Abe stance on war apology carries risk

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, when Japanese Emperor Hirohito surrendered to the allied forces. A two paragraph story told of the sinking of the US naval cruiser Indianapolis by the Japanese, shortly before their surrender.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, stayed away from a contentious Yasukuni shrine that honors war criminals among other war dead.

The ministry said it hopes Japanese politicians will learn from history, reflect on Japan’s past actions and take into consideration the hurt feelings of the people in countries that suffered from Japanese aggression during the war.

First, this compliment doesn’t jibe with President Barack Obama’s stance in support of former “comfort women” or sex slaves forced to serve imperial Japanese soldiers, voiced during his visit to Korea in April previous year.

The president made the remarks in a speech at the opening of an exhibition in Taipei featuring the ROC’s 1945 victory in the War of Resistance against Japan and the retrocession of Taiwan in the same year, which ended Japan’s 50-year colonization of the island. It was in line with the Murayama Statement of 1995 that admitted the wrongfulness of Japan’s colonial aggression.

But that doesn’t mean that Abe’s reflections on the legacy of World War II can’t spur constructive debate on how changes in East Asia require all actors in the region – Japan, the United States, China and South Korea – to find a way of addressing challenges together. The service honoured the estimated 71,000 British and Commonwealth casualties of the war against Japan, including more than 12,000 prisoners of war who died in Japanese captivity.

Akihito had expressed remorse before, but not at the annual service. While many in Japan seemed satisfied that Abe appropriately addressed the past, governments elsewhere in Asia expressed disappointment at the lack of a clear apology.

But his scant reference to the 35-year occupation of Korea and the practice of forcing women into military brothels may be a tension point. “This record stands as a model for nations everywhere”, he said.

Besides, China can always be a tempting option for Korea. He also succeeded in winning over the conservatives and centrists by mentioning his pride in post-war Japan and refusing to hand over the history of defeat to future generations.

Japan didn’t establish diplomatic relations with China until 1972 and even then people to people contacts remained limited and the two governments avoided much discussion of the past in the interests of improving economic ties.

All this doesn’t mean the Prime Minister should not have apologised again in his 70th anniversary statement. Abe appointed unapologetic revisionists to high-profile posts; he venerates the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese convicted of war crimes are enshrined.