In response to Florian Coulmas' July 8 article, "Act of missionary hypocrisy: Is U.S. the one to censure Japan about the past?," I would like to say that Germany is an apt comparison to Japan when it comes to a nation's memory of its war crimes.
Having just returned from a trip to Berlin, I was gratified to see a number of public monuments in very prominent sites that engage the legacy of the Holocaust. I am also aware of other official and unofficial projects that I was not able to visit and know that the presence of the government-funded projects generates a broad range of responses ranging from indifference and opposition to support and active dialogue.
The German government has assumed a responsibility to cultivate an openness and civic awareness with respect to this history. Until I and others see the Japanese government promoting this level of acknowledgment, openness and courage to create public debate on its "comfort women" legacy, comparisons with Germany are inevitable.
Coulmas makes two main points: that governments should not interfere in each other's affairs and that no government is beyond reproach, especially the United States, which itself has committed unspeakable atrocities. I certainly agree with the latter point but would argue that the fear of being hypocritical is no reason to be paralyzed in making attempts to right historical wrongs and to hold nations accountable for its significant misdeeds.
An obvious precedent is the U.S. government's formal apology and payment of reparations ($20,000 each) a couple of decades ago to citizens of Japanese origin who were wrongfully interned during World War II. Individuals and government are all interconnected in this age of globalization, and the cause of justice has no boundaries.
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