Regarding the Jan. 12 Kyodo article "Abe Yasukuni trip aim not lost on U.S. leaders": It is extremely regrettable that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a surprise visit to the war-related Yasukuni (Dec. 26). He said it was not his intention to hurt the feelings of Chinese and Koreans, but the visit did hurt people in Asia.
I think Abe should first visit victims of Japan's wartime aggression in Asia, then visit our war dead.
Since the end of World War II, we have protected basic human rights and built up democracy. Though I sometimes find militarism sparking up momentarily in some people, almost all Japanese feel remorse for the past.
Now that 68 years have passed since the war ended, we would like to apologize to the souls of all the war dead and to their survivors. In doing so, we recognize our lack of citizen courage during the war years.
We are always ready to find constructive ways to improve relations with other countries in Asia and to promote cooperation in advancing our shared goals of regional peace and stability.
We ask for your friendship.
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.