In late December 2013, I visited the Capitol Hill of the United States and entered the gallery of the House of Representatives.
As I watched the floor of the House of Representatives, I remembered that this was where President Franklin Roosevelt made "the date of infamy" speech immediately after Imperial Japan made the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
In his speech, President Roosevelt said, "the United States was at peace with Japan, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific."
However, Japan suddenly attacked the Pearl Harbor.
President Roosevelt said, "Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to US Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack."
Article 1 of the 1907 Hague Convention on the Opening of Hostilities which Japan formally ratified in 1911 prohibited the initiation of hostilities against neutral powers without previous and explicit warning either in the form of a declaration of war or of an ultimatum.
Japan, as a nation, deliberately deceived the United States and slaughtered thousands of unguarded defenseless Americans. It was a sheer crime.
However, in 1941, and even today, most Japanese people regard the Pearl Harbor attack as the most brilliant and successful military operation.
Traditionally, Japanese people have been deciding and acting based upon such criteria as "victory" or "defeat" or "gain" or "loss".
As long as I know, there are seldom Japanese people who decide and act based upon a criterion of "right" or "wrong". Consequently, Japanese people cannot participate in international debates or discussions.
There is no statute of limitations about war crimes. The Japanese people should accomplish by themselves the International Military Tribunal for the Far East which was suddenly suspended in the middle of trial 70 years ago.
The video of President Franklin Roosevelt's "the date of infamy" speech is available here.
The text of President Franklin Roosevelt's "the date of infamy" speech is available here.
