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The Diplomat (15 May 2023)

Jio Kamata

Again and again, Japanese prime ministers have hesitated to go against the powerful conservative faction to offer a direct apology for Japan’s colonial period.

During his recent visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio showed sympathy for the painful past of the Korean people but did not dare to elaborate on what and who inflicted that pain upon them – Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. At a joint press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, while acknowledging his counterpart’s decision to play a leading role in thawing the bilateral relationship, Kishida expressed gratitude to the Korean public for backing those initiatives “even though they have not forgotten the painful memories of the past.”

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