TOKYO / SEOUL (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking on the 75th anniversary of the surrender of World War II in Japan, vowed never to repeat the tragedy of the war and Emperor Naruhito expressed “deep remorse” “about the war that is still going on in East East Asia.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a speech during a memorial service marking the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Japan during World War II at the Nippon Budokan Hall on August 15, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Carl Hof / Pool via REUTERS
‘Never repeat the tragedy of war. We will continue to stick to this resolute building, “said Abe, wearing a face mask at an official war-death ceremony on Saturday that was scaled back due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Abe, who did not reject Naruhito’s remorse, sent a ritual sacrifice to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine for war deaths. But he avoided a personal visit that would anger China and South Korea.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a speech that Seoul was always ready to discuss history talks with Tokyo.
At least four Japanese cabinet ministers have expressed their personal respect for Yasukuni, who honors 14 Japanese warlords, condemned as war criminals by an Allied tribunal, like the war dead of Japan. The shrine is seen by Beijing and Seoul as a symbol of Japan’s past military aggression.
Shuichi Takatori, a member of Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters he made the offer in Abe’s name as party leader, delivering a message that Abe’s paying his respects from the heart to the death of the war and praying for rest and permanent peace of their souls. ”
Abe has not personally visited Yasukuni since a December 2013 visit that sent her and China and South Korea over, but has sent offers.
Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 39, often running as a future prime minister, was among the ministers who visited the shrine on the emotional anniversary.
The spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Minister expressed “deep disappointment and concern” over the ministers’ visit, saying Japan’s leaders should show their “deep remorse through action”.
Thousands of men and women were burning hot in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to pay their respects at Yasukuni, where queues were soon posted, despite markers and signs seeking to keep social distance. Many people stood in long queues for hours holding umbrellas to block the sun in heat above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
“I sincerely hope that the devastation of war will never be repeated,” Naruhito, 60, said at the official ceremony after bowing to Empress Masako in front of an altar for a bank of flowers. Both royals also wore face masks.
The grandson of Emperor Hirohito in whose name imperial troops fought the war, Naruhito is the first monarch of Japan born after the war. He ascended the throne last year after his father, Akihito, abdicated.
The United States and Japan have become firm security allies in the decades since the end of the war, but its legacy is still in East Asia.
Koreans, who mark the date as National Liberation Day, are considering the 1910-1945 colonization of Japan from the peninsula.
China has bitter memories of the invasion of imperial troops and occupation of parts of the country from 1931 to 1945.
“We must learn from history, let history be a warning for the future, and show that we are ready to fight in the event of a war,” said a commentary from the Chinese military’s official newspaper. the Army of Liberation of the People.
Japan’s ties with South Korea in particular are strained by a dispute over compensation for Koreans forced into Japan’s war mines and factories.
“The door to negotiation is still wide open,” Moon said in a speech in Seoul.
Relationships are also punishable by ‘comfort women’, because women, many Korean, made to work in Japanese military brothels are euphemistically known.
Consensus on the war remains inevitable in Japan, where more than 80% of the people were born after the end of the conflict.
Abe has said that future generations do not have to apologize for past mistakes.
One visitor to Yasukuni, Nobuko Watanabe (51), said she understood why Koreans wanted their visit there, but improved ties could improve. “When people talk to each other … we can communicate our hearts and open up to each other.”
Less than 600 people, including relatives of war victims, took part in the state-sponsored ceremony on Saturday, down from more than 6,000 last year. Seats were torn apart and a musical performance replaced the singing of the national anthem.
Report by Antoni Slodkowski and Linda Sieg in Tokyo and Sangmi Cha in Seoul; Additional report by Ju-min Park and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Edited by William Mallard
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