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Korea, Japan heading for more confrontation
By Tong Kim
WASHINGTON — When Japanese Prime Minister Shinjo Abe addresses a joint session of Congress on April 29, he is not expected to express genuine remorse or offer a sincere apology for Japan's atrocities before and during World War II. He is likely to focus on joint cooperation with the U.S. on bilateral and global issues including security, trade, terrorism, and the environment.
Nor is Abe expected to make a constructive statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in August, which would clarify his views on Japanese behavior during the conflict. He is likely to make little contribution to the restoration of good relations between Japan, South Korea and China.
At the Bandung Conference in Indonesia, Wednesday, Abe simply said, "Japan has deep feelings of remorse over the past war," without mentioning its "colonial rule" or give any mention of an apology. His omission of these critical words is not surprising given his previous statements on the issue. On April 20, Abe told a Japanese TV program that there should not be any need to reiterate apologies from the past.
In 2005, on the 50th anniversary of the same conference of African and Asian countries, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi acknowledged Japan's "colonial rule and aggression" of Asian countries and expressed "deep feelings of remorse" and "a heart-felt apology."
In 1995, on the 50thanniversary of the end of the war, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama said in a statement, "Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations."
Prime Minister Abe's rationale against any reiteration of an apology is covered by his pronounced position to uphold the statements made by previous Japanese leaders. He sees no need to repeat them. The Yomiuri Shimbun has reported that Abe told his inner circle, "We would end up having to continue apologizing 80 to 100 years after the war."
The problem with Abe's position does not rest with his logic but with his sincerity. Even the very positive statements made by Japanese officials are often contradicted by other Japanese politicians' comments rejecting them. Abe's words make it hard to believe he really stands by the statements of his predecessors.
In 2007, during his first premiership, Abe denied the Japanese military's coercion of foreign women into sexual slavery during World War II, contradicting the government's official position up until then.Later, he also questioned the common definition of aggression, saying that there was no universal agreement on the definition.
Earlier this month, the Japanese Prime Minister made an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including 14 wartime leaders who were convicted as war criminals. In December 2014, he personally visited the shrine to pay tributes to the war dead. To the victimized countries, like Korea and China, the shrine is a symbol of aggression, even though many of them were also victims of the wartime leaders.
After Abe's visit to the shrine, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and the State Department said they were disappointed by it. When Ambassador Kennedy was appointed, Secretary of State John Kerry said he expected her to help bring Japan and Korea together for trilateral cooperation with the U.S. for a rebalance in Asia and deterrence against North Korean threats.
On April 16, in a joint press conference of deputy foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan and Korea, U.S. deputy secretary of state Antony Blinken said Washington was "not mediating between Japan and Korea" but "encouraging them to have the best possible relationship, because it matters to us."
Prior to Abe's six-minute speech in Jakarta, the State Department's spokesperson said on April 22 that the U.S. "continues to emphasize the importance of approaching historical issues in a manner that promotes healing and reconciliation for all parties."Abe again came short of offering reconciliation. Some Koreans believe Washington should press Japan to face up to its history.
In Seoul, the Korean foreign minister expressed his government's dissatisfaction with Abe's latest statement which failed to set the tone for moving forward. The Japanese Prime Minister met briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sideline of the Bandung Conference in which both leaders hoped for an improved bilateral relationship.
The deterioration of the relationship between the Korean and Japanese governments has also contributed to the evolution of unfriendly attitudes between the people of the two countries. In Japan the younger generation has not been taught correctly about what their country did to other nations. Koreans, young and old, believe they are the party that was harmed and believe Japan has yet to offer a genuine admission of its historical mistakes and sincerely apologize.
Will Japan ever learn from the Germans who courageously accepted the blame for the damage and suffering that their nation inflicted on others during the war and moved on to become a welcome friend and partner to its former adversaries?
