Conspicuous gestures of reconciliation between nations to heal the deep emotional wounds of wars will have connotations that go beyond the symbolic. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, through his visit to Pearl Harbour this week, and U.S. President Barack Obama, with his homage at the peace memorial at Hiroshima earlier in May, have undertaken this bold and difficult journey on behalf of their peoples more than 70 years after atrocities were committed against each other during World War II. That so much time should have been lost in both instances to put the painful past behind them only speaks to the powerful presence of nationalist sensibilities that invariably distort the moral force of reconciliation. That this should have occurred only now, despite the enduring economic engagement of several decades between Washington and Tokyo, merely underscores their ticklish nature and the strong political overtones involved. In the case of Japan, the conservatives have long regarded any attempt to own up the slaughter of hundreds of U.S. marines at Pearl Harbour in 1941 as nothing but a betrayal of the national interest. In fact, in comparison, earlier visits to the naval base by Japanese leaders were relatively low-key affairs.
As for Washington, veterans of the war have seen little justification in the claim that the devastation caused by the twin nuclear bombings had to be condoled. In their view, the horror in Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a close sooner than it might otherwise have been. They have also sought to repudiate the narrative that the dropping of the atom bomb was a calculated demonstration of U.S. and western military superiority in a Cold War scenario. These competing nationalistic accounts have possibly helped the current generation in the two countries to see such views with a healthy dose of scepticism. Messrs Abe and Obama have displayed a statesmanlike readiness to rise above partisan accounts, emphasising instead the need to bridge the gulf that neither history nor geography could have narrowed. President-elect Donald Trump’s pre-election rhetoric painted a picture of Japan as a nation that ought to be prepared to invest more in its own defence. The favourable public opinion in both countries towards each other will possibly prove critical in consolidating upon the current strengths in the economic partnership and weathering the uncertainties of the future. Prime Minister Abe and President Obama have shown how history can be revisited in a realistic manner. It remains for countries grappling with their own complex pasts to draw the right lessons from this.
Source - THE HINDU
IMPORTANT WORDS FROM ARTICLE & THERE MEANINGS
1. Conspicuous (adjective) (विशिष्ट) – attracting notice or attention
Synonyms – apparent, evident
Antonyms – hidden, obscure
Ex: During the summer months, the
mosquitoes are very conspicuousnear the water.
2. Gestures (noun) (इशारों)– a movement of part of the body,
especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning
Synonyms – expression, indication
Antonyms – speech
Ex: That was a nice gesture on someone's part.
3. Reconciliation (noun) (सुलह)– the restoration of friendly relations
Synonyms – accord, agreement
Antonyms – disagreement, dissension
Ex: When the reconciliation brought my two brothers
together again, it changed our family dynamics for the better.
4. Atrocities (noun) (अत्याचार)– an extremely wicked or cruel act, typically
one involving physical violence or injury
Synonyms – barbarity, horror
Antonyms – pleasantry, kindness
Ex: Since the writer witnessed the
bloody battle firsthand, he had no trouble describing the atrocity of the event.
5. Distort (verb) (बिगाड़ना) – pull or twist out of shape
Synonyms – deceive, decline
Antonyms – preserve, improve
Ex: In order to not be recognized, the
prank caller used technology todistort his voice.
6. Betrayal (noun) (विश्वासघात)– the action of betraying one's country,
a group, or a person, treachery
Synonyms – deception, dishonesty
Antonyms – devotion, honesty
Ex: He wasn't expecting betrayal on the day of their victory.
7. Devastation (noun) (तबाही) – great destruction or damage
Synonyms – demolition, confusion
Antonyms – construction, creation
Ex: They flew over the Peak, and she
straightened to see the devastationin
the moonlight.
8. Condoled (verb) (शोक व्यक्त किया) – express sympathy for (someone),
grieve with
Synonyms – comfort, console
Antonyms – agitate, annoy
Ex: The priest came to condole with Madeleine.
9. Repudiate (verb) (परित्याग करना) – refuse to accept, reject
Synonyms – abandon, demur
Antonyms – accept, allow
Ex: Because I want to avoid the conflict
between my two sisters, Irepudiate their argument.
10. Scepticism (noun) (संदेहवाद) – a sceptical attitude, doubt as to
the truth of something
Synonyms – doubt, cynicism
Ex: The mark of these technologies is that
they are greeted with universalskepticism at first.