History unfortunately is written and distorted by the victor. Hiroaki Sato, author of the Dec. 26 article "Strange how isolationist stance can ruin a politician's reputation," will find it difficult to convince his American readers that not all Japanese leaders wanted to attack Pearl Harbor and fight America.
While American history textbooks are riddled with inaccuracies that glorify America's exceptionalism and pacifism — unless pushed into a corner — history texts in Malaysia and Indonesia expose the reasons why Japan was forced to act the way it did.
Many Chinese today may hate the Japanese, but they also know that America is doing to them today what America did to Japan before the Pearl Harbor attack. They may hate to openly admit this, but America is slowly trying to put a chokehold on China's oil supplies by conquering Iraq, Libya, South Sudan and, soon, Iran. America is already stirring up trouble in South China Sea.
By [embargoes and other economic sanctions], including oil-supply chokeholds, America has consistently been at the forefront of provoking and promoting war. After all these years, I wonder what underlying philosophy drives this war-loving culture.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.