如何理解日本人的“不道歉”？
How to Understand the Japanese Unapologetic Attitude?
文、译/林巍1
〔1〕同是战败国，德国和日本对于二战的反省态度截然不同，常让世人拿来比较、评论2。
[1] People often compare and comment on the contrasting attitudes to self-examination over World War II, of Germany and Japan as the two vanquished countries.
〔2〕在德国，我到书店、图书馆看到最多的，还是对二战反思的书籍。政治家、议员及各行各业普通人，从自我检讨3开始，深挖根源，而德国总理还对波兰犹太人死难者纪念碑下跪。到了日本，则不同，二战中日本人在海外做的那些事，几乎成了禁忌话题，偶尔涉及到，长者也会对年轻人说：“那是过去的事了，今天的日本人早就改正4了。”而不断让人加深印象的，是日本遭受了两颗原子弹，死了几十万人——是个受害国！
[2] In the bookstores and libraries of Germany, I found more books concerning introspection over World War II than any other kind. It seems that everybody is still doing their soul-searching, including politicians, representatives and folks in the street, and the German Prime Minister knelt down in front of a monument in Poland honoring the Jewish victims killed by Nazi troops. In Japan, the situation is completely different, where what the Japanese did in World War II seems to have become a taboo topic. When occasionally it is brought up, the elderly normally say to the youngsters: “It was a thing of the past; it has nothing to do with today’s Japanese who have completely transformed themselves.” Meanwhile, the impression that Japan is a victim of the war has been deepened by the repeated emphasis on the two atomic bombs Japan suffered that killed several hundred thousand Japanese.
〔3〕二战中，日本仅对华侵略，就造成三千五百余万中国人死伤，经济损失一千五百亿美元，还不算对其他亚洲国家、美国及澳洲的轰炸、破坏等。这些受侵略国家的人民要求日本政府道歉、赔偿，理所当然，但日本当局的态度始终暧昧，甚至死不认错，让人失望、气愤、不解。其原因，除了政治上的（如二战结束时未追究日本天皇的责任、保留了其君主立宪体制等5），还有很深的文化根源。我因在日本生活过，也有一些日本朋友和亲戚，故对此略有感悟6。
[3] During World War II, the Japanese invasion of China alone caused 35 million Chinese casualties and 150 billion dollars of financial loss, not to mention the damage to other Asian countries, the United States and Australia, as a result of Japanese bombing. It is therefore perfectly legitimate for those countries’ people to demand an apology and compensation from the Japanese government, which has, however, constantly disappointed, confused and even provoked the claimants by their stubborn refusal. The reasons for all this, I think, are to be found in their root causes. Apart from the flawed political settlement at the end of the war, where the Emperor of Japan wasn’t held responsible for the war and the constitutional monarchy remained, traditional Japanese culture and sentiment may reveal more of the truth. And my experience of living in Japan and affinity for Japanese friends and relatives of mine, may also provide some assistance in understanding the issue.
〔4〕按照学术界对文化属性的分类，西方的基督教文化是一种“罪感文化”，日本的集体主义文化是一种“耻感文化”7。罪感的基础，建立在人的内在道德标准，而耻感的制约，则来自外部的强大压力；其主要区别在于如何对待他人对自己的评价，以及所作出的不同反应。
[4] World cultures, according to academic studies, can be divided in this way: Christian culture in the West is deemed to be a “guilt culture” based on a person’s internal moral standards; while collectivist culture in Japan is a “shame culture” which relies on external sanctions. The differences lie in how they view and respond to others’ comments.
〔5〕记得在日本时，一位日本公司职员，即便提前下班了，也不回家，而是到我们这里聊天，很晚了才回去。后来我忍不住探问，才知，原来他是怕邻居笑话8：堂堂男子汉，人家都迟迟而归，就你回来的早，颇有不卖力气或不受重视之嫌。
[5] When I was in Japan, a friend of mine came up to us after work, chatting and dawdling away his time. When asked why he was reluctant to go home earlier, he said as quite a figure of a man, he didn’t want rumoring by his neighbors that he was an early homecomer or a lazy worker.
〔6〕我的日本邻居（在日本）还告诉我一件事：她朋友的丈夫，在第二次世界大战时曾在日本政府任职；日本投降时，他们在一个广场上聆听喇叭中传来的天皇宣读投降书，这时在四座的人群中，枪声断续响起，是不断有人自杀。回到家，之后她丈夫也回来了，她很惊诧地问他：“人家都就义了，你怎么还没有自杀？”
[6] A Japanese neighbor (in Japan) also told me a story: her friend’s husband used to be a civil servant in the Japanese government during World War II. On Japan’s surrender day, a crowd sat in the square, listening on speakers to the “Declaration of Surrender” read by the Emperor. Then intermittent gunfire broke out as people in the crowd committed suicide. She then went back home, shortly after which her husband also returned. In great surprise, she asked him, “You saw others killing themselves for a good cause on the spot, why haven’t you?”
