There’s a deepening chasm between Japan and its neighbors over the scars of World War II, a conflict that few in charge today were around to have experienced first-hand.

The survey by the US-based Pew Research Center found that the overwhelming opinion in South Korea and China, which suffered heavily during the Japanese Occupation, is that Japan has not shown enough contrition.  That perception was made worse this year by bone-headed statements from the Mayor of Osaka, an up and coming populist, who sought to rationalize Japan’s enslavement of foreign women to act as sex surrogates for Imperial troops.

Some 200,000 women from conquered territories were forced into wartime brothels.  Japan formally apologized to the “comfort women” in 1993 and issued a second apology two years later.  But today’s conservative politicians, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, repeatedly cast doubt on the extent of the atrocity.  Abe is known for favoring what critics say are revisionist views of Japan’s wartime history.

Only 22 percent of South Koreans and four percent of Chinese said they saw Japan in a positive light, according to the Pew Poll.

48 percent of Japanese believed that they have already apologized enough for the war and that another 15 percent believed that no apology was necessary in the first place.

Such views were particularly strong among Japanese between 18 and 29 years old, among whom 73 percent said that the country has already asked for enough forgiveness or did not need to apologize.

Those Japanese asked also are becoming more open to revising the constitution to get rid of Article 9, the provision in which Japan forever renounces the right to wage war.  A majority of 56 percent opposes revising Article 9.  But that’s down from 67 percent in a similar poll taken in 2006.

Abe has long wanted to revisit Article 9.