Are there any Australian war memorials I shouldn't take Japanese visitors to? [closed]

I'm planning on sightseeing Melbourne with someone who is Japanese.

I was browsing Trip Advisor's top attractions for Melbourne, and site number five was the Shrine of Remembrance.

I'm not after advice about whether it's a good idea in general to take Japanese people to western war memorials. I probably wouldn't push the idea too much, but the person I'm sightseeing with might be progressive-minded enough to suggest it himself.

But are there any war memorials in particular I shouldn't take Japanese people to, either because the exhibits are offensive or the staff have negative attitudes towards Japanese people?

When talking about exhibits being offensive, I mean that the exhibits condones past racist attitudes towards Japanese people, or that they deliberately try to instil racist attitudes towards Japanese people, or that the exhibits refer to Japanese people in a derogatory way. I'm not opposed to exhibits discussing racial prejudice, or having primary sources within the museum that have racial prejudice within them, just so long as it's not being condoned by the museum.

I don't think it'll be a problem with the Shrine of Remembrance, because it's received two Japanese language reviews, both of which were positive. But I'd like to know in general.

Best Answer

War memorials are mostly about remembering the fallen soldiers that gave their life for defense of the values of the time, not standing a standing tribute to how right of wrong those values were. I the United States we have Iraq and Afghanistan monuments to remember the soldiers that lost their lives defending our values, not as an defensible monument to political opinion of the time.

I think racial guilt makes people overly sensitive about these situations. Unless your friend fought in one of those wars, I highly doubt they'll be offended.

Most, if not all of my African American friends aren't overly sensitive about racial segregation that occurred in the 50s and realize that yesterday's values are not today.

Does anyone really hold their German friends responsible for WW2 racial opinions? Is Dr. Seuss forbidden from schools because he was a cartoonist that portrayed racial stereotypes for war posters? I say if you bring your friend with good intentions, no harm will be done.

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What did the Japanese do to Australian soldiers?

Of the 22,376 Australian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, some 8,031 died while in captivity. After the end of the war, War Crimes Trials were held to investigate reports of atrocities, massacres and other causes of death.

What stopped Japanese from invading Australia?

The US naval victory at the battle of Midway, in early June 1942, removed the Japan's capability to invade Australia by destroying its main aircraft carriers. This made it safe for Australia to begin to transfer military power to fight the Japanese in Australian Papua and New Guinea.

Is it likely that Japan would have invaded Australia with its army?

Japan's success in the early months of the Pacific War led elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy to propose invading Australia. In December 1941 the Navy proposed including an invasion of Northern Australia as one of Japan's "stage two" war objectives after South-East Asia was conquered.

Did Japanese troops ever land on Australia?

The only Japanese force to land in Australia during World War II was a reconnaissance party that landed in the Kimberley region of Western Australia on 19 January 1944 to investigate reports that the Allies were building large bases in the region.

When the Battle's O'er Australian War Memorial

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