A major rule in international relations is never to make a demand that cannot be met. Having already been humiliated by China, such an apology would be politically suicidal for the Japanese government.
更让人觉得鲁莽的是，在确保船长将被释放之后，中方还要求日方做出道歉。须知外交中的一条重要守则就是永远不要提出对方无法满足的要求。对于已经遭到了羞辱的日本政府来说，做出这样的道歉无异于政治自杀。