Editorial
Koizumi's apology
Never too late
THE public apology by Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for the wartime sufferings it had caused 'other Asian nations' is expected to help soothe the 'hot and sour' relationship with its important neighbour China. Recently tensions raged between the two countries over Tokyo's approval of the history book that Beijing says glosses over the atrocities committed by the Japanese military during the war. Japan's refusal to make the changes demanded by China and the accompanying violent protests in various Chinese cities on anything remotely connected to Japan did not make things any better either. Thus, the much-awaited meeting between leaders of the two countries at an international summit in Jakarta which was followed by apology from the Japanese prime minister can be described as a significant progress on mending fences between the neighbouring countries.They traded accusations and counter-accusations in the past -- China accusing Japan of failing to repent for its wartime excesses while Japan accusing China of always dwelling in the past. But now despite the differences and power game, the two sides seem keen on patching up; probably because of fears and ambitions for the future. Both the countries in a rapidly changing world, want to make their mark. Though Japan became an economic giant in Asia after the war, China's emergence as a big economic power in the contemporary commands attention. Both the countries complement each other economically -- China offers cheap labour and raw material to Japan while the latter has a huge export market in China. Japan aspires to be a permanent member of the UNSC like China, so that there is an undercurrent of rivalry between them that cannot be easily overlooked. Japan has to take careful steps from now on and stop making comments like calling China 'a scary country'. We agree with the Chinese leader Hu Jintao that both sides would lose if there was confrontation. Japan's tendering of apology over its past role is a step in the right direction, because it seek to pay a debt of remorse to history. At the same time, it could be a signal to other countries in Asia where one owes an apology to the other for reasons embedded in-not-too-distant a history. Maybe they should learn that it's never too late to say sorry.
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