CHINA SURGES, JAPAN QUIBBLES

Since rightists dwell in the past, perhaps it's not so strange that with all that's going on in Asia and the world, all the opportunities for mutual growth and betterment presented by China's economic successes,

"Among other signs of strength this week, retail sales in the first two months rose 14.7 percent from a year earlier. China churned out 29 percent more cars in the first two months of the year compared with a year earlier, the industrial production report showed.

Gao Shanwen, chief analyst at Everbright Securities in Shanghai, said the raft of indicators pointed to a gross domestic product growth rate of 10.5 percent for the first quarter and for 2007 as a whole. That would be the fifth straight year of double-digit expansion."

Prime Minister Abe isn't busy affirming Japan's future place in a new Asia, he's busy implying that 200,000 (predominantly) Asian comfort women are meretricious prostitutes.

"Unfortunately, Abe isn't focused on the economic outlook even as China grabs more and more of the spotlight. Instead, he's quibbling with long-accepted historical facts, such as Japan's culpability in setting up wartime brothels. He's also splitting semantic hairs at the expense of Japan's future role in the world's most vibrant region."

This retroperspective focus will beget a very costly future for Japan, cost that will not be paid by Abe et al., but by innocents who come after.

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March 29 Update: Canada gets into the Act