[poconopundit]

I worked with, and managed professionals in Japan for many years. I loved some of these people as if they were family. ANY MENTION, in ANY context, of ANYTHING that happened in WW2 would shut them down, emotionally.

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Wonderful comment.  Yeah, nobody can talk about the elephant in the room.

But Trump broke the ice!  And the Prime Minister of Japan held in her smile, which perfectly expressed both her nation's shame... and acceptance.  All people and nations make grevious errors and commit cruelties.  We need to admit our mistakes, pick ourselves up, and move forward.

Indeed, during Japan's brutal samurai civil wars in its Sengoku Period, when the castle surrendered, the defeated leaders was given the honor of committing seppuku, but everyone else was forgiven.

And if President Trump did NOT win in 2024, we can only imagine the dark fate of our nation and the world as evil and corrupt forces would have ruled America and destroyed civilization as we know it.

[Liz]

bbc.com----A key moment of Japanese P/M Sanae Takaichi's official US visit.

Asked by a Japanese journalist why the US had not warned its allies wrt Iran on 28 February, Trump referenced the 1941 Japanese attack on US soil. "Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?," Trump said. The Pearl Harbor attack led to the US joining WW 11; the US later dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. The countries became close allies in later years.

[Candor7]

I agree 100%.

Wonderful comment.

And it put our wonderful alliance with Japan in a distinct historical context. We did our nest to preserve Japan and aid Japan in rebuilding after WWII.

Its a message also to Iran.They can have a brilliant future if they will only reach out and seize it.

[SomeCallMeTim]

I also tried to “break the ice”... with a Japanese friend that I treasured, and who I knew liked me. My comments landed like a ton of bricks. I NEVER broached the subject again. Which is why, I gasped when Trump brought it up.

But DJT has far more sway than I have. Just maybe, coming from him... the unquestioned alpha-leader of our time, speaking with their elected leader? They will all now accept that we embrace them?

I have met people, in just that past 10 years, who fought against the Japanese and still HATED them. I don’t blame them, as I don’t know what kind of hell they endured during the war. I know my own uncles fought them, and were traumatized. But boomers my age didn’t share that experience. We’ve only seen a different kind of Japan.

The lesson I’ve taken from this is: Even the MOST DIVISIVE of clashes between cultures can be erased in 2-3 generations, if true reconciliation takes place. It CAN happen anywhere. All it takes is, for both sides to decide that peace is better than war.

[GOPJ]

But Trump broke the ice! And the Prime Minister of Japan held in her smile, which perfectly expressed both her nation's shame... and acceptance. All people and nations make grevious errors and commit cruelties. We need to admit our mistakes, pick ourselves up, and move forward.

It was a great moment - and a statement we're both 'warrior cultures'... for better and worse.