I apologize for my delayed response, gentlemen. I recognize that one of our hurdles here is that we have all made arguments that generalize from the specific, i.e. attributing the attitudes and beliefs of specific Japanese whom we have each known to the wider Japanese population. I had hoped to put us all on firmer ground by identifying relevant Japanese attitudinal research on the topic, but have sadly been unable to identify any good sources one way or another.
For background reading on Japan's well-established conduct during the war, I'd direct friends to the following link:
http://www.jca.apc.org/JWRC/exhibit/Index.HTM
However, I stand by my earlier interjection and would like to address your points in order.
TR:
To answer your question, my Japanese friends were all raised in Japan. In fact, it was those friends who first taught me something about the extent of Japan's aggression leading up to the war. That stands in marked contrast to the revisionist, PC self-flagellation exercise that many American history courses have become in recent years.
You essentially argue that (1) widespread ignorance and/or denial of Japan's culpability for and actions during WW2 exists in Japan today (2) that Japan's actions during the war were brutal and that (3) there has been little public acknowledgement of Japan's wrongs since the war.
I will not contest your second point. Like your friend, I too had family in the Pacific Theater during the war and have heard first-hand accounts of what took place there, in addition to having examined the historical record. We agree on this point and it was not a part of my argument.
Consider, though, the heated national debates within Japanese society generated by each of the textbook controversies of 1982, 1986 and 2001. In each case, a small group of right-wingers in the Ministry of Education managed to garner approval for a student textbook that contained a wildly revisionist version of the events surrounding the war. Each time, protest groups were formed by Japanese citizens who were offended by the lack of forthrightness in the material, and this concern was reflected in the general media, as well. For sure, there were those who supported the textbooks as they were written, but the point here is that there has been genuine debate about how to teach WW2's history to Japanese students for over twenty years now.
This does not suggest to me that the Japanese mainstream is genuinely ignorant of the basic facts surrounding Japan's involvement in WW2. Rather, it suggests that despite the passage of fifty years, many Japanese still struggle emotionally with their nation's past. Further evidence of this ongoing, painful process of reflection was provided more recently, following the release of Iris Chang's book, "The Rape of Nanking." The Japanese public was transfixed for weeks by the debate over the book's arguments and the evidence offered to support those arguments. I have a hard time believing that many Japanese have failed to take note of these debates.
You also question whether the Japanese have made meaningful public gestures demonstrating contrition. In the posts to follow, I offer statements by both prominent political leaders and academics which acknowledge in no uncertain terms Japan's history of aggression and brutality.
TR, it may very well be that some Japanese remain ignorant of the facts about WW2, and that you have been unlucky enough to meet those people. The actions of irresponsible leaders such as Koizumi (who has repeatedly visited the Yasukuni Shrine in an official capacity) haven't helped matters. However, the Japanese are today largely pacifist people of extraordinarily good will, in no small part due to the lessons they've drawn from history.
Terry:
I read about your wife previously in your humorous Clinton post. She sounds like a great American, and you are rightly proud of her. However, her individual work with Japanese post-docs in no way bolsters your argument that the Japanese are "rewriting history" and that their war monuments fail to mention Pearl Harbor.
While visiting Hiroshima, you missed this on Pearl Harbor:
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/vir...el/A2/2201.htm
And this on Nanking:
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/vir.../A2/2203_1.htm
For the record, the inscription at Nagasaki follows:
http://www.peace-nagasaki.go.jp/eng/ftop.html
I believe it's worth noting that the Nagasaki memorial does not assign culpability for the war to any party, and doesn't even address the justness of America's decision to drop the bomb there. It is only meant to stand as a symbol for peace amongst all people, and to commemorate the civilian lives lost there. That is a noble goal, and I can't fault the Japanese for not providing more of a history lesson. We took the same approach in constructing our own Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which makes no political statements whatsoever.
With regard to the Japanese rewriting history, I believe that they are, but not in the way you have articulated. They continue to grapple with their history, and significant elements within the society are working to ensure that their fellow countrymen bear no delusions about Japan's past.