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Japan Apologetic: Prisoner of the past?

By Tom Plate
Pacific Perspectives Columnist

Tokyo --- It is really sad. At a time when Asia would immensely profit from as much togetherness and mission-sharing as possible, nationalism and finger-pointing seem more in force than ever.

It is irrefutable that Japan did extremely terrible things to its neighbors during World War II and should always be contrite about this fact. Even so, if love is never having to say you're sorry (as the popular American novel, Love Story pointed out), will Japan never get the love and respect that her mainly admirable post-war record of domestic pacifism and regional contributions deserve? Or is Japan always going to have to say it's sorry…forever?

The Japanese perspective is that the apology game has gone on too long. Okay – then would this proposed apology suffice?

"During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology. Allow me also to express my feelings of profound mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, of that history."

Not theoretically, good enough? In fact, this was the stated public apology for Japan's war crimes delivered by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. And this was in 1995.

Then, in 1998, former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed similar "remorse and heartfelt apology."

That apology was publicly accepted by then-South Korean President Kim Dae Jong. But in recent weeks the current Republic of Korea president has raised anew, among other issues with Japan, the war-crimes controversy. Is a "diplomatic war" brewing in Asia?

I ran this dilemma by current Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, who is well aware that things are heating up. I found his answer, offered in an exclusive interview at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both forthright and helpful.

"This is not a problem that will be resolved that easily," said the diplomat, who studied at prestigious Wesleyan University in the United States. "I say this because, even though 60 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, Koreans and Chinese remember vividly how they were colonized by us and how we were the aggressors. Then, the experience of the Second World War was passed on to each generation -- perhaps sometimes in an exaggerated manner through their educational system. Now, there are even some people who suggest there is a history 'card' that others play, a diplomatic tool … not that I feel this way. On our side, in fact, there is a need for the Japanese people to remain careful and considerate, remembering the scars that are in their hearts, and not hurt them any more."

That seemed forthright enough for me, but what do I know? Rapacious Japanese policy in Asia during the war was truly blood-curdling. Cynical Japanese would argue the issue of their war-time atrocities would not be so salient today if they had won the war.

The fact, of course, is they didn't. So the apology issue will remain salient for some time to come. But perhaps it won't cripple this region's need for greater regionalism, political as well as economic.

"In spite of all these problems," said Machimura, "we are seeing intensifying pressure for cooperation. People are starting to understand one another better. Over time, all this will be resolved."

That, in fact, is the challenge of Japan today. How best to overcome the past so as to realize a better future? Japan sports one of history's most amazing economies, but until recently its diplomatic bottom-line has been far too conservative and risk-adverse. Under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his foreign ministry ace Machimura, that appears to be changing. If the effort is truly successful, Japan then will need to make no more apologies to anyone.

And then maybe Japan will truly be loved, and will never again have to say it's sorry.

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University of California at Los Angeles professor Tom Plate, a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, is a veteran U.S. journalist who has held senior positions at TIME, CBS, The Los Angeles Times and Newsday. He established the Asia Pacific Media Network in 1998 and was its director until 2003. He is now founder and director of UCLA's Media Center.

For publication and reprint rights, contact the Media Institute at platecolumn@hotmail.com -- or Tom Plate directly at tplate@ucla.edu.

The views expressed above are those of the author and are not necessarily those of AsiaMedia or the UCLA Asia Institute.

Date Posted: 3/24/2005