When President Obama decided to visit Hiroshima for the first time, people of the US concerned if Japanese people would ask for apologize and make things clear. It happened because two cultures are very different.
People who suffered from two a-bombs want to be understood rather to be apologized. However understanding is a difficult concept. In Japanese language “wakaru” -understanding contains two perspectives – logic and emotion. If you don’t share feelings with others, they wouldn’t think they are understood. Japanese people is more group oriented and an emotional tie has more valued.
Apologizing requires two parties – “you” and “I”. On the other hands, emotional understand makes a emotionally tied group of “us”. In Japanese “wakari-au” – understanding each other or developing mutual undersign is an important step to become “us”. Oneness is a beauty of Japanese culture.
At the same time, in group oriented cultures, people feels uncomfortable when mutual understanding is not developed and people cross the line. 70 years ago, Japanese wanted to develop mutual understanding with Koreans but Korean felt they are just interfered their uniqueness. “Wakari-au” culture has no respect to individuals because it focus more on groups.
It is interesting enough that Korean students studying in Japan may feel they are rejected because Japanese culture is more independent than Korean culture. So Japanese has moderate group oriented culture. which is stronger than westerners but weaker than Korean and Chinese.
Japanese group oriented culture has been developed over years. Avoid to cross lines between you and I because there is no space to escape when people can’t get along with each other. Japanese learned that from a civil war which happened about 400 years ago. In stronger group oriented cultures you can’t change a group.
Of cause, President can use the opportunity to state his position and beliefs when clear statements appear in West world but he doesn’t need to state words to “wakaru” with HIroshima and Nagasaki survivors when emotional aspect is important.
If you want to remove wars and nuclear weapons, it would be a good idea to learn from “wakari-au” concept. The world got too small for fight to survive like Japan of 400 years ago and wiser to understand each others.