“Most serious of all to the Japanese is their belief that we have no spiritual quality, no sense of honor. For centuries the Japanese have been taught reverence for the head of the family , the policeman, the local great men, the ministers of state and most of all the God-Emperor, from whom stems all spirituality. Our [movies] of gangsters defying the law, of unruly election crowds, of children ‘sassing’ their parents, are proof to the Japanese that we are lacking in reverence and respect. They see it as proof, too, that we certainly cannot be brave. Because, to them, bravery comes through a dedication of oneself to spiritual ideals. When they sank the Panay they waited in fear and trembling for our declaration of war, and, when all we asked for was money to save our national honor, they believed they had our number. When they jumped us at Pearl Harbor it was not treachery to them- ‘How can you be treacherous to a nation without honor?’ It was a measure of their contempt for us.”
Click here to read about the 1937 sinking of the Panay.
Click here to read about the Japanese home front during the early period of the Sino-Japanese War.
Click here to read about the Japanese soldier.
Click here to read about Post-War Japan.
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