Financial Times
June 23, 2000
From Ko Unoki
Sir, John Howard’s position that the Australian government does not have to apologise for past abuses made against aborigines because “one generation does not take responsibility for the misdeeds of another” is quite astounding (“Australia’s enigma”, June 22). This could be taken to mean that the post-war German and Japanese governments need not have apologised to its victims of the second world war, either.
Australians were not only responsible for abuses of the mainland aborigines, but also for the genocide of the Tasmanian people.
Howard’s stance is indicative of a shameful refusal to face squarely past events. Those Japanese of the post war generation who continue to believe there is no need to apologise for the ill treatment of Australian and other allied prisoners of war during the second world war will find much to sympathise with in Howard’s stance.
Ko Unoki
Senior Fellow,
21st Century Public Policy Institute
Otemachi Building 3F,
1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
Comments