politics

China says Japan should have made 'sincere' WWII apology

70 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2015 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

70 Comments
Login to comment

Abe's dad was a war criminal. Aso mining used pow's as slaves. I reckon it will take another 70 years for Japan to become like Germany an fully apologise for their aggression. Unless everyone in Japan will be speaking Chinese in Japan by then of course.

-9 ( +19 / -28 )

China communist party should put a shoe in the mouth. I've never liked communist rethoric (I was in Cuba time ago).

10 ( +23 / -13 )

It is not so much an apology that is needed. What is truly needed is for Japan to stop lying both in its official histories and its schools about what it did prior to and during World War 2. China is facing an uphill battle on many fronts domestically, and the government deftly and consistently uses Japan as a punching bag in order to deflect public anger directed at Beijing.

11 ( +22 / -13 )

How about a prize for the most predictable headline in 2015?

And no surprise to read the usual "Good German, Bad Japan" meme pop up to the top of this discussion.

Read what Abe spoke about not passing down war guilt to people whose grandparents were not even born when the war happened.

Japan has apologized and compensated, and it is over.

Of course, there is a difference between the "path of peaceful development" and being a walk over for Beijing.

I only hope Beijing is will to take the same path not just in Asia but in places like Africa where it is breaking UN sanctions to sell military hardware.

9 ( +21 / -14 )

Agree with CrazyJoe. They've already apologized, but it's more important to actually teach this history.

Enough of the bellyaching, China.

0 ( +11 / -13 )

Abe deliberately failed to be specific in his 'apology' because he wants the people of Japan to forget the atrocities committed by the IJA. His message is less to China and South Korea than it is to the Japanese public: let's pretend our nation did nothing especially worse than anybody else during wartime.

This is reflected in his policies on constitutional change, education, visits to Yasukuni, etc. He wants people to forget the bad parts of the 1930s and 40s so he can lead the country back to what he sees as the glories of those years.

3 ( +22 / -20 )

@NewYork Read what Abe spoke about not passing down war guilt to people whose grandparents were not even born when the war happened.

To me it's not passing down guilt, instead accepting that the IJA did hideous things. I rarely watch TV when I'm in Japan, but the times I've watched only the horrors Japan experienced are shown. There's no question in my mind that most Japanese suffered terribly. But just once I would like to see Japanese TV have the camera show the horrors committed by IJA. War is terrible for everyone, not just your (whichever culture) people.

1 ( +13 / -12 )

If Abe didn't have such a well earned reputation as being a revisionist and didn't encourage and basically sanction changes to text books to name but a few things then his statement would probably have been fine. The problem Japan has is that her "voice" i.e Abe is so tainted that as long as he is in power this will never end. Get rid of Abe and get a PM who is not shadowed by his/her family shame who can start afresh and things will get better.

-2 ( +16 / -17 )

Liar will always LIE, Japan government are not able to come to term with the loss o WW2, so they LIES about everything , and playing the VICTIMS card.

-3 ( +15 / -18 )

Did anyone actually expect anything different?

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Hey, China, get over it! What a load of crap.

9 ( +22 / -13 )

we get it now time to move on

4 ( +9 / -5 )

TrevorPeace

Hey, China, get over it! What a load of crap.

What a historically nuanced view you have.

-12 ( +8 / -21 )

ROFLMAO!!!! What did I tell you. PM Abe could have committed suicide and China would have called it "insincere". Why doesn't China just be honest and come out with it,,,,We will consider your apology sincere when you terminate the US-Japan military alliance, kick the American troops out of Japan and hand over the Senkakus and all of Okinawa which have been indisputable Chinese territory since ancient times.

10 ( +19 / -9 )

Absolutely pathetic China! That shocking explosion that killed 50 people only happened a few days ago and the Chinese government are concerned enough as to whether or not the latest in a long line of apologies from Japan is 'sincere enough'! You really are just making yourselves look like a bunch of children in the eyes of the rest of the world. But hey, enjoy your parade next month in the square where you killed your own people.

7 ( +17 / -10 )

the empire of lies and deceit and insincerity is questioning the sincerity of others. why do i find this hypocritical?

