"Yamato Damashi is not a concept neither is any ideological slogan of supremacists. It used to be a part of our being and has been passed on to us since the mythical age which goes beyond the known history of this land ( 2600 + years ). It is the spirit shared by not only Japanese but also all of those who serve the divine purpose in our lives. Yamato Damashi is not the proprietary gift for Japanese however, we have responsibility to keep it alive for the rest of the world. Those of you, Japanese and foreigners alike, who have only partial knowledge and very little insight on the truth of the matter should not be openly using this word. By the way, majority of educated but have little or no culture tend to isolate certain events and incidents in a war and criticize them as a horrible crime. But, a war itself is the crime against humanity. Those shallow minded intellects around the world have totally missed the point. The growth and advancement of a nation is NOT about gaining power (economical & political power ) in the world, it is about carrying the burden of love for humanity and accept her responsibilities to serve others. The true Yamato Damashi can be found only in such nation and among people who live such life. We ought to examine ourselves." -- Posted in behalf of James [Bilingual Workforce in Japan @ LinkedIn]