Mab Jones, writing for the New York Times:
I looked at it. The table was very low. And that’s when I realized: It wasn’t just about me saying sorry. It was about me feeling ashamed as well. I had read that Japan was a shame culture, rather than a guilt culture. Humiliation seemed to be the point here. I knelt at the table, my head bent over the paper, and signed. I began to cry. I did feel ashamed.