5 ( +11 / -6 )

WOW. Reading title of article, I thought China finally accepted our apology...until I realize I missed word 'should'. Oh well, the cycle continues...

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Abe's dad was a war criminal.

Not his father. His grandfather (Nobusuke Kishi) was class A war criminal. He became a prime minister later.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

China says Japan should have made 'sincere' WWII apology

I agree. A golden chance...............and Abe fluffed it

-9 ( +11 / -20 )

It seems that China wants to use it as political card forever. Generations have been changing after 70 years and young generations no longer have responsiblity about war crimes. It seems that Abe wants to be last prime minister to apologise. It makes sense.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Abe said it perfect in my opinion. Get a life China! Better than that China, why don't you teach the Japanese how to sincerely apologize. Start out this way, apologize for Mao killing 40,000,000 of your own people. Japan can study it and replace the word China with Japan.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Not his father. His grandfather (Nobusuke Kishi) was class A war criminal.

Where did you get that idea from?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Start out this way, apologize for Mao killing 40,000,000 of your own people. Japan can study it and replace the word China with Japan.

That has nothing to do with Japan's historical record.

Where did you get that idea from?

Well, the man was indicted. He got out of prison so he could one day engineer the US-Japan security treaty. Japan had a golden opportunity that went begging

-11 ( +7 / -18 )

Well, the man was indicted. He got out of prison so he could one day engineer the US-Japan security treaty.

Ok, that's where he got the idea I guess. But the idea is incorrect.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

ShermanAug. 15, 2015 - 06:58AM JST Abe's dad was a war criminal. Aso mining used pow's as slaves

Wrong, Abe's grandfather was arrested by GHQ as a potential war criminal but he was not charged and released. Aso was 5 years old when WWII ended in 1945. It's doubtful he had anything to do directly with WWII events,

4 ( +8 / -4 )

That information is actually on Wikkipedia as well as other historical websites.

Abe's grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was actually held in prison for 3 years until 1948 as a Class A war criminal who was then released under the deal that General McArthur did that ensured that most Japanese war criminals were not prosecuted as happened to the Nazi's in Nuremburg. He remained legally prohibited from entering public affairs because of the Allied occupation's purge of members of the old regime but then went onto to become PM in 1957.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobusuke_Kishi

Once you understand this, then you have a much better insight into why many of the power-brokers that caused WW2 still retain considerable power in Japan, why the Yakuza is so closely intertwined with the Japanese Government, and why Japan has neither failed to apologise - or to teach the younger generations about the truth of what really happened, because they still have no comprehension of why what they did was so wrong.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

There were apologies made by 2 previous Japanese PMs, and PM Abe quoted and repeated Japan's WW II aggression and remorse in his speech. An excellent point in Abe's speech was that present and future generations of Japanese MUST not be expected to continuously apologize for WW II, as majority were not born then, and neither were young Japanese responsible for the WW II aggression. Seriously consider what Japan had, and continue to do for Asia for Investments, Trade, Productivity Training (during the 1980s & 1990s) etc. Now what had China done in the Past? China's Communist Party promoted Revolutions by supporting S E Asian Communist Parties to topple their indigenous Governments (1947-early 1970s); until the respected Deng Xiaoping came to power and launched China's Economic reforms. Does this mean that China should apologise for the support of the Southeast Asian Communist rebels? China did not! What about apologies for the injustices and killing of their own Chinese people during the Mao's Great Leap Forward & Cultural Revolution? Also the 1989 Tiananmen tumultuous debacle against their own Chinese students? Where were Chinese apologies? China will say that's our "bloody" business. China should now not stir trouble by flexing its military/naval muscles, but try its best live peacefully with its neighbours in East Asia and South Asia.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Strangerland

Not anyone's idea. That is history. His father (Shitaro Abe) entered Navy when he was age of 18 in 1943. He did not go to war. He became a politician much later.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Oh come on CHINA, History can not be re-written !!! Better try for better Future with your Neighbors !!!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I applaud China for acting like China

