The only formal apology offered for Japan's misdeeds was made in 1994 by a Socialist prime minister, Tomiichi Murayama. It was not approved by the Diet because of resistance from the LDP, then in a short-lived alliance with the Socialists. In terms of escaping the past, the contrast between the Axis allies Germany and Japan could not be more striking. As a result of the textbook furore, its bureaucrats are now engaged in an arcane debate with South Korean politicians and academics over whether or not soldiers deployed by the Yamato Court had established a permanent base on Korean soil in the 4th century. The same two sides are trying to find common ground over the rationale behind Japan's forced annexation of Korea in the early part of the 20th century.
Unanimity is impossible.
It's a common response. Most Japanese have been simply exhausted by the debate. Extreme groups find it easy to grab attention in the mainstream silence. The problem is that Japan suffers.