Bangladesh, Aug. 15 -- August 15 is not merely a date on Japans national calendar. It carries profound historical significance across Asia and the wider international community. Eighty-one years after Japan announced its unconditional surrender at the end of World War II, the country continues to face a fundamental question: How should a nation that waged a war of aggression acknowledge its responsibility and demonstrate that it has genuinely learned from its past?

That question should not be reduced to whether the Japanese prime minister visits Yasukuni Shrine on August 15. Nor should the international debate be narrowed to arguments over religious freedom, domestic politics or diplomatic symbolism. The deeper issue is historical respon...