1 ( +3 / -2 )

the sins of the father- a ever present meme circulating around the world, in Japan it is hitting a generation where some people do not have relatives who lived in the era alive.

in the US a wide swath of the population have been thrown in with others when their parents were not in the country when slavery was around, who never lived in a jim crow state and never lived a life of privilege

when the people have passed- the guilt is gone, all you have is the memory. we should be concentrating on keeping the memory alive that war is wrong, nuclear weapons are wrong and keep close to our heart the memories of the innocents on both sides that died

7 ( +7 / -0 )

What I'd like to know is why the news even prints this stuff. Time to just ignore it as it's the same ole year after year.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Kwatt - please show some link that shows he was a class A war criminal.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@praack n the US a wide swath of the population have been thrown in with others when their parents were not in the country when slavery was around, who never lived in a jim crow state and never lived a life of privilege

I hope these aren't the same people shouting USA! USA! and glorifying US myths and history whenever there's a chance to.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Yep, well, I guess this was to be expected simply because of the 'variations' in the Japanese records of the events that occurred in the first half of last century. If you talk to 'Naoki Average' about it, most will state that Japan was stupid to try and take over Asia. However, there is still the 10% or so that believe in Japan's imperial rule. There is also the fact that, the Abe government keeps moving closer and closer to a fascist state by denying public opinion to create legislations. He changed the rules for changing the constitution by not needing a public referendum to change it and then changed it anyway. He also introduced the secrecy bill to give the government control of the media. He and his party of right-wing cronies are not the leadership Japan needs to resolve this issue or the many other issues Japan faces with its neighbours. Sadly, I fear it's going to take at least another generation before these right-winged cronies are weeded out of Japanese politics and they stop trying to downplay and rewrite history.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Sincere=Dogeza+Money

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Strangerland

The name of Nobusuke Kishi is officially in the list of class A war criminals. Check it out, will you?.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

China will say that's our "bloody" business. China should now not stir trouble by flexing its military/naval muscles, but try its best live peacefully with its neighbours in East Asia and South Asia.

Until Japan uses the word "sorry", ratifies the apology in the Diet, and takes steps to gag any further denial - then China and South Korea have EVERY right to demand satisfaction from Japan

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Strangerland: Kwatt - please show some link that shows he was a class A war criminal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobusuke_Kishi

Kishi illustrates the ambivalent role of America in post-war Japan, and the difficulty of eradicating nationalist World War II revisionism from a postwar Japan where tainted political dynasties still clung to power. As prime minister, Kishi's own legacy was ambivalent: on the one hand he worked for international peace, but on the other he promoted postwar nationalist revisionism...

Like Grandfather, like Grandson...

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Exactly. Kishi should have spent the rest of his life in jail. I imagine that would have had a dampening effect on Mr Abe's political aspirations. All he really had to do was say the word "sorry" yesterday

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

kwatt

Have you ever heard of "Innocent till proven guilty"? In Latin it's "Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat". Kishi was never prosecuted meaning he was only a suspect who was later released. No he was not a class A war criminal, only a suspect.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Way to go abe yr speech has left things right as they were, NO PROGRESS = fail!

Huge chance blown, your grand pappy will be proud, but your country Japan will take the hit. decline...........still happening sadly.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Triring

I have not sentenced he was class A war criminal. I was not born yet. Tokyo tribunal did it. Get it, will you?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

kwatt

Tokyo tribunal didn't prosecute him do you get it?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

All readers back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

At this point I could really care less what China has to say and as predicted - It wasn't a "sincere apology".

I am certain that this "Choice of Attitude" from China will be the pretext China will use to try and unbalance the Status Quo in the Pacific Region.

For now, I am more interested in how the U.S. Ambassador - Caroline Kennedy felt about Shinzo Abe's speech today?

Did his words far enough and did Washington feel Japan has atoned for their aggressions from WW2?

Did we sense Japan's steadfast sincerity at keeping Peace with Honor?

I know I sure did.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

OssanAmerica: "ROFLMAO!!!! What did I tell you."

