Under strong international pressure in the 1980’s and 1990’s – to which I hope I contributed as Australia’s foreign minister – a series of powerful apologies were in fact offered. Notable among them was then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono’s statement in 1993 on the issue of Korea’s “comfort women,” and Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama’s expression, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the World War II, of “deep remorse” and “heartfelt apology.”
日本的情况则更为复杂。在二十世纪八九十年代强大的国际舆论压力下（我希望时任澳大利亚外长的我也在其中发挥了作用），日本其实曾经作出过一系列诚恳的道歉举动。其中最著名的是时任内阁官房长官河野洋平1993年就韩国“慰安妇”问题发表的声明，以及首相村山富市在二战结束五十周年之际所表达的“深刻的反省”和“由衷的歉意”。