These days in Japan, the attention of most people has been riveted on the historic abdication of one emperor and the ascension to the throne of a new one, whose reign inaugurates the Reiwa era, by the imperial calendar.  This occasion seems appropriate for expressing appreciation for the character of Japanese people and their achievements as a nation.  I am an American citizen but have spent more than 30 years in this country and often reflect on how fortunate I am to be able to live here. This appreciation has not at all been dampened by consideration of unpleasant facts about past national wrongdoing.  Without a doubt, there have been dark periods in Japanese history, such as the period leading up to World War II.  During that interlude, a "holy war" ideology (not the one we are very familiar with nowadays) violently supplanted democratic government and inflicted much harm.  Few in Japan want a return to those...(Read Full Article)