 Why did it happen? Whose fault was it? What happened? These are just some of the questions that people in Japan as well as in the US is asking themselves now. We decided to include this part in our site because we felt that since they live in Japan and we live in Hawaii they might have a different opinion than us. The Ehime Maru incident was like a test for us because we were learning about seeing things from different perspectives and the Japan kids would be a good example for us because they weren't living in the time during the war and they only knew about it through text books and interviews. This incident is different because it happened now and it's easy for us to understand. This is the letter that I wrote to Japan asking them for their opinion of the Ehime Maru: Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 16:07:40 -1000 (HST) From: Cherie Yamashiroya To: birdy@h2.dion.ne.jp Subject: Ehime Maru Dear LABO and Kamo students, This is Cherie Yamashiroya and as Mrs. Sueoka said, we're working together on the LABO and Kamo collaboration part of our site. We decided to include some information about the Ehime Maru tragedy. Thank you for letting us ask you questions about your feelings and opinions. We really appreciate your help and sharing.
I think that the no matter how much the US appologizes to Japan it won't make up for the missing people and how many families have to suffer.
Here's a paragraph from that article. Could you please respond and tell us your opinion and feelings about this paragraph? Is the quote an accurate description of Japanese culture?
"Another gap between the two countries' attitudes appeared when the U.S. Coast Guard proposed ending the search for the missing, while Japan strongly demanded that the search be continued. In the American press, the expression "search for the bodies" has been used since immediately after the collision, but the word "bodies," which connotes death, is taboo in the Japanese press, which has used expressions like "search for survivors" and "search for those still missing," giving due consideration to the feelings of their families."
4. This is also another paragraph in the "A Crash and Culture Clash" article. Could you please tell us your opinion about the "feeling of
distrust"? Do you feel that way?
"The collision off Oahu Island between the Japanese fisheries training ship Ehime Maru and the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Greeneville has drawn an unprecedentedly sensitive reaction from Japanese people. There are a number of reasons for this sensitivity on the part of the Japanese, and it is feared that the Japanese may have a stronger feeling of distrust in the United States if this problem is not handled properly."
5. Since we have been working together for a while now to discuss ways to preserve peace can we have your opinion on how you think the situation could have been handled better?
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