New York Times criticizes Aso's recent remarks on history

NEW YORK — The New York Times in its editorial published Monday criticized Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso for his recent remarks on Japan's prewar and wartime activities, saying 'Mr Aso's sense of diplomacy is as odd as his sense of history.'

In the editorial titled 'Japan's Offensive Foreign Minister,' the Times said, 'People everywhere wish they could be proud of every bit of their countries' histories. But honest people understand that's impossible, and wise people appreciate the positive value of acknowledging and learning from painful truths about past misdeeds. Then there is Japan's new foreign minister, Taro Aso, who has been neither honest nor wise in the inflammatory statements he has been making about Japan's disastrous era of militarism, colonialism and war crimes that culminated in the Second World War,' the paper said."