Reflecting on the past
Japan’s Emperor Akihito expresses ‘deep remorse’ about his nation’s wartime acts as Tokyo marks the 73rd anniversary of the end of World War II.
TOKYO:
Japan’s Emperor Akihito expressed “deep remorse” about his nation’s wartime acts, as Tokyo marked the 73rd anniversary of the end of World War II.
The carefully choreographed annual ceremony is the last Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko will attend before the emperor abdicates in April.
“Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope the ravages of war will never be repeated,” the 84-year-old monarch said in a televised address.
“Together with all of our people, I now pay my heartfelt tribute to those who lost their lives in the war, on the battlefields and elsewhere, and pray for world peace and for the continuing development of our country.”
It was Akihito’s father, wartime emperor Hirohito, who announced his decision to surrender in a radio address on Aug 15, 1945.
Japan signed documents offi- cially formalising the surrender on Sept 2, 1945.
Though he has no political power, Akihito has hinted throughout his reign at pacifist views, sharply at odds with the aggressive expansionism Japan pursued under his father’s rule.
He has annoyed Japanese right-wingers by acknowledging that his country inflicted “great suffering” in China, and expressing regret over Japan’s brutal rule of the Korean peninsula.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also spoke at the ceremony, pledging to remember war dead while building a peaceful future.
“Never again will we repeat the devastation of war. Humbly facing history, we stand firm on this pledge,” he said, avoiding any specific expression of regret.
Abe has been criticised for what some see as a revisionist attitude to Japan’s wartime record, though he has softened his rhetoric as he works to improve ties with Beijing.