I agree with you regarding generations of today but as the article states, a large portion have no idea or will admit the atrocities that occured but will certainly be the first revisionist regardin our dropping the bomb.
Could it be the same for our country? I don't know anyone who owns a slave. Furthermore, one could be so cold as to say we beat the American Indians and continue to give them favor. Now, it is the Mexicans want their territory back and the some blacks who want reparations. Will it end for us and will the world like us again.
It may be hard for victims to forget or even forgive, but I do believe the sins of the father cannot be placed on the son and the nations, and national psyche, of both Japan and Germany today are not the nations we went to war against.
I only wish they were aware of all the sins of their fathers so they could comprehend and understand why the family of their fathers' victims in our Nation do not forgive and wish the bomb had been dropped earlier.
There was a good Wall Street Journal article today, that reviewed the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
He mostly writes fiction, and mostly in a western style, but has become a very popular writer, even in Korea and China. He is one of the few modern Japanese writers who has written any major non-fiction work covering any Japanese atrocities during the war. Although, even he admits, that that non-fiction work is not that popular in Japan.
In the article, Mr. Murakami metioned two interesting things.
He said that in school (1950s and 60s for him), it was not that they were taught a sanitized version of the war, it was more like that period was simply omitted in the class room, even though it was covered in the textbook. He said he remembered leaving school for a vacation-break at the point where the history lessons were up to 1925, and being told to read the next few chapters while they were at home. But, when history lessons resumed, they started on the post war period and they were not asked about their readings on the period in-between. I can't say if his experience was typical.
He also had an interesting view of how he believes his countrymen see themselves differently than the Germans. He said most Japanese do not associate themselves with the war-time military rulers. While they did, and they do continue to, respect and revere the Emperor, they view the military rulers as a group who ruled over them, not a group they chose. Whereas, Japanese view the Germans as having popularly chosen Hitler. Murakami does not say that that is his view, only that it is a view he believes many Japanese have.
I guess it is hard for us, outside of Japan, to know how much of the image of Japan that the military rulers presented to the world - the nationalistic fervor - was "popular", outside of the militray clique and their cannon fodder, and how much was manufactured as it still is in places like North Korea.
"Mexicans want their territory back"
Spain, like many Europeans thought they could come to this continent and simply declare that their flag, their sovereignty ruled over whatever land they drew on a map, and that was all that was needed to make it "theirs".
The period between Mexican independence from Spain and the war between the US and Mexico was a brief 25 years. You could say that that war was actually a belated act following Spain's abdication of any claims in North America.
But, in fact, (1)neither the Spaniards or the Mexicans were ever a majority in most of the land north of the Rio Grand that either Spain or Mexico ever claimed; native Americans (which the Mexican ruling class never was and still is not) were the majority except in a few major Spanish or Mexican built towns; (2)actual Spanish administration of most of the land was non-existant, outside of a few fortified areas and where ever wealthy, politically connected Mexicans had made farms (someone had to pay someone to get a land grant from whoever claimed "sovereignty" in Mexico city), (3)government administration deteriorated when Mexico became independent, (4)resulting in the Mexican government ceeding most of the administration to the network of Catholic missions, which they then reduced direct support for from Mexico city; and thus, (5) by the time settlers in California declared its independence the Missions in California were in great disrepair, and non-Latin Europeans already outnumbered "Mexicans" (little did the settlers know that war between Mexico and the US had already been declared). When Texas fought for its independence there were as many "Latinos" fighting for independence as "anglos", which is why northen US citizens are always insulting many latinos in Texas who can trace their families to the fight FOR indepedence.
But, La Raza loves its myths.