Far Eastern Economic Review
LETTERS
September 16, 2004
Jody Wong’s letter (“Awaiting an Apology,” Aug. 26) is hard to fathom. Many in China demand a “proper” apology from Japan over atrocities committed by the Japanese military during World War II. But have the Chinese apologized to the Tibetans? Or to the Uyghurs? Or to the Vietnamese? And has the Chinese government ever “properly” apologized to the Chinese people for the insanity of the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, or the Tiananmen Massacre?
Wong should know that the Japanese government has acknowledged its past wrongdoings—something the Chinese government has never done to its victims. To paraphrase Wong, a civilized nation such as China should apologize for its mistakes, no matter what.
KO UNOKI
Tokyo
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