Dear Trencherman,
Thank you for clarifying. I am not an apologist for Japan, but I believe that the events that led to Japan's nationalism and enslavement of other Asian countries are complex. I can sympathize with your concerns.
I would add that few countries ever admit, explain, or apologize for their past atrocities. My own country, the US, is only three hundred years old, yet the number of atrocities it has committed is staggering. However, being victorious, it has not had to or been asked to do the kind of soul-searching we have demanded of the Germans or Japanese.