Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering a new war anniversary statement this year, 80 years after World War II ended in August 1945, amid significant shifts in the international landscape, a government source said.
Ishiba, who took office in October 2024, has decided to send a message from Japan to the international community as ongoing issues, including Russia's prolonged invasion of Ukraine, threaten global stability and peace, the source said.
Japan's prime ministers marked the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries with statements that have faced scrutiny from Asian neighbors, including China and South Korea, who experienced Japanese wartime aggression.
On the 50th anniversary in 1995, then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, leader of a major left-leaning party, expressed "deep remorse" and offered his "heartfelt apology" for Japan causing damage and suffering to the people of many nations.
In his 70th anniversary statement in 2015, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a conservative, retained key phrases such as "aggression" and "colonial rule" from the statement a decade earlier and acknowledged Japan's past apologies without offering a new one of his own.
© KYODO
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TaiwanIsNotChina
Just add a section condemning russia as following the same path as Imperial Japan.
WA4TKG
That why all the black bus crew was at Ueno Station yesterday…I was wondering.
tora
Nah, they always seem to be hanging out around there. Most Sundays.
itsonlyrocknroll
For goodness sake no more ritual belly button gazing atonement, annual indemnification of regret and remorse.
Stated so often, to be interpreted as an ceremonial act of political self harm,
Japan nuclear armed neighbours never fail to use a method to relentlessly beat the entire nation repeatedly over the head with.
The next generation need a message of hope, freedom,
A government that fully acts understands the threat of depopulation is now a critical priority.
isabelle
Good idea: everything to be gained, and nothing to be lost from doing this.
"Might" also keep quiet the perennial whiners in China and Korea (DPK administrations) who, for wholly political reasons, assert that "Japan has never apologized." (Well, keep them quiet for a few minutes, perhaps.)
For the record:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_apology_statements_issued_by_Japan
Desert Tortoise
Japan could say something along the lines that China today is making the same mistakes made by Imperial Japan a century ago and risks suffering the same tragic ending. Japan has some authority to say this.
deanzaZZR
It will take the LDP 5 months to craft a revised statement? Maybe Abe Akie can chair a committee to draft something.
itsonlyrocknroll
Desert Tortoise, a thumbs up, my generation, my J family, J friends, J farmer neighbours, in fact my daily J dog walking companions, wish only a peaceful co existence with regional neighbours.
My late J Grandmother generation did not share that benevolence, war hardens the soul, also blinkers the fact times change.
Imperialism is a foolishly path, on the wrong side of history.
The Government of China has leant nothing, the people of China, I suggest suffer in silence.
wanderlust
It will take at least 500 people from the Cabinet, Foreign Office, Finance, Defence and other ministries around 5 months to prepare and circulate a carefully-crafted 50 word paragraph of opaque, meaningless niceties that will appease everyone, and yet say nothing. Bureaucracy at its finest!
u_s__reamer
A new statement? Let's hope he didn't get a history lesson from Washington assuring him that it was the Chinese who attacked the Japanese to start WW2.
HopeSpringsEternal
Ishiba must walk a fine line by acknowledging historical mistakes, rebuilding a powerful military deterrent and maintaining and building good relations with all countries, especially neighbors where relations are not so great!
DeeZee
Ishiba's Statement: Japan did nothing wrong, Nanking and Unit 731 didn't exist, Japan "liberated" Asia from western colonialism and America launched 2 horrible nuclear weapons on us which we deeply regret....
elephant200
@Tortoise: could say something along the lines that China today is making the same mistakes.
Please forward those wording to Mr.Netanyahu rather than China. We are not interested !
elephant200
@itsonlyrocknroll: The Japanese govt. lacking sincerely apologies to neighbours was the reason why neighboring countries hate them so much. Hypocritic enough !
Desert Tortoise
I am not going to minimize the butchery of the Israelis or the 58 years of suffering under the Israeli Army's boot that the Palestinians have suffered. You know how disgusted I am with Israel. But, the Japanese and Mao both killed orders of magnitude more people than Israel has. Many tens of millions of innocent people died at the hands of the IJA and even more died from the combination of outright slaughter and bumbling economic and social policies of Mao. Don't try to divert from the truth that the IJA left a trail of death and destruction across China and the rest of Asia. The history is very clear.
But is also seems pretty clear that the PRC is making mistakes not so different from those Japan made in the immediate aftermath of WWI . Japan could make a convincing case that China's territorial ambitions will lead to its destruction. Japan has already trod that path and can speak with authority on the subject. Now whether or not the Chinese are willing to listen is another story but the rest of Asia (minus North Korea ) would probably applaud such a statement.
itsonlyrocknroll
elephant200
I can only express my humble opinion. that is all, also my experiences from J friends, amily, colleagues.my close local community.
Japan's constitution speaks for itself, the only constitution devoted to peace.
Can that be said for Japan neighbours?
No it can't can it.
Does Japan test fire ballistics missiles, who design has been proven to be acts of aggression?
Only through education, the classroom sincerity can be measured.
Nothing to fear from the people of Japan.
Great Bird
It's most likely just the usual dance. See Abe and the Kono statement. Show the right, your hard core supporters, the ones with money, that you know the "truth", the one were Japan didn't do really do anything wrong, except losing. And after a long review decide that after all you'll stick with the old stuff. Japan's right wing understands that message, you are right, but can't show it because of those nasty people at Asahi Shinbun etc. And then act all surprise when you realize the China and Korea got it too.
And that is one of the major problems with Japan's apologies. Which are there, but often they are preceded or followed up with little signs, the usual "I apologize, but don't think I should next year"..... it's not really the pinnacle of apologies. It doesn't sound honest, and of course it isn't.
Rivera
Thats the least he can do for his people because Japan is going DOWNWARDS
Mr Kipling
He should say that Japan was doing nothing different to all the other Empire states, only problem is that Japan lost the war and history is written by the victors.
HopeSpringsEternal
Ishiba needs good relations, especially in Asia because we need them to immigrate here and keep the economy afloat and Govt. from defaulting on its mountain of debt!
Japan's native population will drop 3K/day this year and in less than ten years drop more than twice that, while the country rapidly ages.
kaimycahl
What more can be said?
Yrral
He gonna run a foul of Trump buddy Putin