Abe's apology on 70th anniversary

[Erkki]

Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe has today stated that Japan inflicted "immeasurable damage and suffering" during the war.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ ... 4-06-16-38

Speaking of which, has Japan, officially, ever directly apologized for its actions and confessed its crimes in the 1930s and 1940s?

[Terminus]

PAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh, you weren't joking?

[mind_messing]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... d_by_Japan

[Erkki]

Thanks...

Yeah, lots of "we caused great trouble and are indeed most sorry about past indicents", but very few of the individual crimes or starting the war itself seem to have been officially admitted.

At least Mitsubishi recently apologized for using PoWs as slave labor.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

Thanks...

Yeah, lots of "we caused great trouble and are indeed most sorry about past indicents", but very few of the individual crimes or starting the war itself seem to have been officially admitted.

At least Mitsubishi recently apologized for using PoWs as slave labor.

This discussion invariably appears every six months or so Without fail.

[cdnice]

I am not sure what an apology from the current government (who were probably all born after the war and certainly had no part in) is really worth to me. The sins of the father/grandfather here comes to mind. Those who were still alive and were responsible were tried and executed for the most part(the others died fighting or committed suicide). I think it is appropriate on the anniversaries that a statement be made as a reminder so it will hopefully never happen again.

In Canada we have been through this with the aboriginal population (of which I have direct ancestry), Chinese workers brought in to build the Trans Canada Railway etc. I guess I wonder at what point is it acceptable for the descendant's to stop apologizing and just recognize what happened? I had nine relatives serve in the European theatre and by God's grace they all survived so I do believe my family has some interest in this topic.

Interesting question posed, thanks for posting it.

Anyway, my two cents worth.......pounce! [;)]

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: cdnice


Anyway, my two cents worth.......pounce! [;)]

From the United States of Southern Canada, I'm pouncing:

[cdnice]

LOL, nice!

[spence]

During the 30's and 40's Japan sowed the wind. In 1945 Japan reaped the whirlwind. Just maybe, the world is not satisfied with "somehow we got into a war and then the Americans nuked us".

[jamesjohns]

Don't know how I feel or should feel, I was born long after, my grandfathers generation fought the war, their feelings are the ones that should count.

But Japan did reap the whirl-wind it sowed and Japan paid a horrible price for the decision to start a war. (And of course the horrible price much of the rest of the world was forced to pay to end the war)

[Chickenboy]

"I'm sorry you got upset when I called you 'fat'". [8|]

[DD696]

I'm not accepting your apology, Abe. My father died 42 years ago, and I don't think he would have accepted it. Some actions simply cannot be apologized for. Perhaps my generation will be the last that feel nothing except about very bad thoughts for the Japanese of that time.

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

"I'm sorry you got upset when I called you 'fat'". [8|]

No problem. I do have a bit of a belly but you wouldn't call the rest of me fat. Wait a second, you were talking to me weren't you?

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: cdnice
I am not sure what an apology from the current government (who were probably all born after the war and certainly had no part in) is really worth to me. The sins of the father/grandfather here comes to mind.

Victimhood has become a common wedge issue tactic used in politics these days and any and all issues where one group of people can be portrayed as evil and unrepentant about past miss-deeds of their ancestors done to another group of people will invariably lead to a discussion about reparations.

It’s all about creating divisions and strife between people to try and get political backing for whatever punditry group is demanding the reparations. In the end I seriously doubt anyone today screaming for apologies actually cares about the ‘evil’ deeds done in the past, it’s all about gaining political power in today’s world. Hell I bet if you gave them a competent history exam about the conflict they say they are upset about they’d probably fail more than half the questions.

I remember talking to a guy many years back who was one of these ‘outraged’ people who felt Japan needed to pay. He swore 6 Japanese scientists developed the atomic bomb at a secret base somewhere in China and these bad guys were experimenting on Chinese prisoners with radiation.

I tried for many weeks in vain to educate him, but he had an issue by dam and he wasn’t about to let go of it, facts be damned. He wasn’t a nut job or anything, he was a long time friend of my brother. But he was simply off the rails on his evil Japanese scientist’s theory and could not be dissuaded. I think he told me he had read about it on wiki…

I’m not saying all these people screaming for reparations and apologies are that far off base, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to mislead people who know nothing about the war. If an otherwise rational human can be brought to believe the story above you’ve got to wonder what some of the stories posted on the Chinese internet are like.

Jim

[Feltan]

I really don't want them to apologize anymore. First, they already have done so (as far as they are willing) many times. Second, continuing to ritually apologize just feeds the smarmy PC crowd expecting it -- you know, the ones sitting on the edge of their chair just waiting for any reason to be offended. The Japanese PM can offer an apology, and some news report is bound to say, "Hey, you didn't have a left-handed red-headed midget on stage when you apologized, so you really didn't mean it and callously offended left-handed red-headed midgets all over the world."

70 years hence, and in the current PC climate, no apology is going to be good enough for those hell-bent on not wanting to accept one.

Plus, well, Japan really got its ass kicked. That has to count for something as well.

I don't expect Japan to apologize any more than the Vikings, Mongols, Visigoths or the Carthaginians to do so. It is time to move on and let historians sort out the final chapter.

Regards,
Feltan

[wdolson]

This is one of those difficult subjects to make a call on. It covers both historical politics as well as modern. Because it does touch on modern politics, I think I'm going to have to lock this even though there is no animosity. Matrix doesn't want modern political discussions.

Sorry