Japan must face up to its actions during the Second World War if it is serious about building better relations with its neighbours, Angela Merkel warned on Monday.
The German chancellor is on a two-day official to Japan, but her comments are unlikely to be welcomed by Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, whose conservative views on Tokyo’s war crimes are under scrutiny.
“Germany was lucky to be accepted in the community of nations after the horrible experience that the world had to meet with Germany during the period of National Socialism (Nazism) and the Holocaust,” Mrs Merkel said in a public lecture hosted by the left-leaning Asahi newspaper.
“This was possible first because Germany did face its past squarely, but also because the Allied Powers who controlled Germany after the Second World War would attach great importance to Germany coming to grips with its past.”
“One of the great achievements of the time certainly was reconciliation between Germany and France ... The French have given just as valuable a contribution as the Germans have.” » | Julian Ryall in Tokyo | Monday, March 09, 2015
