Thread: American Children Sent To Apologize to Japan

Japanese students moved by reconciliation trip
atomic bombings: Tacoma-area native has students in Japan study trip

Japanese students at a junior high school near Hiroshima are studying and reacting to a Tacoma group’s upcoming trip to Japan seeking forgiveness for the U.S. atomic bombing of their city 64 years ago.

Tacoma-area native Marc Milsten is having students in one of his English classes study an article that appeared in The News Tribune about the trip. He wants the teens to understand the viewpoints of Americans.

Some of the ninth-grade Japanese students said they were moved – even surprised – Americans would travel to Japan for this purpose. Some students also acknowledged their country’s responsibility and one student said Japan should apologize first because it started the war.

The group of 138 ninth-graders at Ohno Higashi Junior High School is studying about peace and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Milsten, 30, is a graduate of Tacoma Baptist High School and Pacific Lutheran University. He has lived in the Hiroshima area and taught English to Japanese students for nearly four years.

Sixteen people – most from the Tacoma area – will travel to Japan later this month to acknowledge and ask forgiveness for the destruction caused by the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The interfaith group will be in Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9 to attend anniversary ceremonies remembering the attacks. The group calls the trip a “Journey of Repentance.â€

Interesting...does the words Pearl Harbor or perhaps the Tripartite Treaty mean anything Rev. Bill Bichsel, the leader of the Tacoma group?

When do we get our apology? Or is this another one of those world tours under the guise, it's all America's fault?

for attrocities like those that happened to the men on Wake Island (after the battle), battan death march, etc etc etc. Where is the apology to the chinese who suffered a veritable holocaust themselves under the Japanese from the early 1930s all the way to the end of WW2?

This is just pathetic. I love the japanese but we have NOTHING to apologise for...

Isnt it great that there are those that want to continue the Obama apology tour ?

Americans are in the wrong and to blame about everything right? Down on your knees and beg for forgiveness of all others on the planet.

America is being conquered and our children are being taught that they are responsible for the actions of bad people.

How many Americans would have died if we were forced to invade Japan to end the war Japan started?

After we lost about 30,000 troops in Okinawa I think the estimates are that invading Japan would have cost us millions of American lives.

Atomic bombs are horrible weapons that should almost never be used, but Japan's refusal to surrender necessitated their use to save countless American lives.

If anyone should apologize it is Japan for starting the war with America and bombing Hawaii and I would never demand or expect or even appreciate them sending little children here to apologize for that.

The far left liberals responsible for this need to be out of the classrooms and their filthy paws need to be off of the minds of our children.

W

This is ridiculous! I didn't know these kids were directly responsible for the A-Bomb, but even then an apology was not warranted. How about we get Japanese kids to come to America so they can apologize for Pearl Harbor?

USAFVeteran, you live in Japan and have a Japanese wife, what is the consensus over there?

If anyone should apologize it is Japan for starting the war with America and bombing Hawaii and I would never demand or expect or even appreciate them sending little children here to apologize for that.

It is total BS to apologize for bombing them. America got caught with it's pants down, so to speak, when Pear Harbor was bombed. Anyone ever been to the USS Arizona memorial? It is very moving, especially to see that endless trail of fuel/oil still coming from the sunken ship....like it refuses to let the memory die. I went and my eyes filled with tears when I saw that. Japan should apologize to us for starting the damn fight to begin with. So should the terrorists who killed 3000 on 9-11. I won't be holding my breath for either to take that high road.

I think I'm going to be sick. I seem to be sick alot lately.

so Milsten lived in one of the towns that was bombed.
i guess this is why he wants to go back....

DUDE stay there if you love it so damn much
and make them apologize for pearl harbor, if they dont,
yiou have no reason speaking for america or the american people

I live in Japan, love Japan and the people, but will NEVER apologize for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (even at the cost of offending my wife and her relatives). Japan started the war. Enemies, BE AWARE! Don't start something without considering the consequences.

My Japanese wife, relatives, and I agree not to discuss this topic because we will never agree although each year on the anniversary, it's consistently on Japanese tv. BTW, my wife's mother's brother was on a ship that the U.S. sank. She feels sorry for her brother but admits it was the JAPANESE EMPEROR'S fault, NOT the U.S.