Actually, the Japanese have apologized dozens of times. But the Chinese have repeatedly questioned the sincerity of these apologies, typically linking the degree of sincerity to Japan's willingness to send more monetary reparations to China. Japan has spent tens of billions of dollars in direct and indirect reparations. But China has never acknowledged them as sincere enough. I think the Japanese are at the point where they're done apologizing, and aptly so. Chinese empire-builders have, in their time, carried out atrocities every bit as brutal as the Japanese, for thousands of years. The only difference is that the Japanese carried them out in the 20th century. Note that the Rape of Nanking is only one of perhaps half a dozen such sackings (involving large-scale massacres) in Nanking. The previous ones involved Chinese contenders competing for the throne.
Both the poster (me) and, I'm sure, the postee (Evans-Pritchard) don't need any instruction on what Davos is ... and isn't.
But perhaps you were directing your comments at "all". ;-)
[But the Chinese have repeatedly questioned the sincerity of these apologies, typically linking the degree of sincerity to Japan's willingness to send more monetary reparations to China. Japan has spent tens of billions of dollars in direct and indirect reparations. But China has never acknowledged them as sincere enough.]
LOL.
You forgot Communist Chinese killed tens of millions of their own people in the 2nd half of 20th century. That's 10,000 times worst than the Japanese.
For years there was a stubborn Japanese *massacre denial*. The Japanese people were barely aware of the Nanking incident and for years they seemed very intent in denying the whole thing ever happened.
After a couple of very disturbing books were written, such as Iris Chang in The Rape of Nanking and What Really Happened in Nanking by Tanaka Masaaka, there was a lot of pressure brought upon Japan to apologize. The photos and details made it clear that Japan could no longer pretend the atrocities never happened.
What I think might have been one of the first official acknowledgments of the wrongdoing, was made by Murayama in 1995, in the following *general* apology:
“During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations.”
Aside from a very *specific* apology, and reparations, the people of China want Japan to correctly teach what happened in the Japanese schools. It is presently referenced as the NanKing *incident* where *many* people died. One cannot deny that the Japanese have censored the real story in Japanese textbooks.
Chinese empire-builders have, in their time, carried out atrocities every bit as brutal as the Japanese
You are using the “everyone does it” defense here .. and it is not an honest defense. This defense is an obvious attempt to neutralize Japan's personal responsibility, by spreading the blame. Why is it necessary to hold Japan up to the *WORST* things that others have done, in order to make what Japan did, seem more acceptable?
I think the Japanese are at the point where they're done apologizing, and aptly so.
That's a rather high-handed attitude, in view of the years of denial and censorship of the facts in Japan. Further, it seems to imply that it is the Japanese who are the victims in all of this.
But getting back to the point .. I think we can both agree that there is rising anti-Japanese sentiment in China stemming from what the Chinese deem as unresolved war issues .. and it has the potential to get out of hand.
That was my whole point to begin with.