INSTEAD OF CRITICIZING Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for not reflecting on his country's bloody World War II history in his Aug 14 statement, Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario hailed the "strong friendship" between Manila and Tokyo. In a statement on Saturday, del Rosario said Japan had "acted with compassion" since the war, which had resulted in a relationship "characterized by trust and unfailing support in so many fields". Comments:

An apology is certainly not the magic wand of regional reconciliation, but it is na?ve to think it doesn't matter. Revisionists complain that Japan has already apologized numerous times, but they overlook the fact that prominent conservatives always publicly repudiate every apology, thereby keeping Japan behind the eight ball of history. Regrettably, such revisionists are trying to nurture self-righteous nationalism from an airbrushed past, oblivious to the damage they are inflicting on Japan's reputation. Whose trust do they imagine they are winning? What honor is gained by shirking responsibility?

Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies, Temple University, Japan, Aug 15