About Masamichi Yabuki’s Sept. 15 letter “Disturbing lack of regret by U.S.,” I admit that I am disturbed by some Japanese persistence in spinning history, and I would probably be angry if the U.S. government ever apologized for using atomic bombs on Japan. It might be said that although it was America that dropped the atomic bombs, if their use can be called a “war crime” then the possibility exists of calling it a war crime by the Japanese government against its own people for bringing the nation to that point, when their use was the only way of ending the atrocities of Japanese insanity.
You see, “regret” is a Lazy Susan. It turns both ways. This is how I tend to look at it. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were crimes by the Japanese government against its own people. I don’t blame America so much as I thank it for bringing that conflict to an emphatic end. Does that sound odd? There’s more than one kind of logic, and I suggest this conclusion is logical. Whether it’s reasonable or even accurate are different matters.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see out this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.