East Asia News & Politics Thread: China, South Korea, Japan...

That's a rather contemning of the PRC towards their people. Given how Japan can be sometimes do they really need a reminder?

Well hey, it does take China to remind Japan of their past actions. I totally get that.

The problem I have is that the government of China seems to be using these as a way to spread hatred of Japan throughout its people, possibly giving them more incentive to raise conflict with them rather than come to a compromise.

Obviously, Japan really needs to admit its past deeds, but the way China is doing it isn't helping.

edited 22nd Jul '14 2:04:36 AM by LDragon2

I suspect that part of it is due to the Japanese culture of shame — in other words, what they did in World War II was so shameful they'd rather not talk about it?

If I had to guess, the culture that they had prior to their expansion made them shameful of not talking a lot about WWII.

I guess it's that time when Japan was not occupied by a foreign power like Thailand during the 19th/20th century. From what I learned, that era is partly what makes them proud.

Most uyoku dantai are proud of this IIRC.

edited 22nd Jul '14 4:34:02 AM by Ominae

The whole situation is self-reinforcing and, perversely enough, the governments of both countries have incentives to maintain the status quo. The Chinese government, of course, have a convenient enemy to bash and divert their population's attention whenever the need arises. Meanwhile, the Japanese government, having spent a generation teaching their population all about the horrors of the atomic bombings and far less on the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan, have a population wondering why their neighbors have so much hatred for them and growing more nationalistic (and supportive of the government) in the face of such aggression.

Not helped by China using this as a way to claim that Japan seeks war again.

I will look for silver lining.

Hopefully, China will be too distracted by Japan to put stuff in the disputed territories.

Hope you're not betting any serious money on that.

Hoping is not the same as betting.

China's Corporate Bond Market: Dying Young?

China Conducts Third Anti-Missile Test.

Chinese City Locked Down After Brief Appearance of Black Death Plague.

Thank God. Looks like only 3 typhoons in July. I had been fearing that that low pressure area would turn into a 4th July typhoon.

The end of the Singapore Consensus: After 50 years of growth and prosperity, the city-state's citizens find themselves wanting more, and maybe GDP and economic growth alone aren't the only thing the cities need. As well, its meritocractic government has come off as increasingly out of touch.

I thought the black death plague was made extinct.

No, the bubonic plague is still around.

You can still catch it in the UK, if you are clumsy/stupid enough to dig into old plague pits. It's a resilient little bastard.

Over half of China military airfields threatened by high-rises. High rises. Now I'm curious as to how CAS is supposed to be done in a modern metropolis, but that goes under the Military Thread.

x4 You're probably thinking smallpox

Isn't Smallpox making a comeback?

Measles is, not smallpox.

Thank fuck no. Smallpox was eradicated except for samples stored in secured labs. Which was a big deal when they found some samples in an unsecured lab a few weeks ago.

No: black death (and other fevers, some of which don't have names). There's a reason you have to wear protection when digging up parts of London, York and other cities with known issues and unsuspected mass graves that can pop up when you least expect them. Heck, handling suspected victims of plague requires safety measures at all times.

Plague is good at hanging around in cold, damp, dark places because it's not a virus: bacterial spores are a thing. And, they really like the insides of bones, too. Britain is good at cold, damp, deoxygenated soil. Plague spores from C14th graves have been known to come to life in petri dishes.

So, the next time you come across a mummy in a glacier, bog, well-sealed tomb or the tundra... grab your gloves and mask. You really don't want to catch what they might have been dying of or carrying before they got frozen/ drowned/ killed. For all it might get named after you.

There are a lot of plagues from the past which might well have been bacterial in origin, even if they weren't The Black Death. Worse, some viruses aren't bad at forting up for the long haul, either... it's just that bacteria are better. <_<

edited 25th Jul '14 5:52:22 PM by Euodiachloris

Totally worth it.

The good news is, if it's a resuscitated bacterial infection, it'll most likely get clobbered by any given modern antibacterial or cocktail of same.... as long as you treat it before it gets critical. The bad news is... it might not be bacterial or even viral (which would not be very good news, either). God help you if you got a fungal infection, instead (some can be surprisingly nasty).

Oh, and beware of other hazards. Like... toxins. People really did love their lead. And, mercury. And, cyanide.

edited 25th Jul '14 7:20:35 PM by Euodiachloris

The Consequences of Shaming Politics in East Asia.

China, South Korea Establish Military Hotline.

China’s War on the Internet.

Japan’s Human Rights Record Comes Under Scrutiny.

Any word on what Ryoko Tani has been doing ever since the People's Life First Party got dismantled back in 2012?