During the Second World War, Germany and Japan were the scourges and the source of war on the two continents of Europe and Asia, but for more than 70 years after the war, the governments of the two countries adopted completely different attitudes towards the war that caused unprecedented devastation to mankind.
Germany has always had a clear attitude toward the history of aggression, and most politicians have dared to face history head-on, dare to bear responsibility for war crimes, and sincerely reflect and apologize. In December 1970, former West German Chancellor Brandt knelt in front of the Monument to the Jewish Martyrs in Warsaw, which touched Poland and the world and won international praise. On the other hand, the Japanese Government has adopted an ambiguous attitude of avoidance and prevarication on the issue of war responsibility.
For more than half a century, the people of East Asia have never stopped condemning Japan, but with little effect. Why, half a century later, is it that the attitudes of Germany and Japan are so different in the face of their own history? From the perspective of historical origins, the two countries have an essential difference in their ability to bear errors and reflect.
Germany
Historically, we have suffered setbacks, we can afford to lose, and we often introspect ourselves
The inhabitants of present-day Germany are often referred to as Germans, but the Germans were not the earliest inhabitants of German land. They originally lived in northern Germany and in the southern part of the Scandinavian half-bird. The cold climate and barren land nurtured their exuberant survival instincts. In order to survive, they fought endlessly, encroached on land everywhere, plundered food, and from the barbaric era, they produced the "millennium dream" of world domination.
For more than 1,000 consecutive years, the Germans became fearsome and loyal warriors, but it also caused many years of feudalism and intrigue in German history, resulting in the "Millennium Dream" being shattered by the ruthless reality again and again, and every time the dream was shattered, Germany suffered a humiliation. In particular, the fiasco of the First World War, Germany was very harshly liquidated by the Entente Group, which greatly humiliated the Germans, who had a strong sense of honor and discipline.
Japan is a closed island country, arrogant and inferior, and cannot afford to lose
Japan is an island country surrounded by the sea on all sides, and in ancient times, when navigation technology was not developed, it had a natural security barrier, and unless the Japanese took the initiative to introduce and learn, it was difficult for foreign influences to enter. In Japan's history, the Yamato State, which had basically unified Japan, had twice invaded the Korean Peninsula in order to plunder wealth and slaves, and plundered a large amount of wealth and land, resulting in the expansionist trend of thought spreading among the Japanese aristocratic class that had tasted sweetness.
The relatively closed geopolitical environment and the history of aggression have given rise to the so-called "island mentality" of the Japanese people, which is both arrogant and arrogant, inferior and self-pitying, full of a sense of crisis and angry and strong. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan's national strength increased greatly, and the arrogance that had long been precipitated in the depths of its national character was completely exposed, and the victory in the Sino-Japanese War made its aggressive ambitions expand sharply, and then launched a series of expansion wars.
To sum up, in the course of historical development over the past thousand years, Germany has suffered setbacks, experienced countless great sorrows and great joys, and has a stronger ability to withstand than Japan. However, Japan has been closed for many years, the national experience is relatively flat, even if the foreign aggression suffers setbacks, it will not affect the mainland at all, and the entire nation rarely admits its mistakes, let alone introspect itself.