PM Takaichi Omits “Remorse” from War Anniversary Address

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not use the word “remorse” in her speech at an annual war memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, apparently out of consideration for her conservative allies and supporters. Her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, had revived the word for the first time in 13 years in last year’s speech. The word was first used by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama at the 1994 ceremony, and his successors followed suit. However, Shinzo Abe stopped using the word from the 2013 ceremony. Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida also did not mention remorse. During this year’s speech, Takaichi also changed the wording used by her predecessors, “We must never again repeat the horrors of war,” saying instead that Japan will never allow the horrors of war to be repeated, making it vague who would repeat these horrors. In addition, she avoided mentioning Japan’s responsibility for its aggression against other Asian countries during the war, while stressing that Japan can become a reliable country that stands as a shining beacon in the Indo-Pacific region. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]