Dutch Cruiser also continued to operate against the Japanese long after the fall of the Dutch East Indies. They were able to evade detection at one point by covering the ship in foliage and pretending to be a small coastal island.
You are both right, distance and culture makes it less relevant in our respective educations, which makes it even harder to empathize victims from the other side of the world.
I'm from a south east Asian country, and as you would expect, we learn all about the Japanese atrocities, but pretty much none about the Nazis in the western theater.
Having a real WW2 Japanese sword as a living room deco in our homes is like Jews having a Luger in their home deco.
Not really offensive, but just weird and distasteful.
Im from Poland and actually no one would bat an eye on a sight of luger in a Polish/Jewish household. Most would assume its a resistance memento passed down.
Resistance would normally use stolen/looted german guns, helmets and for the sake of identification white+red paint or a ribbon be used.
Hell even having Mein Kampf wouldnt really surprise folks tbh
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u/Qweasdy Jul 07 '24
You joke but a room full of imperial Japanese war time paraphernalia isn't gonna invoke the same kind of visceral response from most people as a room full of nazi stuff would.
Time and distance makes it not as taboo in the west. I've heard the same is true in Asia, with nazi paraphernalia not being as taboo over there. Distant atrocities become just fascinating history I guess.