ROME, March 13 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent remarks about the need for Japanto squarely face up to its wartime actions send a positive message, as Germanyitself sets a good example of how a country can promote global understanding by dealing with its past truthfully, an Italian analyst said.

"I see the speech Ms. Merkel has delivered in Tokyo as a quite positive and constructive message," Federico Niglia, professor of International History with LUISS University of Rome, told Xinhua.

In a speech in Tokyo on Monday, visiting Merkel said her country had been lucky to be accepted by the international community "after the horrible experience the world had to meet with Germany during the period of Nazism and the Holocaust."

"This was possible first because Germany did face its past squarely, but also because the Allied Powers who controlled Germany after the World War II would attach great importance to Germany coming to grips with its past," Merkel said.

According to Niglia, this message contained no malice. It only reflected Merkel's awareness that Germany's reconciliation efforts after WWII had been crucial to regain respect and become an engine of the European Unionintegration process.

"For how they were able to face their responsibilities, Germans truly believe they represent a model for dealing with a 'dark past'," the analyst said.

Niglia explained an international debate, which is underway on how to reach a 'common memory', and then a 'shared memory' of the recent past.

"A common memory means we all agree certain events have taken place. Then the point is to develop a 'shared memory,' which means agreeing on what lesson has to be learned from that past. This is necessary because memory is a crucial element of contemporary politics," he said.

This would be true for Europe, as well as for Asia, where debate over war crimes during WWII has been only partially addressed, Niglia added.

Relations between Japan and its neighbors, China and South Koreaespecially, have indeed been most affected by Tokyo's attitude to downplay the atrocities it committed during WWII.

"There are growing doubts regarding Japan, which always seems a little 'detached' from the rest of the Asian continent," Niglia said.

"Other countries like China, on the other hand, seem inclined to create a common Asian awareness and a policy of regional integration. Yet, this goal cannot be reached without a common vision of history among all countries in the region," he said.

The whole Europe benefited from Germany's ability to deal uncompromisingly with its mistakes, because it allowed all Europeans "to digest the past," the analyst said.