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Article: Sorry seems to be the hardest word
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- August 12, 1995
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Japan, like the past, is a foreign country: they do things
differently there. So when Japan is asked to reflect on its own
past, one can expect things to become rather complicated. All year
the issue of an apology for the country's wartime invasions and
atrocities has divided ministers, journalists and veterans. Tense
battle lines have been drawn up between apologisers and apologists;
with archetypal Japanese politeness, politicians have explained how
sorry they are that there is nothing to be sorry for. It has been
a confusing, frustrating and ridiculous spectacle.
At last, Tomiichi Murayama, the Japanese prime minister, seems
to have managed it. In the draft of a statement to be ...