U.S. media urges Abe to apologize for Japan’s wartime history

With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s trip to the U.S. just days away, many people in the U.S. are calling for him to reflect on and apologize for Japan’s colonial rule and war crimes including the sexual slavery committed by the country during World War II.

Major U.S. media urged Abe to issue apology for Japan’s past wrongdoings. The New York Times said Monday via an editorial titled “Shinzo Abe and Japan’s History,” that “The success of the visit also depends on whether and how honestly Mr. Abe confronts Japan’s wartime history,” adding, “Yet he has added vague qualifiers to his comments, creating suspicions that he doesn’t take the apologies seriously and will try to water them down.” Washington Post warned, “The prime minister risks tipping East Asia into a new era of bad feeling if he tries to dilute Japan’s officially stated remorse for its wartime aggression.”

Korean civic groups in the U.S. are preparing to launch protest rallies in Washington, Boston, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles where Abe will be visiting while in the U.S.

Nevertheless, Abe said at a TV show in Japan on Monday that he won’t repeat previous war apologies such as “colonial rule,” “aggression,” “apology” in his August statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

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