Last week, on the first anniversary of his premiership, Shinzo Abe expressed “severe remorse” over Japan’s wartime actions and pledged that Japan would “never wage a war again”. Naturally no one paid much attention since on the very same day he undermined those words by visiting Yasukuni shrine, a memorial reviled throughout Asia for its association with Japanese aggression.
His visit ignited predictable, if stage-managed, fury in China and South Korea, two countries that suffered horrendously under Japan’s empire-building onslaught. Beijing said his actions “grossly trampled on the sentiment of the Chinese people” and proved that Mr Abe wanted to whitewash history.
It is a common accusation that Japan has never apologised for its wartime behaviour. This is demonstrably untrue. Over the years, a procession of Japanese prime ministers has expressed contrition for colonial rule and wartime aggression. What is questioned is the sincerity – or otherwise – of those apologies. Japan stands accused of covering up its history in school textbooks, most of which – though not all – mention Japanese wartime atrocities but do not go into great detail. Some of its politicians, including Mr Abe, have publicly debated elements of the official apology, including quibbling over the fact of Japan’s “invasion”.