From: blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: An open letter to the Emperor Akihito of Japa
Date: 21 Aug 92 15:58:16 GMT
Reply-To: blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Organization: Horizon Research


=> In article <7076@bigbird.hri.com.hri.com> 
=> blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert) writes:
=> >Never expect an apology from someone that knows you hate
=> >them. They will not see any point in making an apology,
=> >and will assume the demand for an apology is only a part of
=> >your revenge. Please excuse them if they therefore deny the
=> >validity of your revenge by not giving an apology that will,
=> >in any case, be ignored.... and yet another demanded.

In article <1992Aug20.174026.4304@island.COM>, 
fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:
=> Of course, this completely overlooks the profuse and extensive apologies 
=> Germany has given since the end of the war. Note: they have also
donated a lot
=> money to (especially Israel and Eastern nations) those they consider them-
= > selves to have harmed. I don't recall that they ever demanded that the 
=> apology be accepted in return.

I hope I didn't create some misunderstanding here. I truly hope
that by making some sort of acceptable apology, the Japanese
government could make better relations with her neighbors.
Previously I asked readers what this apology might consist of.
I got only one thoughtful response. 

It seems that actually an apology is *not* what many people really
want at all. Their call for apology is a call for sympathy and
lack of an apology seems to be one excuse for their hate. For
these people (and I note it's not everyone), I feel any apology
will not be acceptable in any case. At least I have not seen many
words that lead me to believe that an apology would go a long
way toward making peace with the past, or real understanding
between peoples.

If they Japanese government could apologize, I wish they would.
But I have some feeling that even if they did, it wouldn't be
generally accepted as "enough", and therefore they - for all
practical purposes - can't apologize. In other words, even if 
they did, they wouldn't get much acknowledgement or acceptance.

=> >Please keep your hate to yourself until you can decide
=> >exactly what it is you hate. If you hate the past, then
=> >so be it, but please don't carry your hate into the future,
=> >or you are no better than what you hate. 
 
=> I believe they have decided what it is they hate.

Not my assessment. I believe they hate the events of
the past, surely, but are carrying that hate through
hate's own momentum into other sectors and into the
present and future, for which Japanese government
apologies have no relevence. They can only apologize
for the past.

An apology will be no cure for the hate of these 
generations. An apology, well thought out and well
intentioned, could be laid out for future generations
to find, and be well used to help make a peaceful world.

Mainly for this reason, I truly wish the Japan of today
would apologize for yesterday. But it will be for 
tomorrow, because those who have been wronged won't
accept it today. Some will.... seems most won't. For
truly what they want today is recognition. The demanded
apology is part of that recognition, but won't seen as
an apology.... at least until much the hate fades, or
is absorbed.

Sorry if I wasn't clear on this, but I assume that everyone
can read my mind by now :-)

- Bill Lambert