Only after Japan finishes its redemption and continues with its serious reflection about its ignominious war crimes can it achieve real reconciliation with the rest of the world, says an article in the People’s Daily. Excerpts:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in his recent trip to the United States that a strong Japan is coming back. His wish is in line with Japan’s intentions to become a “normal country”. The whole world should be aware that as Japan wholeheartedly apologizes for its crimes in World War II, Japan’s military rise, a crucial step of its normalization process, will be a threat to the world.

Japan should know that the main obstacle for its normalization process is not any other country, but itself. Japan must ensure that all its neighbors are confident with its intentions to develop peacefully together with the other countries. Or it won’t have a welcoming environment for its normalization process.

International relations have its moral principles. An irresponsible and forgetful Japan will not be accepted as a normal country by the international community, even if it thinks so itself.