China Voice: Mitsubishi's selective apology shows Japan's insincerity, hypocrisy

The selective apology by Mitsubishi Materials for wartime crimes indicated that Japan has never truly reflected on its atrocities, only showing its insincerity and hypocrisy.

A senior executive of Mitsubishi Materials on Sunday apologized for wartime enslavement of some 900 U.S. POWs at mines run by Mitsubishi Mining Co., the firm's predecessor, at a special ceremony in Los Angeles.

Mitsubishi may have wished to change its image by this apology, but it backfired. It is worth mentioning that Mitsubishi Mining Co. supplied materials for building Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' notorious fighter aircraft the A6M Zero during WWII. The Mitsubishi group played a vital role in Japan's modernization and aggression.

But Mitsubishi's apology was extended only to wartime enslaved U.S. POWs. Actually apart from the Americans, Japan forced tens of thousand of Chinese and Koreans to fill the country's labor shortage during the war.

This selective apology showed that Japan -- both the government and the right-wing forces -- has never truly reflected on its militarist history that led to the sufferings of tens of millions of people in Asia, and the tragedy of its own people during the war.

The United States is a major ally of Japan that provide security guarantees for the country, so Japan has always followed the U.S. lead after the war and valued very much the American attitude.

However, when facing Asian countries, Japan turns to an arrogant attitude. It may originate from its superiority of economic development established in the late 19th century, when Japan pursued a policy of departure from Asia for Europe.

You may look down upon your poorer neighbors, but the selective apology and double standard on wartime atrocities only shows the insincerity of your apology. In this sense, the U.S. victims should not feel satisfied with this apology.

And as a matter of fact, Mitsubishi's selective apology was not surprising at all. It is deeply rooted in Japan's traditional practice. The lesson of history is that Japan always admires and even submits itself to the strongest, but bullies the weak.

Even today, this practice still prevails and reminds China and other Asian countries of potential dangers brought by Japan.

How can an individual who bullies the weak and fears the strong have friends indeed?

Japan should reflect on the consequences of this practice if it wants to be respected by its neighbors, who had suffered from Japan's aggression. Endi