Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he would send a message to the world during his visit to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii that Japan will never repeat the atrocities of past wars.

Which, as far as it goes, is a message that can be welcomed by all, especially Japan's neighbors which have been the main victims.

However, as is so often the case with Abe when it comes to this period in his country's imperialistic history, it attempts to hide more than it shows, since atrocities such as the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor were symptoms of the illness rather than the cause.