Finally it was announced officially, throuth the mouth of the Prime minister Junichiro Koizumi...... About time one would say....Sixty five years too late?
Please read.....
IME Minister Junichiro Koizumi has offered "deep remorse and heartfelt apology" for Japan's past aggressions in an attempt to placate China and salvage his attempt to gain a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council. Australian veterans yesterday welcomed the apology, which goes further than the nation's previous attempts to placate residual Asian anger over the invasions and wars of 60 years ago.
"In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations," Mr Koizumi yesterday told the Jakarta summit of Asia-Africa leaders.
"Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind."
Mr Koizumi's wording follows former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama's ground-breaking apology on the 50th anniversary of the ending of World War II in 1995. At least one previous leader has apologised to an ASEAN leaders' meeting but never before in these terms to an Asia-wide summit.
The speech was a tacit admission China's history-based campaign to undermine Japanese influence is having an effect through the region.
China, guarding jealously its position as Asia's only permanent UN Security Council member, has been joined in opposing Japan's candidature by a South Korean government infuriated by recent manifestations of Japanese nationalism.
And the rows with China and South Korea, the worst in 30 years, this week prompted the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to suggest Japan needed to make clear its acceptance of war guilt.
A regional security expert, the Australian National University's Alan Dupont, said that despite apologies from Tokyo in past years, some countries felt that a "full act of contrition" was outstanding.
"The Japanese have made a number of apologies over the past 15 years but many countries feel the Japanese haven't made a full act of contrition," he said. "It's been a bit of a stalemate."
On hearing the comments, Returned Services League spokesman Don Rowe said veterans would be relieved.
The issue of Japan's wartime aggression had returned sharply to veterans with John Howard's decision to commit an additional 450 Australian troops to Iraq for the specific role of guarding Japanese engineers.
"It could well be a turning point," Mr Rowe said. "That's been one of the things that's upset the old fellas over the years, that the Japanese government has never acknowledged its past.
"I've had a number of letters from POWs when the Australians were going to help the Japanese in Iraq ... that the Japanese never made a statement of regret and now this goes a long way to healing some of the pain, maybe not all of the pain our soldiers felt.
"I think it would help with the healing."
Mr Howard discussed the rising tensions between China and Japan at his meetings with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Mr Koizumi during the week, but he did not press the need for Japan to make a statement.
The ANU's Peter Drysdale said Mr Koizumi's comments were a "first step" toward easing China's frustration over Japan's acknowledgement of its past.
"The context is clearly a contretemps between Japan and China, and Koizumi is trying to build bridges in the Japan-China relationship, which is very important to the broader regional agenda of East Asian community cooperation, especially ASEAN plus three," Dr Drysdale said.
"(It is) the first step in healing the diplomatic rift that has emerged over the last three months."
Dr Drysdale said the comments did not relate to Japan's military history with Australia.
"This is clearly not an issue on the agenda between Australia and Japan ... which Prime Minister Howard made clear this year. It's an issue that's been resolved.
"I don't think that's part of a context, I think it's got nothing to do with it."
But Dr Drysdale said Mr Koizumi's contrition was appropriate to Australian World War II veterans. "Any time Japan says this, it's a helpful thing," Dr Drysdale said.
Singapore's Foreign Ministry yesterday criticised Japan's Education Ministry for approving history texts that critics say whitewash Japanese militarism before and during the Pacific War.
"It is unfortunate that the authorities had chosen to approve this rather strange interpretation of the Pacific War in Asia," the ministry statement said.
Mr Koizumi's Jakarta speech was clearly intended to answer Asian unease about an apparent resurgence of Japanese nationalism but his act of damage control also takes the heat off Beijing.
