August 6, 2015 – Hiroshima marks 70 years since atomic bomb (BBC)
A ceremony, attended by PM Shinzo Abe, was held at Hiroshima’s memorial park before thousands of lanterns are released on the city’s Motoyasu river.
April 15, 2015 – “After 70 years, over 40 percent of Germans want closure on Nazi past” (Reuters)
“Seventy years after the end of World War Two, some 42 percent of Germans want to draw a line under the Nazi past, a poll showed on Wednesday, as the nation’s complex legacy continues to shape its international role and…
April 15, 2015 – “For the U.S. and Japan, legacy of WWII is still painful” (Pew Research Center)
“Nearly a third of Americans cite World War II as the event that stands out when they think about relations between the United States and Japan, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. By contrast, only 17%…
April 14, 2015 – “How Strong Is the U.S.-Japan Relationship?” (Foreign Policy)
“The friendship between Washington and Tokyo has come a long way in 70 years, but a rising China could throw a wrench in the works.”
April 7, 2015 – “Pew: Japan And U.S. Respect Each Other And Distrust China” (NPR)
“Today, most Americans say they’re pleased with the state of U.S.-Japan relations. In a new survey by the Pew Research Center, more than 8 in 10 Americans said they prefer that the two nations remain close or get closer. Three-quarters…
April 15, 2015 – “History tops agenda at Kono’s meeting with Li” (Japan Times)
“Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono on Tuesday and praised him for the “courage and sense of responsibility” he showed as a politician in addressing history when he was in the government in 1993.”
April 15, 2015 – “South Korea, Japan hold first ‘two plus two’ talks in five years” (Japan Times)
“South Korea and Japan held their first high-level security talks in more than five years on Tuesday, despite simmering tensions over territorial and historical disputes. Resuming the “two plus two” talks, which include the two nations’ foreign and defense officials,…
April 14, 2015 – “China welcomes Japan official who apologised over `comfort women`” (Zeenews India)
“Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday praised the former Japanese government official who issued a landmark apology over the wartime sexual slavery of Asian women, hailing his “bravery” in facing history. Li greeted a trade delegation led by Yohei Kono, who…
April 14, 2015 – “POINT OF VIEW: Despite frustrations, Japan must make effort to end negative spiral” (Asahi)
By Matsui Ken: “…Japan must now look calmly at its relations with neighboring nations that have worsened in recent years and make tenacious efforts to end its negative spiral.”