〔7〕由此看来，日本人是极度“知耻”的，当然也会道歉。其实，日本是一个高度讲礼节的社会，人们之间彼此尊重，非常客气，大街上道歉之声不断。但我也发现了这样一种现象：人们平时把“对不起”“请原谅”挂在嘴头上，对一些好像并没有做错的事（如并没有踩到别人的脚），会在那里不断地道歉，而一旦真做错了什么事，被人发现了，却扭头便走，反而不道歉了。我开始觉得奇怪，后来慢慢明白了，大概是只可自己认错，不可被人指错——那样太没面子9了。理论上讲，罪责可以通过忏悔来赎过，而耻辱只会一层层更加蒙羞，即日语所说的“恥の上塗り”——坦白了便更加耻辱。
[7] By this token, the Japanese have an extremely strong sense of shame, and certainly can be apologetic in the right context. In fact, Japan is a society where people are very polite, generally treat each other with respect and apologize frequently. However, I also find this phenomenon in Japan: a Japanese may constantly apologize to you when nothing happens (such as he didn’t step on your toe), but once he has made a mistake, he may simply turn quietly away in shame. My curiosity over this was gradually eased in my later realization that mistakes can only be admitted by the Japanese themselves but not pointed out by others, for the sake of self-respect. In theory, guilt may be redeemed by repentance, whereas shame is only increased by admission. As the Japanese saying goes, “haji no uwanuri” (confession increases shame).
〔8〕而且，日本人一旦决定了如何去做，便要坚持做到底。这反映了日本人极端性格中的另一面。这种秉性10，用对了地方，会一丝不苟，可利己惠人；用错了，则也相当危险。一位日本朋友告诉我，他们甚至也不能完全把握得住自己的这种极端性格。所以，二战后取消了日本的军队，保证了和平，也使他们自己松了口气。
[8] Moreover, once the Japanese decide to do something, they will hold on straight to the end, which reflects another side of their national character. A disposition of this kind, with its extreme nature, can be good or bad, beneficial or detrimental, meticulous or over-strict, depending on their orientation. A Japanese friend of mine told me that they can’t even trust themselves since it is so easy for them to go to extremes if not properly constrained. Abolishing Japan’s military troops after World War II thus not only ensured peace but also relieved the Japanese themselves.
〔9〕如前所述，耻感的制约，来自外部的压力，但这个“外部”是指其个人以外的日本文化和社会的环境，而非“异族”也；日本人对于自己（一个岛国上的特殊民族）与其他民族之间的界限是很清楚和敏感的。
[9] As previously mentioned, the sense of shame is regulated by external pressure which are, however, specific to Japanese culture and society but not those of alien races. The Japanese are a race-conscious nation who are defined as a special group of people living in a country consisting of four islands, sensitively drawing a line between themselves and peoples of other nations.
〔10〕所以，对于日本人的“不道歉”，需从政治、历史、文化、日常生活等多方面去理解。当然，理解并不等于11认同，更不等于接受，但可从一特定方面增加我们对这位邻居认识的深度。
[10] To understand the unapologetic Japanese attitude towards the war, therefore, we really need to get into their politics, history, culture and social behavior among many other things. While understanding does not connote recognition, much less acceptance, it does nevertheless provide us with a unique insight into this neighboring country.
注释：
1. 博士，暨南大学翻译学院特聘教授。
2. 调整句式，主语提前译出。
3. 这里未用一般意义上的self-criticism，而是用了更具反省意义的soul-searching，类似的，如：After much soul searching, I have decided to keep studying. 经过好一段自我反省后，我决定继续学习下去。
4. 这里的“改正”不是一般意义上的correct、amend 等，而是对于人性方面的更有深刻意义的 transform (transformation) , 类似的，如：The military training has transformed him into a different person. 军训使他变了一个人。
5. 此括号里的内容翻译成英文时不一定保留其原形式，而可酌情处理，以适应英文的表述。在括号之外，有时更通顺、易读。
6. 不一定用have a (gnosis) heart、have perception、think with sentiment 等，因这里意为“有助于理解”。
7. 日文里的“耻”概念与中文有所不同；中文的解释为 “羞愧：可耻，知耻”；“耻辱：声誉上所受的损害；可耻的事情”（《现代汉语词典》）, 而日文中“恥”的涵义则要丰富得多，大致包括这样几个方面：
1）欠点または罪に対する意識から生じる苦しい感情(因不妥或内疚而产生的痛苦感情〈a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt〉);
2）恥辱や不名誉な状態 ( 羞辱及丢脸的状态〈a state of shame or disgrace〉);
3）正直さ、誠実さの欠如（特に贈収賄行為の影響を受けやすいこと）( 缺乏正直与诚实〈特别是易受贿赂的影响〉〈Lack of integrity or honesty〉〈especially susceptibility to bribery〉);
4）非常に不名誉な状 ( 极不光彩的情况〈a state of extreme dishonor〉);
5）不名誉もしくは恥辱 ( 玷污或羞愧〈disgrace or shame〉);
6）だれかの自尊心を奪うこと( 剥夺人的自尊〈depriving one of selfesteem〉);
7）名誉な状態もしくは自尊心の喪失（不体面或丧失了自尊的状况〈state of disgrace or loss of self-respect〉）等
（——笔者根据多部日文字典综合、翻译而成)。
8. 似可用laugh at、judged by 等，但这里更有“传言”“议论”的意思，故用了rumoring。
9. 直译可为lose face, 而“避免没面子”则为to save face、to maintain self-respect 等。
10. 与前面的“极端性格”结合起来翻译，故用了with its extreme nature。
11. 也可译为unequal to、is not tantamount to、does not mean 等；这里考虑到其中文化语境，用了does not connote。