Japan’s imperial expansion

I want to address the comment regarding the (lack of) teaching of the Second World War in Japan (Books Interview: Jared Diamond, June). Japan began its imperial expansion in the 1930s, including the brutal invasion, massacre and subjugation of Korea and China. The militarisation of Japan began with the US arrival in 1853, therefore it is more than a five-year blip, and its imperial ambitions arguably began with this humiliation. That they do not address this in their national curriculum is an ongoing refusal to acknowledge a key aspect of their national identity and is frankly abhorrent. Jen Pickett, Brechin