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Originally Posted by jatx
Resolution to Renew the Determination for Peace on the Basis of Lessons Learned from History
June 9, 1995
(Unofficial translation by the Secretariat of the Japan House of Representatives)
The House of Representatives resolves as follows:
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, this House offers its sincere condolences to those who fell in action of wars and similar actions all over the world.
Solemnly reflecting upon many instances of colonial rule and acts of aggression in the modern history of the world, and recognizing that Japan carried out those acts in the past, inflicting pain and suffering upon the peoples of other countries, especially in Asia, the Members of this House express a sense of deep remorse.
We must transcend differences over historical views of the past war and learn humbly the lessons of history so as to build a peaceful international society.
This House expresses its resolve, under the banner of eternal peace enshrined in the Constitution of Japan, to join hands with other nations of the world and to pave the way to a future that allows all human beings to live together.
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jatx,
A few thoughts, if you don't mind.
I was living in Japan when this came out. I don't know if I can explain how strange it was to drive out the front gate on December 7 and have to make my way through the Japanese protesting our presence there. The protestors appeared on two days that I recall: the day they attacked Pearl Harbor and the day we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. I remember asking my Japanese students why the protesters appeared on December 7. My students told me they had been taught that the attack on Pearl Harbor was provoked by us -- that if we had stayed out of it there wouldn't have been a world war. The mother of one of my students was living in England on December 7, and her main regret about the attack was that she had to come home. Now I only lived in one area of Japan, so I don't have experience in other parts of the country. On the other hand, I was in the Yokohama area...not out in the boonies. You are right to say we shouldn't generalize or attribute one opinion to all, but the Japanese I met who were truly ashamed of what they had done were few and far between. They told me over and over that they love Americans because we didn't do what they would have done: we didn't take their country after they surrendered -- and I mean "take" in every sense of the word. They don't really understand us, or why we do what we do, but they are intrigued because we are so different from them.
Like I said, I was in Japan when the apology came out. The wording was considered too extreme for the Japanese public, and not extreme enough for the victims of their aggression. A little more background on the apology:
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In 1991, it was rumored that Japan was going to make an official apology to the United States for the attack. The apology did not come in the form many expected, however. The Japanese Foreign Ministry released a statement that said Japan had intended to make a formal declaration of war to the US at 1 PM, twenty-five minutes before the attacks at Pearl Harbor were scheduled to begin. (It appears that the Japanese government was referring to the "14-part message", which did not even formally break off negotiations, let alone declare war.) However, due to various delays, the Japanese ambassador was unable to make the declaration until well after the attacks had begun. For this, the Japanese government apologized. The Japanese records admitted into evidence during the Congressional Hearing show that the Japanese had not even written a declaration of war until after they heard of the successful attack on Pearl Harbor; it would be difficult for them to deliver a document that had not yet been written. The two-line declaration of war was delivered to Ambassador Grew about ten hours after the attack was over. He was allowed to transmit it to the United States where it was received late Monday afternoon. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II/Pearl_Harbor
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And this from 1999:
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The HR Concurrent Resolution 126 of the 105th Congress, introduced by Representative Lipinski of Illinois, was intended to express the Congressional concern for the formal issuance of an apology by the Japanese government. The apology would address issues, among others, of comfort women, who were forced into prostitution and performed their duties in military brothels, to the Nanjing Massacre, the Bataan Death March, Unit 731, and other more minor incidents. Although the bill was successful in gaining 76 co-sponsors in the House, it never progressed past the International Relations Committee. Current efforts to introduce similar bills into the 106th Senate as well as the House are well under way. Drafts are currently circulating within the lobbying efforts in Washington.
When Chinese President Jiang Zemin made a historical visit to Japan earlier last year, he expressed that his two goals were to extract a formal apology for the wartime atrocities that were wreaked by the Japanese and also to secure the Japanese positioning on Taiwanese independence. He failed on both accounts, although the Japanese government did issue a document proclaiming its deep remorse for violent action taken in China during World War II. What is being sought after by the Chinese government as well as overseas Chinese, however, is more than a simple documentation of remorse. A formal apology as well as reparations are expected. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ccba/cear...-only/hsia.htm
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