From Third World to First: Japan tut sich schwer
Lee Kuan Yew hatte sein lebenlang immer ein ambivalentes Verhältnis zu Japan und zur japanischen Kultur. Einerseits bewunderte er die Disziplin, Organisationsfähigkeit und Intelligenz der Japaner; andererseits waren seine Erlebnisse mit dem brutalen Vorgehen und den Massakern der Japaner an den Chinesen während der Besatzungszeit im 2. Weltkrieg sehr intensiv. So schreibt er: “For me and those of my generation, the deepest and strongest imprint the Japanese left on us was the horror of the occupation years. Those memories are indelible.” Trotzdem hies es für ihn immer, dass man die Vergangenheit hinter sich lassen soll und in die Zukunft schauen. Auch wenn er die langjährige Weigerung der Japaner für Worte der Entschuldigung immer kritisiert hat. Aber geduldig immer wieder einmal das Thema der Verantwortung der Japaner bei Gräueltaten während der Besatzungszeit ansprechend, kamen immer mehr Entschuldigungsgesten und das Bewusstsein zur Verantwortung seitens der japanischen Regierenden. So sogar von beteiligten Militärs: “When he [Yasuhiro Nakasone - japanischer Ministerpräsident, Anm. von mir] visited Singapore in 1983, I recounted that 10 years previously, in that same cabinet room, General Ichiji Sugita (retired), who as a lieutenant colonel had helped to plan General Tomoyuki Yamashita’s invasion of Malaya, had apologized to me for his role. He had returned in 1974 and 1975 together with his surviving officer colleagues to brief Singapore Armed Forces officers on their experiences during the campaign in Malaya and their final assault on and capture of Singapore. Much had taken place in the Istana since General Yamashita stayed there after he captured it. We must not allow ourselves to be blinkered by the past but work toward a future free of suspicions. He expressed in English his «heartfelt gratitude» for my position.”
Und es war dann Toshiki Kaifu, der als erster japanischer Ministerpräsident 1990 das Zögern bei der Aufarbeitung der Vergangenheit beendete: “Kaifu made the first break with the past in a memorable speech in Singapore in May 1990. He expressed «sincere contrition at past Japanese actions, which inflicted unbearable suffering and sorrow upon a great many people in the Asia Pacific region... The Japanese people are firmly resolved never again to repeat those actions, which had tragic consequences...» It was just short of an apology. He spoke with candor and realism.”
Die Skepsis gegenüber militärischen Engagement von Japan in Südostasien blieb aber bei Lee wegen seiner Erlebnisse, was ihn auch schon mal zu zugespitzten Bemerkungen veranlasste: “The media had quoted me in 1991: Letting the Japanese rearm for UN peacekeeping operations in Cambodia was like «giving liqueur chocolates to an alcoholic.»... Miyazawa [Kiichi Miyazawa - japanischer Ministerpräsident, Anm. von mir] asked me what I had meant. I replied that it was difficult to change Japanese culture... if Japan wanted to play its part as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, its neighbors must feel it was trustworthy and dependable as a force for peace.” Denn auch künftige Ministerpräsidenten von Japan taten sich schwer mit dem Eingeständnis zu den Greueltaten und einer Entschuldigung an die Länder, welche zahlreiche Opfer zu beklagen hatten. Bei Lee stieß diese zögerliche Haltung auf Unverständnis: “Hashimoto [Ryutaro Hashimoto - japanischer Ministerpräsident, Anm. von mir] expressed his «deepest regrets» on the 52nd anniversary of the end of World War II (1997) and his «profound remorse» during his visit to Beijing in September 1997. However, he did not apologize, as the Chinese and Koreans wished Japans’s leader to do. I do not understand why the Japanese are so unwilling to admit the past, apologize for it, and move on. For some reason, they do not want to apologize. To apologize is to admit having done a wrong. To express regrets or remorse merely expresses their present subjective feelings... Whatever the future may hold for Japan and Asia, to play their role as an economic modernizer and UN peacekeeper, the Japanese must first put this apology issue to rest. Asia and Japan must move on.”