QUOTE
To visit or not to visit: That is the perennial question
Emilio Rivera III.
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Our take
To China and South Korea: Accept reality. There has to be better use of time and energy than dredging up events that happened over 50 years ago. This constant harping on Japan's past aggression is not only tiresome, but counterproductive. Shrill demands that the Japanese mend their views will simply pique their national pride and harden their position. The results of a recent survey - in which 40% of Japanese supported Koizumi's proposed visit, as opposed to 34% who were against the idea - suggest that all these years of loud protestations haven't done much to sway Japanese public opinion. All this is not to deny or play down Japan's horrific wartime record, but China and South Korea should be big enough to get over it and move on. To Japan: Come to grips with your past. The reason the issue comes up again and again is that Tokyo, despite numerous apologetic gestures, has yet to convince anyone of its sincerity. As long as the country continues to cloak its wartime role in euphemisms, as long as its government ministers continue to mouth off every now and then on the "benefits" of Japanese aggression, the neighbors will remain convinced that Japan, deep at heart, is unreformed and unrepentant. Atoning for past actions will not dishonor the memory of those who fought for the country; rather, it will rid Japan of its historical baggage once and for all and allow bilateral relations to start on a fresh slate. Then Koizumi can choose to pay his respects to the war dead as often as he likes - and he won't hear a peep from the neighbors.
Emilio Rivera III.
...
...
...
...
Our take
To China and South Korea: Accept reality. There has to be better use of time and energy than dredging up events that happened over 50 years ago. This constant harping on Japan's past aggression is not only tiresome, but counterproductive. Shrill demands that the Japanese mend their views will simply pique their national pride and harden their position. The results of a recent survey - in which 40% of Japanese supported Koizumi's proposed visit, as opposed to 34% who were against the idea - suggest that all these years of loud protestations haven't done much to sway Japanese public opinion. All this is not to deny or play down Japan's horrific wartime record, but China and South Korea should be big enough to get over it and move on. To Japan: Come to grips with your past. The reason the issue comes up again and again is that Tokyo, despite numerous apologetic gestures, has yet to convince anyone of its sincerity. As long as the country continues to cloak its wartime role in euphemisms, as long as its government ministers continue to mouth off every now and then on the "benefits" of Japanese aggression, the neighbors will remain convinced that Japan, deep at heart, is unreformed and unrepentant. Atoning for past actions will not dishonor the memory of those who fought for the country; rather, it will rid Japan of its historical baggage once and for all and allow bilateral relations to start on a fresh slate. Then Koizumi can choose to pay his respects to the war dead as often as he likes - and he won't hear a peep from the neighbors.