Regarding Mizuho Aoki's Jan. 29 article, "Abe pledges to 'correct' the record on wartime sex slaves": Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making a grave error when he says "being modest does not receive recognition in the international community."
How very wrong he is. It is precisely this quality, when expressed resolutely and sincerely, that wins respect. He seems not to realize that if he, as a symbol of the nation, were to show even a morsel of sincere modesty, Japan's standing would rise immeasurably in the world.
Abe, with his backward-looking and revisionist statements and policies, is doing immense damage to the country he professes to serve and lead. He is immature, narrow-minded and incapable of exercising humility.
Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama deserves renewed recognition and praise for having had the courage and diplomatic maturity to make a sincere apology in 1995 for Japan's acts of aggression and violence during World War II.
If this country misses the chance of reaffirming a full and sincere apology this August, there is no hope of Japan attaining true international stature or winning the genuine respect and affection of the world at large.
The Tokyo Olympics will be an expensive and spiritual failure if, by the time they are held in 2020, Japan has not become a fully fledged member of the international community.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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