@Takoneko First off, an apology – you’re quite correct that Japan is not the only nation not to have apologised, and I should have worded that differently. I was wrong, and I apologise. You are correct that the USA has not apologised for Hiroshima. If it’s any consolation, I’ve never visited America, and don’t intend to either (mainly because of their crazy gun laws, but I’m happy to add to the list).
Like many women on Mumsnet, I am looking at both current events and history with a view to where women in particular are being sidelined / ignored / not prioritised / forgotten about. My disquiet with Japan is on behalf of the so-called "Comfort Women" who feel very strongly that they have not received an appropriate apology. They are seeking a legislative apology put into motion and agreed upon by a majority of the Nationa Diet (the national legislature of Japan). This type of apology would be binding, unlike official statements. So, although there is a list of official apologies that have been issued, all have fallen short of what is required by many of these women. I should have made this clearer in my original post. To answer another of your points, as to where I get my information - I read a wide range of papers, both left wing and right wing (the truth is somewhere in the middle, usually), and I watch various news channels. I lived in Hong Kong during the democracy demonstrations, and then through the implementation of the draconian national security act. I could not be further from the beliefs and ethos of the Chinese Communist Party if I tried.
Quote: "The sea water around Japan was tested extensively and stayed within safe limits." Respectfully, I disagree with this. Greenpeace have said repeatedly that the radiological risks have not been fully assessed, and the biological impacts of tritium, carbon-14, strontium-90 and iodine-129 which will also be released in the water "have been ignored".
There have also been many objections from the Japanese people themselves about this decision. Fishing unions in Fukushima have urged the government for years not to release the water, arguing it would undo work to restore the damaged reputation of their fisheries. Masanobu Sakamoto, the head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, said the group understood the release could be legally and scientifically safe but still feared reputational damage.
I don't think at this stage that we have enough information to state whether the release was safe, or not. That information will only be available in the future, as the ecological effect becomes better known.
Finally, although we accept that we disagree on many points, I appreciate your balanced and politely worded post in defence of Japan. It is pretty unusual on Mumsnet for disagreements not to descend fast into name calling and swearing, and I am grateful that you engaged in reasoned debate, and not abuse.
ありがとう