Quote:
Originally Posted by MuRaSaKiiNkI
"On August 15, 1995, the fiftieth anniversary of the Surrender of Japan, the Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama gave the first clear and formal apology for Japanese actions during the war. He apologized for Japan's wrongful aggression and the great suffering that it inflicted in Asia. He offered his heartfelt apology to all survivors and to the relatives and friends of the victims. That day, the prime minister and the Japanese Emperor Akihito pronounced statements of mourning at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan. The emperor offered his condolences and expressed the hope that such atrocities would never be repeated. Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, criticized Murayama for not providing the written apology that had been expected. She said that the people of China "don't believe that an... unequivocal and sincere apology has ever been made by Japan to China" and that a written apology from Japan would send a better message to the international community." - Wikipedia, see also "I'm Sorry?" PBS NewsHour (1998)
Technically, the Japanese Prime Minister did give a formal, spoken apology. However, the global community does not buy it--personally, I don't think the Japanese government has completely learned its lesson because of a more recent article: "China Says Japanese Textbooks Distort History"
History is written by the conquerors, my professors say, and I am beginning to believe that every country is guilty of distorting history. Who really wants to remember the gory details? What country would admit to their atrocities completely? And personally, I threw up in my World History class when we learned about the Rape of Nanking, same as the Holocaust, and the two World Wars--It's horrible! Yes, it's important to learn from our history, but being forced to learn every gory fact...it's torture. |
The textbook controversy is bogus.
The fact is that most textbooks in Japan are historically accurate and differ a little perhaps because the curricullum is different.
There was a controversy when the right started approving revisionist textbooks. But these textbooks make up such a small portion of the textbooks that are out there.
Furthermore most schools rejected these textbooks.
China and Korea however overreacted.
And I find it funny that people complain about the difference between a written apology and a spoken one.
I've never heard that complaint.
What you will never hear from Chinese and Koreans is acknowledgement that Japan to this day has given both countries billions of dollars in aid since the end of WW2.
If Japan should have to say sorry... then China and Korea should have to say thank you.