Abstract
Just days before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in the United States in late April, 24 Congressmen wrote an open letter to Kenichiro Sasae, Japans Ambassador in Washington. The letter asked the Ambassador to urge his Prime Minister to lay the foundation for healing and humble reconciliation by addressing the historical issues such as the use of comfort women by Japanese troops during World War II. Such a foundation could only be built, according to Mike Honda (D-CA), the leader of the bipartisan group of legislators, if Abe formally reaffirmed and validated previous statements and apologies on behalf of the country for Japanese actions during the war. As the group of legislators implied, anything short of that would serve only to deepen suspicions that the Japanese leader was not remorseful about his countrys history and is instead intending to whitewash it, as many of Abes Japanese critics insist
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| No. | Volume 11, Number 1 |
| Specialist publication | The American Interest |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |