JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has lost an important opportunity to mend ties with Japan’s neighbors.

    In his address to the U.S. Congress, Abe said that the postwar path Japan has been pursuing is based on “deep remorse” over World War II and that Japan’s “actions” brought “suffering to people in Asian countries.”

    However, Abe showed his true colors by using “actions” instead of “aggression and colonial rule,” and “deep remorse” rather than “heartfelt apology” in an apparent effort to dilute the country’s wartime atrocities.

    Abe’s planned statement on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII this summer has already triggered concerns from China and South Korea since the hawkish leader hinted that he would not repeat such keywords used by his predecessors.

    The Japanese leader must understand that Japan, as a country that inflicted tremendous pain and damage to Asia during WWII, should first seek reconciliation with its Asian neighbors.

    Without offering an apology, Abe lost an important chance to mend ties with its neighbors, thus clouding the future of East Asia.

    Li Qian via email