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Abe to visit U.S. World War II memorial in Washington

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He should also visit the memorial to Japanese-Americans while he's in the vicinity to get a bigger understanding that a country can't deny the wrongs that were done in its own history.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Abe should visit Rape of Nanking memorial too. Unfortunately, he probably won't do it consider that he probably think Rape of Nanking is fabricated or play down it.

For Abe and his revisionist, they don't see reason to apologize/kow tow to their Asian neighbor who they look down and consider them inferior while Abe will try to do their best to please superior country like USA.

11 ( +19 / -9 )

@OssanAmerica

Who cares if China today is biggest threat or not. Abe still need to apologize for the crime and damage Japan did to China during WW2.

Japan is the biggest USA ally in this region but that does not mean USA need to become yes man or kow tow to every single Abe demand especially when it comes to Abe's WW2 history revisionism.

USA are not stupid and they won't revise their history just because Abe demand them to do so. Remember this?

U.S. historians slam Abe effort to change textbook dealing with ‘comfort women’ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/09/national/u-s-historians-slam-abe-effort-to-change-textbook-dealing-with-comfort-women/

Unlike Abe who are full of lies, USA does not lies when it comes to academic or historical fact.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

"...hoping to assuage stinging criticism about his stance on Japan’s brutal past."

If he wants to assuage stinging criticism of his stance on the past, don't change or white-wash it. Pretty simple, really. Or better yet, go and visit Nanjing or the headquarters of unit 731 -- places and things he denies occurred -- and he might be making baby steps towards earning a bit of credibility. Visiting Arlington doesn't win him any sympathy at all.

5 ( +16 / -11 )

"The visit may take on added significance as it was Abe’s visit to Japan’s controversial Yasukuni shrine in December 2013 that did much to kindled anger about his views.

The shrine honors those who fought and died for Japan, but also includes a number of senior military and political figures convicted of the most serious war crimes."

If Abe would acknowledge the crimes of the senior military and political figures convicted of the most serious war crimes, it would be positive.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

korea tried to invade japan countless times and failed china historically would have loved to wipe japan off the face of the earth but never had the ability. japan gave them both a bloody hiding. get over it. sore losers. move on.

What fabricated history book have you been reading? When has Korea tried to invade Japan countless times? Japan is a far away island with no resources. Korea had no interest in invading Japan.

Japan on the other hand has attempted to invade Korea numerous times and failed. It was Korea that always kicked the Japanese out. It was until they got their hands on modern European weapons before Korea that they actually succeeded. Go read an actual history book.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Abe to visit U.S. World War II memorial in Washington

Of course showing "remorse" to the US will win him kudos, while he will of course continue to show none to South Korea and China - countries that really suffered at the hands of Japan

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Abe is not sincere at all.

Name me a politician (in any country) who IS sincere. They've all sold their souls to get to where they are.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Fadamor Apr. 24, 2015 - 03:15AM JST America entered into the Vietnam conflict after France withdrew from the Indo-China war. Back then the big threat worldwide was the spread of Communism and the U.S. was a strident opponent of Communism spreading further. As it turned out, the country DID turn Communist, so America's involvement was not misguided - based on their point of view at the time.

Much of your conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam is highly inaccurate. Far from an enevitable result to contain communism, the war was only made possible through lies and deceptions aimed at the American public, Congress, and Johnson's adminstration. The failure in Vietnam was not the result of impersonal forces but a uniquely human failure.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It wasn’t until the U.S. Congressional Research Service issued a report in early May branding Abe a “nationalist” and warning that the controversy over historical issues could damage U.S. interests that Abe and the LDP went into serious damage control. Abe now says he fully accepts the apologies issued by previous administrations.

http://nation.time.com/2013/05/20/sorry-but-japan-still-cant-get-the-war-right/

Abe is not sincere at all.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

It's not about getting apologizes from Japan, it's more about stopping denying what happened and having a law in Japan to punish revisionists. In my country (France), revisionists can go to jail. In Japan, people stay silent about them, knowing that revisionism is not well considered in foreign countries, while being hypocrit and actually agreeing (therefore not willing to punish them).

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Ossan: "China today is the biggest threat to peace and stability in he regon, And as much as many Jbashers here hate to dnit it,"

Doesn't matter who is the biggest threat when it comes to apologizing for the past, Ossan, so stop trying to deflect.

"As for the K-As in the US whining about Abe, if they can't support US policy they are welcome to pack up their luggage and kimchee jars and go home."

Racist drivel. Their home IS the US, bud, much more than it is yours, and they have a right to criticize whom they like when that person is coming to their home or demanding they change the textbooks in their home. Obviously those facts upset you and so you have to resort to said racist remarks. Shame on you. Especially since it's not just Americans of Korean descent who are asking Abe to reiterate previous apologies. I don't see you demanding the others 'go home with their (enter racist stereotype)', though.

