In the Netherlands Japanese P.M. Kaifu expressed “sincere contrition” for the “unbearable sufferings and sorrow” the Japanese army inflicted on Dutch nationals in what is now Indonesia.

- For Americans, the day Pearl Harbor went up in smoke was Dec. 7. For Japanese, on the other side of the International Date Line, it was Dec. 8. A small point, perhaps, but one with symbolic dimensions. It illustrates how the two giants focus differently on their shared…