Riding home on the train a number of advertisements for the new issue of the popular monthly magazine Bungei Shunjû (文藝春秋) caught my eye. They were all announcing this month’s special feature in large letters, “25 ‘Why?’s of Showa History for a Father to Teach his Son.” (父が子に教える昭和史２５の「なぜ？」)
I was curious to see what the sons of Japan were going to learn from fathers who had just put down October’s issue. I wasn’t suprised to find that there was much reason for concern about the conservative magazine’s responses to these questions “Why?” Let us look at just four of these questions, (none of which actually ask a question “Why?” in any language – but we shan’t quibble) which are most often dismissed outside of Japan with a resounding, “Duh!” …
(more…)