Underlying the anger expressed by China and Korea is their mounting anxiety over the rising popularity of Japanese nationalism.   Japan's newly elected prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, for instance, is widely regarded as a politician who has sought to combat economic despair and social alienation by proposing an army capable of offensive military operations.   For Asian countries who have never forgotten -- or forgiven -- Japan's military expansionism, the very idea of a powerful Japanese military is unthinkable.

Contributing to these fears are a small number of Japanese youth, who, although ignorant of their nation's imperial crimes, have embraced a new political spirit that mixes punk provocation with a glorification of Japan's military power.

The truth is, the past never disappears.   In fact, it often returns to haunt us.

Japan's unwillingness to confront the dark side of its history may end up hurting its own people.   It is the young, after all, who urgently need to learn about the false promises offered by nationalism and its romanticization of national glory.