Who is responsible

Theresa Morris-Suzuki has an article in this week's Japan Focus about the Yomiuri (Newspaper) project (and book) about responsibility in WW2. I have not yet read this book, but did spend a little time skimming through it at a bookstore, and it seems to pull very few punches on attributing responsibility accurately for Japan in WW2. This is somewhat surprising as Yomiuri is considered a conservative newspaper---right-wing by some. Again, I have not read it so my impression is little more than just that. Morris-Suzuki's atricle explains much more and even mentions that there is also another volume not translated into English. That one seems truly interesting.

She also gives a short history of the Japanese government's (esp the LDP) lack of addressing its WW2 actions and the debate within Japan as early as the 50s concerning Hirohoto's responsibility. Not everyone in the country buys the right-wing's distortions and excuses. Hopefully, the present climate in which the right-wing revisionism seems to be spreading won't take hold deeply and folks like Abe, Aso, Fujiwara (I apologize for mentioning Fujiwara as he is a lightweight, but his book was/is popular in Japan), and others in the LDP and elsewhere of similar ilk.

The article is HERE.