Snowshoe,
The more reliant the Western economies become on China, the less outspoken we'll be. It is obvious to me why Koizumi visits Yasukuni (across the street from my old Tokyo home, actually) and why the references to the war have been removed from the textbooks.
It is obvious to the Japanese leaders, particularly after Tianamen, that China is no prince either. Japan could reload their military quite quickly, and considering the huge waste in public works projects, there are quite a few 'imperialists' left who would love to see Japan remililitarize. If they print everything about the war, they won't get the support of the Japanese people to remilitarize because of one single national trait.
Shame.
Removing these crimes from the textbooks removes the shame, and makes Japan stronger against a future, more dangerous China.
For now, though, it is about business, so Koizumi goes to China and apologizes for the umpteenth time but doesn't agree to halt drilling in the disputed islands.
Because, as George Bush knows so well, you can't run a war without energy. Energy comes first.
D |
