RE: The Nuking of Japan
September 11, 2012 at 11:50 pm
(This post was last modified: September 12, 2012 at 12:24 am by Anomalocaris.)
The difference in the level of Repentence between Germany and Japan can easily be explained by how important such Repentence is to each country immediate postwar interests.
For Germany, bordered on one side by resurgent france, on the other by overwhelming power of the soviet union, it was absolutely vital to position herself so she becomes politically acceptable as an ally to other western european countries, particularly France. For Japan, thanks to alliance with the united states, and the extreme weakness of her Asian neighbors, really didn't need to apply herself smooth relations with other Asian countries.
Once the opportunity of the immediate postwar period is past, the domestic forces makes it much harder to change.
For Germany, bordered on one side by resurgent france, on the other by overwhelming power of the soviet union, it was absolutely vital to position herself so she becomes politically acceptable as an ally to other western european countries, particularly France. For Japan, thanks to alliance with the united states, and the extreme weakness of her Asian neighbors, really didn't need to apply herself smooth relations with other Asian countries.
Once the opportunity of the immediate postwar period is past, the domestic forces makes it much harder to change.
