Tokyo uses trade and aid to expunge old memories in the region
For many Asians, the notion of a strong, assertive Japan on their doorstep provokes a shudder. World War II has been over for nearly four decades, but the image of the swaggering Japanese conquerors who occupied and on occasion brutalized neighboring countries under the imperialistic banner of the "Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" remains vivid. As recently as 1974, the visit of former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to Indonesia incited bloody street riots in the capital city of Jakarta. The Japanese...
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