Actually, what did WE tell YOU? We said that no matter how much Abe downplays Japan's atrocities in the speech, and he did NOT apologize -- on that you cannot disagree no matter how much you convince yourself he did -- you'll come on here and demand nations like China and SK shut up and that they'll claim he did not apologize, etc. So, if anyone was predictable it was you guys, especially ones like AstoBoy saying he DID apologize when even within the articles it makes clear he stopped short of doing so.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

I'm happy Abe didn't apologize.

There is no fiber in his being that is sorry for what happened 70 years ago except for the fact that Japan lost. Everyone should know by now just where Abe stands and it's on the far right. Any apology at this point would be complete B.S. and empty, so why placate anyone if you know you don't mean it.

Everyone knows what Putin is about and he ain't apologizing for invading Crimea and China could care less about Tibet, and Abe has no issue with what Japan has done. They are who they are and you know what to expect from them and they all need to be watched carefully.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

harvey pekar

There is no fiber in his being that is sorry for what happened 70 years ago except for the fact that Japan lost. Everyone should know by now just where Abe stands and it's on the far right.

Talk about leap in logic, if he is not sorry about what had happened 70 years ago when he was not even born then he is far right?

Most all Japanese right now really don't care either since most of us weren't born or had any association with the government at the time either.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

China! Ever be the complete hypocrite! They aren't really interested in Japan giving a meaningful apology. That would counter the image in China of Japan being the enemy which is used to stir patriotism. Let me quote a true fact from another news site:

"Japan, as the largest US ally in the region, is an enemy as far as Beijing is concerned. The Chinese Communist Party thus has an interest in Japan looking like an aggressive nation run by war criminal-lovers. The worse it looks, the better for the People's Republic. Anti-Japanese nationalist propaganda strengthens the legitimacy of the Party and stirs up patriotic fervour."

1 ( +5 / -4 )

It is not so much an apology that is needed. What is truly needed is for Japan to stop lying both in its official histories and its schools about what it did prior to and during World War 2.

This. I am more concern about Japan attempt at distorting history by denying or play down their war crimes than apologize.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Dear China,

Look, we accept with hindsight that what we did to you was not nice, but war's war. Afterwards we gave an insincere apology which should have been enough, but for some reason you want a sincere apology too. You want something that we cannot give.

Also, nearly everyone from back then is dead and we got nuked, which was just as bad.

If you want an insincere apology, you can have it, but they're can be no expression of genuine remorse from a country that does not feel genuine remorse. The sooner you understand this, the sooner we can move forward and put this all behind us.

Yours, Nippon

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Well as usual, China is being counterproductive and this is their way of keeping things at "the boiling point" in the region and furthermore this is their way of getting attention.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

CGBSpender::"China! Ever be the complete hypocrite! They aren't really interested in Japan giving a meaningful apology. That would counter the image in China of Japan being the enemy which is used to stir patriotism."

And vice-versa, save that China has nothing to apologize for whereas Japan most certainly does, and Abe squandered the chance to do so. Period.

Saketown: "Well as usual, China is being counterproductive and this is their way of keeping things at "the boiling point" in the region..."

Again, and vice-versa. You guys seem to think there is only one nation who has anything to do with this, and only one nation doing anything wrong while the other, you seem to think, is doing what it can to move things forward while really it's only doing what IT thinks is the bare minimum to take attention of the fact that it is only working to forward its image. The reality of Abe's actions compared with his words is proof of that.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

I just heard that Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine on today of all days. Clearly, it was insensitive act meant to convey that he is not sincere.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Actually, I personally think that the Japanese government owes the Japanese people an apology as they have been the ones lied to and used:

Dear Citizens,

I am coming before you to lay it all out to you - this once - and only today. We the Japanese Government have lied to you, we are still lying to you and we will continue to lie to you. We have used you to fight our wars of aggression - and we have lied to you about what actually went on. Those countries in which we had invaded did not welcome us with big smiles and cheers - but went anyway. We told you we were setting them free from those European colonizers... hahahahahahaaa.... nope we hoped to bring them into our fold... forced them to learn Japanese and well... they know the truth. China and Korea will never accept our monetary apologies because they know full well that we don't tell the truth in our history books... we will NEVER tell the truth. You the Japanese citizens have been duped and will continue to be so... Banzai!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Well, the man was indicted.>

