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In China the Communist Party, by contrast, seeks to exploit the struggle against Japan to bolster its own legitimacy, with nationalism playing the part that class struggle once did. South Korean nationalism, too, is founded in opposition to Japan, not least because Japan oppressed Korea for longer than most other colonies. Ms Park, whose father, awkwardly, was a Japanese army officer long before he was a dictatorial South Korean president, is especially exercised by the wrongs of history. Yet South Korea’s poor relations with Japan, irksome as they are to the American ally both nations share, incur no imminent cost. So, for South Korea, as for China, almost any apology would be unacceptable. But that is no reason why they should not be offered a better one.
Absolutely untrue, and unfortunately, many people conveniently spout off that Japan has 'hardly' or 'never' apologized for its past actions.
Anyone that has done even a minute of basic research would know this to be untrue.
The thing is, even if you point out the fact that it is totally untrue that the Japanese government has 'hardly' apologized for its past to these people, they'll conveniently come back with the argument that "it's not enough."
For this treaty, which formally normalized relations between South Korea and Japan in 1965, the government of Japan offered to individually compensate victims of its colonial aggression. The South Korean government refused this offer and instead asked for the compensation package so that they could do it themselves (the majority of these funds were instead used to fund economic development and infrastructures, instead of going to the victims):
Now, before the haters out there jump all over me for minimizing or downplaying Japan's actions in Asia and during WW2, I am doing nothing of the sort. Japan's wartime atrocities were uniquely horrible, as bad as what Germany did (and in some cases worse). There is no excusing or minimizing this.
However, that does not excuse people from engaging in the same tactics they accuse all Japanese of, whitewashing its past, and outright lying about what Japan did or didn't do in regards to apologies and compensation.
To the 2 Japanophiles on here, the PM repeatedly visiting a shrine of national importance that secretly enshrined and honored class A war criminals is the reason why there is so much controversy surrounding the issue. Actions speak louder than words. Stop honoring class A war criminals and then there won't be so many complaints against the Japanese government. Even the emperor doesn't visit the shrine at all, why should the PM?
To the 2 Japanophiles on here, the PM repeatedly visiting a shrine of national importance that secretly enshrined and honored class A war criminals is the reason why there is so much controversy surrounding the issue. Actions speak louder than words. Stop honoring class A war criminals and then there won't be so many complaints against the Japanese government. Even the emperor doesn't visit the shrine at all, why should the PM?
So only the countries that win wars can honor their veterans?
We honor the allied bombers who firebombed Dresden. Lets not pretend the allied forces hands are clean of any wrongdoing.
For the most part, they are. The bombing of civilians certainly wasn't a war crime in WWII. The Allies viewed the bombing of cities as absolutely crucial to stopping the genocidal Nazis, but they still would send warning leaflets of scheduled bombing raids if they determined that there wouldn't be significant air resistance.
I don't think the Japanese people need to apologize for anything, as I believe most Japanese people understand the crimes their country committed. But can you blame China or Korea for some of their rhetoric when they've received very little besides simple "We caused harm to x country and we regret this" apologies which Abe has practically erased by his constant revisionism and visits to the Yasukuni Shrine when he is acutely aware of how that is viewed by the rest of the world?
So only the countries that win wars can honor their veterans?
This.
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