Japan could go a long way toward helping its neighbors overcome the poisoned past that it shares with so many of them as a result of its old imperial ambitions. Just as US President Richard Nixon’s unyielding anti-communism uniquely suited him to establish diplomatic relations with China, Abe, an affirmed nationalist, may be the Japanese politician best able to blend contrition for the past with forthrightness about the present.
在帮助邻国克服历史包袱还有很长的路要走。这些包袱很大程度上是日本昔日的帝国野心给这些国家带来的。正如美国总统尼克松不屈的反共立场使他成为与中国建立邦交的不二人选，坚定的民族主义者安倍晋三或许也正是最能够将悔悟历史与直面现实结合起来的政治家。