Ishiba Issues Remarks over 80th Anniversary of War End

Tokyo, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday issued a statement marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, reflecting on the lack of civilian control and stressing the importance of democracy and liberalism. In the statement, Ishiba said that Japan could not prevent itself from going to the war because the principle of civilian control did not exist as a system in the country at the time. “What matters most are the courage and integrity to squarely face the past, classical liberalism that values the tolerance of listening humbly to the arguments of others, and a healthy and robust democracy,” Ishiba emphasized. On the recognition of history, Ishiba said that “I uphold the positions” of past cabinets, while stopping short of referring to Japan’s colonial rule and aggression before and during the war. In a press conference at the prime minister’s office, Ishiba explained that his statement is intended to discuss “why (the political system) did not function,” a subject raised in a 70th-anniversary statement released in 2015 by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On historical awareness, Ishiba said that his statement “inherits a sense of reflection and apology” from past prime ministers’ statements. In his statement, Ishiba analyzed why Japan was unable to avert the war, focusing on the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, the government, the Diet, or parliament, and the media. He said that the supreme command under the prewar constitution was gradually interpreted more broadly and used by the military as a means to exclude the involvement and control of the government and the Diet. Citing the expulsion of then House of Representatives lawmaker Takao Saito, who delivered an anti-military speech in 1940, Ishiba said that the Diet, which “should have exercised control over the military, gradually lost its function.” He also pointed out that in the 1920s, Japanese media organizations were critical of the country’s overseas expansion. But the media’s stance “shifted to actively supporting the war” around the time of the Manchurian Incident because war reporting “sold well.” The Manchurian Incident began with a staged explosion of the South Manchuria Railway by a Japanese military force in 1931, leading to Japan’s invasion and occupation of Manchuria in northeastern China. The media “stirred up public opinion, ultimately leading the nation into a reckless war,” Ishiba added. Ishiba’s statement is not based on a cabinet decision, unlike the statements issued on the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the end of the war by the then prime ministers. Some members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party had opposed a prime minister who has announced a decision to resign releasing such a statement. Ishiba said in early September that he would step down, following the LDP’s crushing defeat in the July 20 House of Councillors election. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]