Fyi, the History Channel is now airing documenteries on the Nanking Massacre, Fall of Hong Kong, Fall of Penang, Fall of Spore, Defense of Manila,.. It shows the brutality of the japanese Doubt it has anything to do with the frustrations in China.
When Japanese soldiers were asked why they carried out the massacres, they simply replied that they were doing it on the orders of the Emperor. I think the americans made a mistake by letting Hirohito off the hook. It allowed the Japanese to rewrite their history books & avoid responsibility. The wounds are still there & with the emergence of China I expect more trouble between China & Japan.
Emperor orders or the Japanese warlord generals orders ? it was commonly known that the Japanese armies would sometimes defy or ignore orders in the battlefields from the Japanese China HQ command during the war against China. the Japanese China HQ at its discretion would defy or ignore orders and instructions from Army Command and Cabinet in Tokyo.