Japan marked on Saturday the 75th anniversary of its World War II surrender, with Emperor Naruhito expressing “deep remorse” over his country’s war actions at a grim annual ceremony marred by the coronavirus pandemic.
Naruhito promised to reflect on the events of the war and expressed hope that the tragedy would never be repeated. There was no word of apology from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who thanked for the victims of the Japanese war deaths, but had nothing to say about the suffering of Japan’s neighbors.
“By reflecting on our past and taking into account the feelings of deep remorse, I seriously hope that the devastation of war will never be repeated,” Naruhito said in a short speech at the event in Tokyo on the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Japan on Aug. 15, 1945.
Afternoon fears and worries about the fading memories of the rapid-aging war generation, some 500 participants, down from 6,200 last year, mourned the dead with a minute of silence. Masks were required, and there was no singing of the national anthem “Kimigayo”.
Naruhito has promised to follow in the footsteps of his father, who has dedicated his 30-year career to making amends for a war fought in the name of Hirohito, the emperor’s current grandfather.
Abe has been increasingly seeking to unravel Japan’s brutal past since taking office in December 2012. He did not acknowledge Japan’s hostilities during the war in Japan on August 15. That was rather a nearly 20-year-old tradition, beginning with the 1995 apology of socialist leader Tomiichi Murayama.
Abe, in a largely domestic speech, said that the peace that Japan enjoys today is built on the sacrifices of those who died in the war. He promised that Japan will reflect on lessons from history and will not repeat the devastation of war. He cited damage to Japan and its people, including the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, massive Tokyo bombings and the fierce battle for Okinawa.
Abe promised to play a bigger role in tackling global issues. Aiming to transform Japan into a “beautiful” and “normal” nation, Abe gradually sought to cleanse Japan of its embarrassing war history and rebuild its military by expanding its interpretation of Japan’s constitutional war responsibility. It involves gaining greater capacity of missile defense in the face of a growing military threat from North Korea and China.
“I remember those days, I feel strongly that we should never wage war,” said Shoji Nagaya, 93, who traveled from Hokkaido to northern Japan to commemorate his brother who died of illness when he served in China. “But politicians today seem to be different from us, and I really hope they do not go in the wrong direction.”
Abe stayed away from the sanctuary that war criminals condemned among the war dead. He sent a religious offer through a lawmaker, a gesture meant to anger China and South Korea, who consider Yasukuni’s Shrine a symbol of Japan’s militarism. Abe last visited Yasukuni in December 2013.
Four members of his cabinet visited the sanctuary, the first ministerial visit in four years. Among them was Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who visited the sanctuary several times, including his last visit as Prime Minister on August 15, 2006, which drew criticism from China and South Korea.
“We decide how we want to respect the dead of war. This should not be a diplomatic issue,” Interior Minister Sanae Takaichi, an ultra-conservative who shares Abe’s historical views, told reporters after praying at the shrine .
Repeated Yasukuni visits by Japanese government officials “indicate that on the issue of history, Japan has not completely abandoned militarism,” said Wang Shaopu, a Japanese study professor at Jiao Tong University and honorary chairman of the Japan Society of Shanghai.
“The invasion of Japan into China has caused the Chinese people enormous disasters. Under these circumstances, if Japan is not facing historical problems, how can we be sure that Japan will follow the path of peace in the future? “
Kosaburo Tanaka, a manager of martial arts association, traveled from Osaka to thank for the Japanese peace after the war. “Japan has not been in a single war for the last 75 years and we have been able to live peace. I think this is all because of the spirits that rest here in Yasukuni. They are protecting the peace.”
Nobuko Bamba a pensioner, whose grandmother, uncle and aunt died in March 10, 1945, American fire department of Tokyo, thinks both sides of history should be remembered.
“There are a lot of people who know nothing about the war, not only the suffering of the Japanese people, but there are also things that Japanese people did, bad things,” Bamba said. “Unless we teach these things to future generations, I do not think war would end.”
She prayed for her uncle, whose remains have never been found.
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