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Japan’s apology a milestone, but comes too late for most who needed to hear it

George Peterson of Winnipeg is 90 and in poor health, but he buttoned up his courage, strapped on his medals and travelled to Tokyo this week to hear the government of Japan apologize for the way it brutalized him and about 1,600 other Canadian troops who were taken prisoner following the 1941 Battle of Hong Kong.

George Peterson of Winnipeg is 90 and in poor health, but he buttoned up his courage, strapped on his medals and travelled to Tokyo this week to hear the government of Japan apologize for the way it brutalized him and about 1,600 other Canadian troops who were taken prisoner following the 1941 Battle of Hong Kong.

The Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles of Canada were foolishly sacrificed by their government in the defence of Hong Kong, which was attacked by the Japanese around the same time Pearl Harbor was assaulted from the air.

Nearly 300 Canadian prisoners from Hong Kong died in prison or shortly after the end of the war as a result of the extreme cruelty of their captors.

The survivors never fully recovered, but they remained largely stoic about their experiences until the 1980s, when they first demanded an apology and compensation from Japan. Their demands were ignored, although Ottawa offered a stipend.

Over the years, Japan eventually apologized to the Americans, the Koreans and others, but still, for reasons that aren’t clear, the Canadians were ignored.

Now, after all this time, with just 30 veterans from the conflict still alive, the apology almost seems too little, too late. As well, the statement of regret was delivered by Japan’s parliamentary vice-minister of foreign affairs, a junior rank, which raises questions about the sincerity of the apology.

Unlike Germany, Japan has always rationalized its role in the war, claiming the conflict was motivated by self-defence and anti-colonial sentiment shared by many countries in the region.

Some of the handful of survivors have said the apology was meaningless after all this time, but others were grateful for it.

The apology does, however, mark another important milestone in Japan’s acknowledgment that its conduct was frequently and excessively brutal, another step in coming to terms with the past.

For the veterans and their families, the war never quite ended because the horrible memories would not go away, but hopefully their business with Japan is finally over.

May they rest in peace.

From the Winnipeg Free Press