Session 4 readings, 9/25

[Lin ZhaoDavison]

The anti-Asian racism in the U.S. history was sad and vicious as exemplified by the Chinese exclusion and Japanese Internment.  Asians hold great values such as education, hard-working and family.  And Asians have made great contributions to the American society and economy. When I'll teach Asia, I would bring students to visit Asian museums and ask students to do resesarch on outstanding Asian immigrants.  Students will write essays articulating why anti-Asian racism should be abolished why there should be more Asians holding highest positions in the government, corporate America and schools.

[Gerlinde Goschi]

I found this handout to be very helpful.  Although I have not found a book, I am able to apply in my elementary school classroom, I am slowly working my way down the list of books, reading the summaries.  This list also includes a list of movies.  I have not found any on Netflix, but I will try to find them on other streaming websites.  Thank you to Prof. Yamashita for compiling this list for teachers!  

[Matthew Wong]

I studied Asian American Studies in college, so I recall aspects of the Japanese American experience during World War II. I also recall the diverse experiences of Asian Americans in Hawaii, and how Asians were essentially pitted against one another. One of the fascinating aspects of the discussion we had involved the loyalty question. It was interesting that Professor Yamashita noted how many Japanese Americans returned to Japan to fight for the imperial Japanese army. It was also interesting how Yamashita stated that the loyalty of Japanese in America was indeed a legitimate concern. It never crossed my mind that a significant number of Japanese Americans would be disloyal to America. I always thought it was a racist allegation against Japanese Americans in order to justify the concentration camps the Japanese were placed in. 

[Sonia Arrayales]

I enjoy listening to Professor Yamashita’s lecture. The lecture was on Japan and World War II. Many topics were touched in this lecture, but these were ones that captured my interest, comfort women, Japanese interment, and the wartime diaries. The Korean comfort women was something that I did not know about. I was taken aback to have learned of this horrible practice. I just wondered why this was left out from the history classes that I took. I think that we tend to focus more on the atrocities that happened in Europe, and not as much as in the Pacific, other than the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I also enjoyed reading the wartime diaries from those experiencing the war. Getting a firsthand account of the war gives one different perspective of the experiences that the people experienced. Lastly, the Japanese internment that occurred in the United States. This topic I more familiar with. The Japanese internment was not really touched when I was in high school, and I did not learn about it until I attended I college. I read Farewell to Manzanar, in reading this book a once again got a firsthand perspective of what it was like to be in a Japanese internment camp. Although, it is always good to receive more information on the topic.

[Matthew Wong]

 

Nakane Mihoko’s Diary of an Evacuated School Girl is a primary source that World History (and US History) teachers can use during a unit on World War II. The text includes daily diary entries from April through August 1945 from Mihoko. In her diary entries, Mihoko discusses her daily life after she is evacuated from her home. Mihoko writes about the topics she is learning, the foods she eats, her weight, her bathing routines. In addition to talking about Japanese culture and customs, she refers to Hitler, the Americans, English, and Soviets. Towards the end, she talks about the atomic bomb that forces Japan to surrender. She even mentions how she will seek revenge one day!

 

I think high school students will find this account interesting. The text also provides students with a different perspective, the side of the “enemy.” 

[Nira Sun]

I also like the reading of these diaries because of the special perspective. Whenever war is mentioned in any topics, people tend to focus more on how each country sees the war from its own angle instead of how its civilians feel and see the war. The intention of the Japanese government was to expand their power and authority over Pacific area and other Asian countries. However, it didn't bring any good to common Japanese civilians. They lost the regular peaceful life because the entire country is under the preparation of war. They lost their relatives because most of the males were sent to war far in China or other Asian countries.

Even though I don't teach history, this is still a great reading for my sophomores who are taking World History to read about what really happened back in Japan when the government was so devoted to the war up in the front line.

[Beverly Nettles]

I agree with Professor Dube, that the bombing of Perl Harbor by Japan on a Sunday was definitely sneaky (no, American aircraft carrriers at Perl Harbor on the day of  the attack...); for the U.S. was clueless and caught off guard.  Am I suppose to be sentimental toward Japan; when it's air force had been decimanted later in the war (?).  War is ugly, yet necessary when defense is to save lives.  So much war had taken place in the 1940's - Nazis controlling Germany, and Japan ceasing control of China; its no wonder the U.S. tries to remain neutral, yet, when a bomb is dropped on you, retailation is to be expected .  It's no disappointment on my part that president Franclin D. Roosevelt declared war.  

[Eric Hoh]

I love the prospect of doing a case study of Japan and their complete 180 in addressing pollution and the effects of pollution. Our students are entrenched in a nation whose social, economic, and political cultures are entrenched in an ignorant and short-sighted attitude towards climate change and preservation of the earth. It would be interesting to facilitate a debate as to whether policy and positive changes could be made in the United States in comparison to Japan. Students would be tasked with digging deeper and really breaking down the politics and economics that go into the determination of policies that we are living under. What would it look like for our students to take ownership of the decisions and policies that affect our thinking and actions on a daily basis? What would it look like if our students had the knowledge and tools to enact positive change to create a more sustainable future for the world? These are the kinds of learning opportunities that can be created in this sort of lesson. 