@Christopher Glen,

Wrong. Kishi was never indicted or tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. In fact, he was held for years in prison without indictment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobusuke_Kishi

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I listened to Abe reading his well written statement on CNN while simultaneously being translated by a westerner into English and i must say i liked what he said his body language on stage and at several times my eyes misted up with how close he was getting. This speech was historic and well presented. It is the best we can expect from Japan at this point in time. I say thank you, mr. Abe.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

China's desire to see a more sincere apology is becoming a bit hackneyed. The recent comments by the Japanese Prime Minister was a very sincere expression of awareness of shame - any further would be a grovelling that is just not warranted. Those warmongering days of 'empire' and territorial gains have gone, so many countries were cruel and exploitative that to harp on and on about apologies from whichever country has become embarrassing. Japan has modernized in a dramatic and skilled fashion, it has thrown off its religious suffocation and 'Godlike' values of its Emperor and become a modern power-house of a country which should command respect.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Until Japan, on a deeply philosophical level, admits the utter criminality of the war-time regime, they will only have three types of status available to them, in the eyes of the world: 1. Jerks who can't admit the war-time regime was NOT a moral peer to the Allies but was more like the evil Nazis; or 2. Ignorant children who don't know what the war-time regime was like...and don't want to know because they are moral cowards; or 3. Finally, fully adult, respected members of world society. In modern Japan, only a few of the liberals are in category 3. Most citizens are in 2. Thanks to the over-weighting of the right-wing farmer vote, the professional politicians of the LDP are firmly in category 1. That's all.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

These words from Abe's speechwriter touched me: "Upon innocent people did our country inflict immeasurable damage and suffering. When i squarely contemplate this obvious fact, even now, I find myself spechless and my heart is rent with the utmost grief".

That's pretty good stuff, no?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Abe will tells another story to glorify imperal Japan in six months later. You know he must balance the frustration of right-wings inside LDP. At present his gestures is just a kind of : Tactical retreat from global attentions. The nature of him and Japan has never changed, he just tone down his hawish stance temporarily.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

It is not so much an apology that is needed. What is truly needed is for Japan to stop lying both in its official histories and its schools about what it did prior to and during World War 2. China is facing an uphill battle on many fronts domestically, and the government deftly and consistently uses Japan as a punching bag in order to deflect public anger directed at Beijing.

This. And they know Abe's nationalistic intentions and want to oppose it as much as they can.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Guess quite a few of us had that " told you so" moment. I have off said we don't need to put the fear of coercion to the likes of Abe and cohorts, an apology is given willfully and better still, unreservedly by one who truly regrets his bad actions. Like I said, it was a SHAM apology which left all the POO in the issue at hand.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Japan has apologized by being a peaceful nation since WW2. Since the Communists took over China has acted as Japan did during the war. When will China apologize to Tibet?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

You know you are so wrong about many things in japan. You say we don´t learn about what happened in school. But we do learn about it. The thing is, most of us don´t care. It was war, bad things happen in war. China is a tyrant and the things that happened there show them that they should keep their mout shut.

I´m young and i learned about Nanjing at school. And i see nothing bad there. I´m glad he did not apology. China deserves no apology.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Sir; Japan you cannot keep on apologising-once is enough--the past is tragic; yes--so stop apologising thomas

0 ( +1 / -1 )

For everyone who thinks Germans are so good at their apologizing, I've talked to several Germans who basically rationalize the war as "Germany was invaded by fascists from Austria, it's all their fault" and one guy from Frankfurt who was like, "Now the Jews...well, of course, as a German I can't say anything against the Jews, but..." then he proceeded to say plenty.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Japan doesn't owe China anything. The current ruling Communist party did nothing during WW2, it was the Nationalist party that fought on behalf of China. After the war the Nationalist army was so decimated that the communists were able to seize control. Mao Zedong even said to the Japanese Prime Minister that there was no need to apologize and even thanked Japan for it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites