Kent Gilbert

Kent Gilbert
Born (1952-05-25) May 25, 1952 (age 72)
Idaho, United States
OccupationActor

Kent Sidney Gilbert (born May 25, 1952, in Idaho, United States) is an American commentator working in Japan, lawyer of California. He first came to Japan in 1971 as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After returning to the United States, he received a Juris Doctor as well as an M.B.A. from Brigham Young University.

While working in Japan as an attorney in 1983, he had a chance to perform as a stand-in for a foreign theatrical company, which led to other opportunities on Japanese television and in films. He is a foreign celebrity (gaijin tarento) and is often on news programs as a commentator with a "foreign" point of view.[1][2]

Gilbert lives in Tokyo and also maintains a residence in Orem, Utah.[citation needed] He made an appearance in Kazuki Ōmori's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

Gilbert has been described as a "far-right online influencer".[3] Gilbert maintains the Japanese government never forced women to work as prostitutes or comfort women during World War II.[4][5] He was prominently featured in a documentary film that denies the forcing of comfort women to work.[6] He reportedly claimed in an interview that Koreans should be grateful that they had been colonized by Japan.[3] In 2017, he published a book entitled "The tragedy of Chinese and Koreans who are controlled by Confucianism", which reportedly became a best seller and led to "a new wave of hate books".[7] He has associated himself with Toshio Motoya, a far-right figure who denies the Nanjing Massacre and the forcing of comfort women to work.[8]

In April 2018, Gilbert was appointed visiting professor at Okayama University of Science.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Orem Native Kent Gilbert Is Top Celebrity In Japan". Orem-Geneva Times. April 4, 1984.
  2. ^ "Ferraris, Sing-Alongs, Sexy Ads Help Tokyo Language Schools Sell ABCs". Los Angeles Times. April 21, 1992 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b L, Aaron (2021-12-15). "Katō Kōko's Meiji Industrial Revolution –Forgetting forced labor to celebrate Japan's World Heritage Sites – Part 2". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  4. ^ Who Are the Revisionist? Check the Facts Kent Gilbert Official
  5. ^ Japanese Still Brainwashed by the War Guilt Information Program Kent Gilbert Official
  6. ^ Lee, Joanne Rhim (2020-05-19). "Battle for the truth". Korean Quarterly. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  7. ^ "New book attacks profusion of 'hate books' on store shelves". Japan Today. 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  8. ^ Schieder, Chelsea Szendi (2021-05-26). "The History the Japanese Government Is Trying to Erase". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  9. ^ ケント・ギルバート on Twitter(in Japanese)
  10. ^ @kentgilbert01 (16 April 2018). "正しくは岡山理科大学客員教授ですね。プロフィールにも入れておきました。決着する日を楽しみをにしていますよ。" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 June 2018 – via Twitter.(in Japanese)