Time for Japan and Germany to move beyond recrimination and apology to take their rightful place as peaceful leaders in the Community of Nations

Even today, Japan and Germany, having lost the war seventy years ago, is asked to express regret and apologize for past actions long atoned for. Must both of these nations continue to apologize? Does any fault lie with Allies, the victorious nations? War may be about winning and losing, but that is not necessarily a criterion for determining “justice”. We shall inspect the “justice” handed down from the Great War, as we approach 2015, seventy years post- war. While we must never forget, it is time for closure.

Every year as summer approaches, there appears to be an increase in television programs and newspaper articles concerning “war”.

However, the majority of them are based on a “masochistic view of history” that says Japan did terrible things to China and Korea, with its contents intended to instill guilt, implying, “Japan was an evil nation.” Amongst the opinions heard is, “Japan needs to apologize like Germany!”

However, must Japan really apologize for what happened in World War II? How has Germany, who gave rise to the Nazis, apologized? Doesn’t America, who dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, need to apologize?

We’ve taken another look at the “crimes” of the three nations, Japan, Germany and America, as the 70th anniversary of the end of the war approaches in 2015.