Japan’s new emperor echoes father, expresses deep remorse over war
TOKYO (Reuters/AP) – Japan’s new emperor, Naruhito, expressed deep remorse over the country’s wartime past and prayed for global peace on Thursday, echoing his father’s words in remarks at an annual ceremony marking Tokyo’s surrender in World War Two.
The 59-year-old Naruhito is Japan's first emperor born after the war, and his remarks Thursday closely followed the stance of his father, Akihito, who abdicated in May.
"Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated," Naruhito said in a short speech at an event in Tokyo marking the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender.
Looking nervous and his voice slightly trembling, Naruhito pledged to reflect on the wartime past and expressed hope that the tragedy should never be repeated. Empress Masako, in a gray suit and a hat, quietly stood by his side, her head slightly lowered.
Naruhito has promised to follow in the footsteps of his father, who committed his career to making amends for a war fought in the name of Hirohito — the current emperor's grandfather. Though Akihito has avoided a direct apology, he has subtly stepped up his expressions of regret over the past years in carefully scripted statements on the war.
In sharp contrast, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize or acknowledge Japanese wartime atrocities in Asia and elsewhere. Instead, he made a long list of damage inflicted on Japan and its people, including the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, massive fire bombings of Tokyo and the fierce battle of Okinawa.
The emperor's words have taken on greater importance and caught attention as Abe has increasingly sought to whitewash Japan's troubled and embarrassing past since taking office in December 2012. Abe has since stopped acknowledging Japan's wartime hostilities in his Aug. 15 speech, ending a tradition that past prime ministers had handed down since the 1995 apology by a Socialist leader Tomiichi Murayama.