[Eric Hoh]

This immediately made me think of an opportunity to implement restorative justice teaching (which is extremely relevant and necessary for students at my school) with a lesson covering this article! It would be amazing to provide both exerpts from this article with the diary of the Japanese school girl. I can already imagine my students criticizing and debating over whether the Japanese are right or wrong for refusing to apologize. I know that I could rally the students to see the value and importance of the Japanese apologizing, and what that might look like. Then, I would metaphorically turn on the lights of students' minds so that they would see that this diplomatic, international issue is much like the issues that they face inter-personally with one another. 

[Beverly Nettles]

I enjoyed reading about Contemporary Japan (1965-Present).  I was born during this errand, which made the reading relevant.   The late 60’s- 70’s were times of growth, scandals, war, disease, and women rights.  By the 80’s Japan had become the second largest economy, due to the import of foreign product, the automobile industry, and technology growth.  The 90’s is marked by economic deflation, yet a calm, peaceful, and happy people.   By the twenty first century the economy had plummet due to rise in unemployment and social issues, and accusation of foreigners’ injustice.   At present Japan functions as a democracy, and is considered one of the cleanest and safest places to abide. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Sonia, I also really enjoyed getting into the primary texts in this lecture such as the wartime diaries.  Like you, I am interested in the perspectives of the people experiencing the war and not just hearing about their experience from historians.   I am interested in seeking more exposure to such texts.  Like you, I also don't recall learning much about the Japanese internment camps in the United States while I was in high school.  This says a lot about our educational system and what gets emphasized in the curriculum that is taught.  Thankfully, there are teachers like you, myself and others in this course that are interested in voices and perspectives and historical marginalizations of people and we can emphasize these in our class so that our students will get a more complete education of history.  I know that discussing such topics of people being marginalized is something my students can relate to and so drawing out the connections between the history of a different people such as the Japanese and my students is a way to make learning applicable to their lives.  Like you, I am looking to go deeper into such topics. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Much has been said about Ebrey's World War 2, about Japan and World War 2 in this forum.  I decided to read this text because I am thinking about doing my lesson plan on Japan, World 2 and the Japanese internment camps. I have not as of today fined tuned my ideas, but this is the general topic of my lesson plan.  I liked this reading because it contextualized the rise of Japan as an imperial power in the East. From its nationalistic tendencies to Chinese and Korean occupation, to the demise of the order and structure deeply rooted in the Japanese culture, this reading describes why Japan felt it needed to invade and have colonies, due to its sense of cultural superiority to these countries and for the preservation of the country and self respect.  As Japan grew as an imperialistic power, so did the tensions between Japan, China and the USA grow.  After reading this text, I now understand why Japan wanted to engage the USA in war and why it attacked Pearl Harbor.  I had first learned about the atrocitities that the Japanese inflicted upon the Chinese as it occupied China by reading historical literature.  This reading assisted my education of the role Japan took in World War 2 by delineating the events and conditions that led Japan to enter the war and the ensuing tensions that followed.  This information was particulary eye opening in my understanding of this part of world history because it situates Japan as an imperialistic power, something that I did not perceive prior to this reading.

[Evelyn Mendoza]

Reading the wartime diary of Nakane Mihoko was really heartwarming, but also startling. Reading Nakane’s diary transported you to that time and place, and you were able to sympathize with her experience. Also, reading things like “I want to do my best to become a splendid citizen” is kind of maddening because this is a child! Nakane was living in this time of brainwashing and conditioning, and as a child, she was easily impressionable. Reading through her diary also reminded me of “Grave of the Fireflies” by Isao Takahata. Both of these sources do an excellent job at demonstrating the impact of war on children.  I was glad to read that Nakane survived the war, and is now happily married with two children.

I would love to create a lesson where I could incorporate Nakane Mihoko’s diary and the movie “Grave of the Fireflies”, I thinks students could learn a lot from these sources. 

[Alejandra Jimenez]

This was the second time I have heard about this "comfort women" as we already know most political leaders have know about this type of problems for many years across different cultures and troughout war crisis. At least this kind conversations need to happen in order for historians to include this topic in history books. It seems that this topic may get only a couple of sentences the most in most history books. I was glad that Korean and Japanese professors are taking about it. I had never heard about this "confort women" for whatever circumstances might be for the woment, the point is that it happened and we should talk about it in the classrooms.

[Jazmin Luna]

I agree, there were many atrocities committed by the Japanese over many decades.  It surprised me to see how some of those cruel practices were even part of Japanase culture towards each other not so long ago.  I found it interesting how Daimatuse Hirobumi treated his own team.  Yes, he was a soldier and a prisoner of war but due to these experiences he was also known as the demon coach.  Through his practices, you can see how his wartime experiences marked him for life.  His training methods were brutal up to the point that he insisted his players to play regardless of their injuries.  As the reading stated, "He expected them to sacrifice everything for the chance to win, first for the company, then for Japan, just as he had sacrificed himself in the wartime."

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