Last Burma Star Parade

[bobbysands81]

Umm you do recall the Japanese atrocities throughout the war? The siding with the Nazis and Pearl Harbour dont you?

...but you ignore the British atrocities perpetrated on your own island? Odd that...

[Eye of Angkor]

I'm a bit ambivalent about the war with Japan. Whilst the war against facism was wholly justified after Hitler's unprovoked attacks in Europe the war against Japan was the British Empire defending its empire against the Japanese who wanted a piece of the action. Definitely not some lofty ideal.

And what were the British to do? Hand over the colonies to the wise and benevolent leadership of the Japanese Empire?

Don't think there would have been too many independent states in South East Asia in the 1940s-1950s if Japan had been in charge.

[Chrisco]

The British empire was fighting for it's own interests not to protect
Asians from the Japanese.

A decaying empire came into conflict with an emerging empire. Humanitarian motives didn't come into it

No-one claimed they did.

But that in no way undermines the fact that the war against Japan was as just a cause as that against Germany.

[Red Stag]

Last VJ Day parade held in Belfast



Lest We Forget.

William Windsor (A Goat) in British Army | Quality Junkyard Truely the best the British army has to offer - must be related to BC.

A true king billy

[Éireann go Brách]

Sinshine - I suggest you do some research on how the Imperial Japanese Army behaved in asia during the 1940s.

Then possibly you might have the decency to feel ashamed of yourself.

Shall we now produce a list of all war crimes commited
by Britannia in Asia which will make a an absolute mockery of your
"VJ" parade, we will be here all year!!!!

Lets start with one the of the least known and most relevant to your
OP. British Miliary AID to Imperial Japan prior to world war 2 , oh the irony

This the battleship Kongō one of many ships Britannia built for the japs
This ship was built in england and sold to Japan in 1913
At the time Japan had colonised Korea and Tawian and was making its presence felt across China.
I supose Koreans don't matter do they. Lest we forgot



And whats this!!! Captain Sempill showing a Sparrowhawk to Admiral Togo Heihachiro, 1921, as part of the Sempill Mission, which was a British aeronaval technical mission sent to Japan in September 1921, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces

[Portstewart]

Shall we now produce a list of all war crimes commited
by Britannia in Asia which will make a an absolute mockery of your
"VJ" parade, we will be here all year!!!!

Lets start with one the of the least known and most relevant to your
OP. British Miliary AID to Imperial Japan prior to world war 2 , oh the irony

This the battleship Kongō one of many ships Britannia built for the japs
This ship was built in england and sold to Japan in 1913
At the time Japan had colonised Korea and Tawian and was making its presence felt across China.
I supose Koreans don't matter do they. Lest we forgot



And whats this!!! Captain Sempill showing a Sparrowhawk to Admiral Togo Heihachiro, 1921, as part of the Sempill Mission, which was a British aeronaval technical mission sent to Japan in September 1921, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces

God you people are pathetic.

So obsessed with the British, so much time and energy devoted to the hatred, it clearly consumes you and it can't be healthy.

[Éireann go Brách]

And what were the British to do? Hand over the colonies to the wise and benevolent leadership of the Japanese Empire?

Don't think there would have been too many independent states in South East Asia in the 1940s-1950s if Japan had been in charge.

There would not have been any independent states in Asia had the japs not smashed the European colonies.

It was an Imperial war.

[Guangzhoutom]

Whatever wrongs Britain committed in Asia, they still pale in comparison to the activities of the Japanese. I am not saying that the Opium War, the invasion of Tibet, the Amritsar massacre were not horrific - only that the Japanese surpassed even these actions in terms of brutality.

Plus, it is noteworthy that in mainland China both the KMT and the Communists saw fit to ally themselves with the US and the UK in order to fight the Japanese - obviously, they could see who the greater threat was.

[Guangzhoutom]

There would not have been any independent states in Asia had the japs not smashed the European colonies.

It was an Imperial war.

Siam? Most of mainland China?

[Dr Pat]

Whatever wrongs Britain committed in Asia, they still pale in comparison to the activities of the Japanese. I am not saying that the Opium War, the invasion of Tibet, the Amritsar massacre were not horrific - only that the Japanese surpassed even these actions in terms of brutality.

Plus, it is noteworthy that in mainland China both the KMT and the Communists saw fit to ally themselves with the US and the UK in order to fight the Japanese - obviously, they could see who the greater threat was.

Is this a subjective or an objective relativism? Don't ask us to choose between empires; they are all bad for the natives.

However, I agree that the Japanese atrocities in China and throughout Asia were absolutely horrific. Their barbarity in China with the Nanjing Massacre and so on, experimenting with plague on innocent victims and generally acting the maggot was completely contrary to norms of human civilised behaviour (not that I am any great fan of the British or indeed any other empire). Japanese carry on in Korea was equally despicable.