Commentary: Abe's artful semantics no substitute for true apology

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has once again shown no true intention to reflect on his country's history as he offered no apology Tuesday during his visit to Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, the site of a sneak attack by Japan on Dec. 7, 1941 that killed thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians there.

His careful use of semantics, while playing particularly with the words "reconciliation" and "tolerance" and stressing "the horrors of war" in his speech at the Pearl Harbor memorial, saw no apology issued for Japan's war crimes.

Abe did not mention anything about Japan's culpability for launching the aggressive war on the United States and the sufferings the Asian countries experienced from Japan's barbaric militarism.

Such playing word games and omission of key facts about history are the usual trick of Abe who has always attempted to shield away from admitting Japan's war responsibilities.

Abe triggered a wide range of criticism at home and abroad in 2013 by claiming that the definition of "aggression" has yet to be established either among academics or by the international community, which highlighted his stance as an ardent historical revisionist.

Last year, Abe, in a closely-watched statement marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender at the end of Word War II, also downplayed Japan's role as the aggressor by saying that Japan tried to "overcome its diplomatic and economic deadlock through the use of force" in the war.

He also said that it was unnecessary for the Japanese young people to keep apologizing in the future, delivering a dangerous message to the younger generations who are already being exposed to institutionalized historical revisionism in their schools.

Though vowing not to repeat the horrors of war in this year's speech marking the end of World War II, Abe failed once again to mention Japan's wartime aggression in Asia and to make an apology.

Abe intended his visit to Pearl Harbor to be a symbol of reconciliation for Japan and the United States, but his tricky use of words, artful semantic sidesteps and no-apology stance showed that the visit was merely a diplomatic show aimed at, on the one hand, shaking off the historical burdens and guilt Japan bears for its wartime wrongdoing, and on the other, strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance.

He also deliberately ignored the fact that any amends for the war should begin with Asian countries, especially with China.

China was the main theater in the Asia-Pacific for the World Anti-Fascist War, and the Chinese military and civilian casualties totaled approximately 35 million, accounting for one-third of the total casualties suffered by all countries during World War II.

To realize true reconciliation, Abe must stop playing word games and must apologize to all the victims of Japan's aggression in the war, not only to the United States, but more importantly, to Japan's Asian neighbors, while refraining from any deeds that might endanger current or future regional stability. Endit