Abe should not be allowed to set foot in Arlington until he repeats past apologies and offers to go to atrocity sites across Asia to apologize. Maybe THEN you could buy into his claims to be sincerely remorseful about WWII.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Ossan: "China today is the biggest threat to peace and stability in he regon, And as much as many Jbashers here hate to dnit it, Japan is the most important US ally in the region as well as the most economically powerful democratic nation in Asia."

None of that matters when it comes to history and Japan's need to further apologize for it (and do so SINCERELY), and needless to say NOT deny atrocities and aggression.

"As for the K-As in the US whining about Abe, if they can't support US policy they are welcome to pack up their luggage and kimchee jars and go home."

Hate to break it to you with your 'kimchee jars' stereotypical insults that already destroy your own argument, but they ARE home, bud. What's more, if you're living in Japan the US is far more their home than yours, so why not cut out the lame insults -- they really only destroy any credibility you try and inflate for Abe and co.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

To the US he will aplogize tons of times. Some people here didn't understand yet how the things in Japanese politics work...

0 ( +8 / -8 )

As long as Abe and his gang continue to try to revise Japan's WWII nastiness, I've decided to refer to the A-bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as "Win Bombs". It's rude and inappropriate, but Abe's revisionism is worse. Sorry if Japanese are offended, but your leaders are offending the world with their bizarre attempts at covering up Japan's war time evil behavior, and you keep voting these guys into power.

0 ( +10 / -9 )

This is the scenario of Abe Shinzo "pulling a Canberra" in which he mentions enough of the war time atrocities related to the country being visited and vowing that there never will be such a waste of young lives again. The apology word is not used, and the heart is heavy verbiage is in play. In Washington there might be some reference to inheriting the Murayama and Kono statements because many people in Congress are aware of the war time sexual slavery issue.

The "Canberra approach" got mixed reviews from the Aussies but the pro-Japan State Department types seem to cackle enough support to give the approach a boost.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Abe Shinzo behaves himself like a boneless servant of the USA.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

K-As in the US whining about Abe, if they can't support US policy they are welcome to pack up their luggage and kimchee jars and go home.

That's a keeper.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

All those Pacific Theater deaths could've been avoided had Japan stopped fighting the Chinese, went back to their island started fighting among themselves like the good 'ole days to kill off all the hungry mouths that appeared as the result of the Great Depression and population boom of the Meiji period.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Bahaha, well if the US is the only country he feels he needs to apologize to, I can get behind that. I think we still have the Eola Gay in Washington for him to visit.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

@HonestDictator I remember when I went to Washington D.C. this past summer-- the Japanese American Memorial was unfortunately the least taken care of monument in the city that I had visited. There were discarded newspapers, alcohol bottles, and soda cans strewn across the pavement; it's sad that even though the memorial is to act as an apology to the people who were put in camps for their ethnicity and endured much, the government seemingly failed to take care of it.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

if japan could apologize but you can address abe achievement in his presidency

if you cant apologize focus on something else ,

make a small remorse and fine with it , if the issue is so sticky ( I suggest don't address it at all )

First rule :

don't lose allies or destroy the economy because of pride

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Seventy years and they still can't get over it! What's with people who keep insisting that other people who had nothing to do with the past keep apologizing for it!? Is that what we've come to? Nothing but shameful puppets of the vast minority who won't let sleeping dogs lie? Pity. The world would be a better place if we all just moved on. I hope Abe's address to the US political elite will be more enlightening about our future.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Do you think you are qualified to represent "justice"? ha?

If you are referring to people like yourself demanding apologies for wars with sh!thole countries, no you are not qualified to represent justice. This is about WW2 and Japan's murders which far eclipse those of the US.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

@honest: Is there memorial of Japanese American there?

@habsa: Abe should visit Rape of Nanking memorial too.

Where is Rape of Nanking memorial in USA?

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

korea tried to invade japan countless times and failed china historically would have loved to wipe japan off the face of the earth but never had the ability. japan gave them both a bloody hiding. get over it. sore losers. move on.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Abe is the first J-PM to stuck his neck out to accomodate our requests since they were first put forth in 1950 diring the Korean War. For those unfamilar with that war, North Korea with CHINA's help killed US, SKorean and UN troops from 15 countries. China today is the biggest threat to peace and stability in he regon, And as much as many Jbashers here hate to dnit it, Japan is the most important US ally in the region as well as the most economically powerful democratic nation in Asia. As for the K-As in the US whining about Abe, if they can't support US policy they are welcome to pack up their luggage and kimchee jars and go home. And the vote whores who think that supporting KA's who are projecting North Korea's agenda on US soil are giving them the "asian vote" can take a hike with them.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

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