Tahara: "...Japan is an incredible country, doing things that no other countries have ever accomplished before. For instance, look at the case of Detroit. Now Japan is helping Detroit to recover. (If) Japanese auto companies did not go there to help them, the US companies can do nothing right. Japan also help them to recover their steel industry. There are a lot of countries in this world that invade other countries, usually the ones that are invaded are totally vanquished. Japan is just the opposite. It helps other countries to recover."
Watanabe: "US dropping the A bomb indiscriminately (on civilian targets), it was because that the US from the very beginning wanted to target the civilians. Yet Americans would never apologize to the Japanese. Even their President wouldn't apologize either. Their excuse is this: because you (Japan) attacked Pearl Harbour and committed the Nanjing Massacre. But this is all wrong. First of all, the Nanjing Massacre is a lie. Pearl Harbour was looked upon as a sneak attack. But in reality it was like this: Japanese diplomat was ordered to notify the US that Japan was to sever diplomatic relation with the US at one o'clock, but he did not do so until two o'clock. He was late. The reason was that just after a party, he could not find an interpreter. So now we wish at least the Americans understand this point--that the attack on Pearl Harbour was not intentionally sneaky. Also, that the Nanjng Massacre was all fictional. These are the things that I would like the American people to know."
On the Nanjing Massacre and Pearl Harbour
Watanabe: "As for the Massacre at Nanjing, in the 1960 Encyclopaedia Britainnica, it was stated that the Japanese army in Nanjing committed unprecedented atrocities. Statement like this, if allowed to stand, is going to affect (our) countless future generations." (He then goes on to condemn the recently discovered photos of the Massacre taken by Mr. George A. Fichte as "phony and deceptive.")