A pledge never to repeat the same mistake, rather than apologies or financial compensation, will console the souls of the victims.

But Fukushima is ok?

That is a very good idea for both cities. The only good thing that came out of the attack was that one Japanese doctor who made that medical device to rid the body of atomic radiation. Since her friend died from it. Sadly now, all we have to deal with now is secondly worse: nuclear.

It's a good sentiment. And young people could find ways to think more seriously about the human penchant for killing and violence. I am not sure that policy-makers are serious about teaching history comprehensively. Of course, Japanese governments have been among the biggest supporters of nuclear weapons, always having insisted that the U.S. keep it's nuclear arsenal in tact and never decommission any nuclear weapons - and having allowed the U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into the country and having lied about it to the Japanese people for years. Nevertheless, people need to get as close as they can to the reality of what technological and mass killing is and how they can build practical efforts for peace.

Being victims of atomic weapons does not provide a superior platform for denouncing war.

Ok..................BUT considering Japan 70yrs after WWII still CANT figure out & admit what happened..................its a bit much to ask the world to plegde etc

Hiroshima & Nagasaki are already pretty well known & understood, Japan & WWII on the other hand ..... the world still waits

Unenforceable pledge. And after Ukraine's recent example, what other country would be dumb enough to give up their nukes, once they've obtained them?

A pledge never to repeat the same mistake, rather than apologies or financial compensation, will console the souls of the victims.

Sorry, but IMO, "leaders of foreign countries" do not owe the atomic survivors any apology or compensation. The apology should have come from their own government/The Imperial family.

Who does he imply made a mistake? Since Japan started the war, which reulted in the deaths of mamy millions of people, and which resulted in the development and use of atomic bombs, then it was Japan who made the mistake. And any pledge, apology, or compensation must be made by Japan. Japan and their German and Italian friends were the reason that nuclear weapons were invented in the first place, and for the nuclear threat that generations have lived under since the end of the war.

As the party which started the war, Japan bears full responsibilty for every single death or atrocity committed by all sides.

@sangetsu

Yes, but why did the war start? Japan didn't suddenly decide to invade Indonesia. She considered her options and went for the best one. No different to Britain's invasion of India or America's invasion of the Philipines. Immoral and horrible, but strategically the best option.....

No different to Britain's invasion of India or America's invasion of the Philipines. Immoral and horrible, but strategically the best option.....

So two wrongs must somehow make a right?

The Philippines were not invaded by America, they were "invaded" by Spain, and became an American territory after the Spanish/American war. Other colonial territories in Asia were not perfect, but law and order was maintained, and were relatively safe and peaceful. Farmers grew food, factories produced goods, banks loaned money, and people enjoyed a stable existence.

One needs to look at what happened following Japan's conquests in Asia. Japan looted anything of value, and sent it back to Japan, then they destroyed the economies of their territories by issuing military currency which was not worth the paper it was printed on. Public services were neglected, hospitals were not stocked with medicine, electricty, telephone, water, and gas services were not maintained, and then broke down. Opium dens and brothels were opened. Organized societies, be they native, British, American, or Dutch, all collapsed, and the Japanese never bothered to replace them. Chinese people living throughout South Asia were systematically tortured and killed, the roads leading into cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and othere were decorated with poles topped with the decapitated heads of Chinese. What little commerce which existed was transacted with British Pounds or US dollars, these being the only forms of money which had value.

With the local economies destroyed, infrastructure collapsing, and Japanese forces committing wantan acts of violence, it wasn't long before locals throughought Asia began resisting the Japanese, and doing their best to assist allied forces to expel and defeat the Japanese. The Japanese promise of "Co-Prosperity" became a sick joke.

And Indonesia was not Pearl Harbor. From the morning of December 7th, 1941, the Japanese started a clock that counted down to the dropping of the atomic bombs. Japan started the war, and Japan paid for starting the war. The war, and all the deaths and misery which resulted were entirely the responsibility of Japan, and no one else. A mistake was made, it was made by Japan.

sangetsu

Well put, unbelievable ho so many cant comprehend that!

A pledge never to repeat the same mistake, rather than apologies or financial compensation, will console the souls of the victims.

How about: A pledge never to repeat the same mistake and acknowledging that it happened, rather than apologies or financial compensation, will console the souls of the victims.