Emperor says peace pledge is renewed
TOKYO: Japan marked the 73rd anniversary of its surrender in World War II yesterday, with Emperor Akihito reiterating his “deep remorse” over the country’s past actions while attending a ceremony to mourn the war dead.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also attended the event, renewed his pledge not to repeat the tragedy of the war. But Abe, known for his conservative views, did not refer to Japan’s wartime aggression in the annual ceremony, as he has refrained from doing every year since taking office in 2012.
The ceremony was the last of its kind under the current Heisei era that started in 1989 following the death of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, who reigned during World War II and its aftermath.
In his address, Emperor Akihito, who is set to abdicate on April 30 next year, said,
“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.”
The emperor has used the words “deep remorse” in his message for the war dead
since 2015. Mr Abe avoided his predecessors’ customary reference to Japan’s past aggression. Former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama first expressed remorse for Japan’s wartime brutality at the ceremony in 1994.