This line of argument was used in the suits concerning Nazi-era abuses by German corporations and Swiss banks. However, the Japanese government and at least one Japanese court have explicitly rejected it. And so far, the government appears adamant that its position is legally and morally justified. After huge battles, Japanese textbooks now include brief descriptions of its invasions and wartime atrocities. And in 1995, then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama issued an apology, expressing deep remorse for the tremendous damage inflicted by Japanese aggression.
Critics note that the parliament has refused to adopt a similar apology.
In a recent interview, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sadaaki Numata noted that under Article 16 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan s overseas holdings were liquidated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and that the proceeds were used for reparations. Britain distributed some of the money to former POWs. But the U.S., which was then fighting the Korean War and saw Japan as an Asian bulwark against communism, waived payment of the reparation funds to American POWs. The treaty states that the Allies waive all reparations claims . . . Interpretation Numata said Japan and its nationals clearly includes corporations.