--- title: Japanese Prime Minister's Non Apology for World War II Is Damaging description: The simple words 'I'm sorry' can help those affected heal canonical: https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/ author: Rabbi David Wolpe article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-14T16:44:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:09.466Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Japanese Prime Minister's Non Apology for World War II Is Damaging og:description: The simple words 'I'm sorry' can help those affected heal og:url: https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf619bead8febeaaf/69885f3d5f570f7a1db1ceb7/shinzo-abe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Shinzo Abe og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Japanese Prime Minister's Non Apology for World War II Is Damaging twitter:description: The simple words 'I'm sorry' can help those affected heal twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf619bead8febeaaf/69885f3d5f570f7a1db1ceb7/shinzo-abe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Japanese Prime Minister's Non Apology for World War II Atrocities Is Damaging > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=9ca4e06e-693e-4639-af61-31186bba85c0&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Know Right Now: Mitsubishi Apologizes For Using U.S. Soldiers as Slave Labor During WW2 [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Mitsubishi Apologizes For Using U.S. Soldiers as Slave Labor During WW2](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/E0fSzBuY.m3u8) (1:05)  _Published 2015-07-20. Executives of the Japanese firm Mitsubishi Materials issued a formal apology on Sunday to the American soldiers who were forced to work in the company’s mines while prisoners during World War II._ by [Rabbi David Wolpe](https://time.com/author/rabbi-david-wolpe/) ## Rabbi David Wolpe Aug 14, 2015 4:44 PM UTC  Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a news conference to deliver a statement marking the 70th anniversary of World War Two's end, at his official residence in Tokyo Aug. 14, 2015. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a news conference to deliver a statement marking the 70th anniversary of World War Two's end, at his official residence in Tokyo Aug. 14, 2015. Toru Hanai—Reuters by [Rabbi David Wolpe](https://time.com/author/rabbi-david-wolpe/) ## Rabbi David Wolpe Aug 14, 2015 4:44 PM UTC How many Americans remember [Iran Air Flight 655](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/10/16/the-forgotten-story-of-iran-air-flight-655/)? It was a civilian plane that was shot down by the U.S. navy ship Vincennes in 1988\. In this terrible accident, 290 people, including 66 children, were [killed](http://www.slate.com/articles/news%5Fand%5Fpolitics/war%5Fstories/2014/07/the%5Fvincennes%5Fdowning%5Fof%5Firan%5Fair%5Fflight%5F655%5Fthe%5Funited%5Fstates%5Ftried%5Fto.html). At the time, Vice President George H.W. Bush [said](http://m.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/18/1314985/--I-Will-Never-Apologize-Iran-Flight-665-Shot-Down-290-Dead): “I will never apologize for the United States — I don’t care what the facts are. … I’m not an apologize-for America kind of guy.” Nations have a hard time apologizing for wrongdoing. It seems humiliating when they also have complaints and grievances against others. This week, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe [said](http://www.wsj.com/articles/japans-abe-expresses-condolences-on-war-anniversary-1439545449) that Japan has repeatedly expressed remorse, but he did not say “I’m sorry.” He acknowledged the infliction of “immeasurable damage and suffering,” but he also said that “we must not let our children, grandchildren, and even future generations to come, who have nothing to do with the war, be predestined to apologize.” The prime minister of a country that did “immeasurable damage” is not himself part of future generations to come. He is the symbol of a nation that, in living memory, committed unspeakable atrocities on a large scale. The fear of apologizing too much is unwise; the solicitude for the apology of future generations rather than the hurt of present ones is unworthy, and the refusal to speak the simple words “I’m sorry” is wounding. The one who hurts should break out of the confines of swagger and defensiveness. I think Iran is a dangerous regime—Iranians seek to destroy much that I hold dear. Nonetheless, when we accidentally kill civilians, as we did in 1988, we should apologize to them. President Bill Clinton’s administration [finally expressed](http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/79/11131.pdf) “deep regret” in 1996\. [Apologizing](http://time.com/3992721/politics-and-apologies/) is part of being a grown-up nation. Japan did terrible things to people who are still alive, and whose children have suffered from the legacy in powerful ways. That the prime minister cannot bring himself to say the words “I’m sorry” does them no credit. Psalm 51:17 teaches: “A broken and contrite heart, dear God, You will not despise.” To humble oneself is not an act of humiliation, but one of spiritual grandeur. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/"},"headline":"Japanese Prime Minister's Non Apology for World War II Atrocities Is Damaging","datePublished":"2015-08-14T16:44:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:58:09.466Z","description":"The simple words 'I'm sorry' can help those affected heal","url":"https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/","keywords":["world affairs"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf619bead8febeaaf/69885f3d5f570f7a1db1ceb7/shinzo-abe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rabbi David Wolpe","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rabbi-david-wolpe/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf619bead8febeaaf/69885f3d5f570f7a1db1ceb7/shinzo-abe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Shinzo Abe","caption":"Shinzo Abe","creditText":"Toru Hanai—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/world-affairs/","name":"world affairs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/","name":"Japanese Prime Minister's Non Apology for World War II Atrocities Is Damaging"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Mitsubishi Apologizes For Using U.S. Soldiers as Slave Labor During WW2","description":"Executives of the Japanese firm Mitsubishi Materials issued a formal apology on Sunday to the American soldiers who were forced to work in the company’s mines while prisoners during World War II.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/E0fSzBuY/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-20T08:00:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/E0fSzBuY.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/","duration":"PT1M5S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3997990/japanese-prime-minister-apology/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```