You raise many good points.  I wouldn't call it an act of war.  The Japanese only exploited the opportunities that the situation presented.  America could have acted to stop it (and still can).  The demise of our steel industry isn't ancient history.  That's happening today at the hands of Japanese and Russian dumping (among others).  America ought to wake up and DO something about it.  Anybody here think "free trade" is good for America?  Think again.  Sure, it has short term benefits for consumers.  But at what cost?



This is my experience as well.



Their society is different than ours.  In America, failure is viewed as a learning experience.  In Japan, no one takes blame for anything.  I'm not surprised that they don't want to talk about WWII...especially with Americans.  America whipped their asses.  It is not a nice subject.  Anyway, if you get to know them closely, they will open up and talk about the war.  I've found that there is a general lack of knowledge in Japan about historical events.  It is not exclusive to information about the war.  They also don't tend to care all that much about politics.

Regarding "their" actions, yes, I think the younger generations in Japan should learn from the sins of their forefathers.  But, there is no sense at all in blaming them for events which happened before they were born.  My experience is that the younger generation of Japanese can scarcely dream of having a war...nor do I think they have the stomach for it.




It tells quite a lot.  Their psyche is delicate.



Gaijin?