Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi marked the 60th
anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War Two on Monday with an
apology for suffering caused by Japanese military aggression and
pledged that Tokyo would never again go to war.
Sixty years after Emperor Hirohito exhorted his subjects to
"bear the unbearable" and accept defeat, memories of the war that
killed millions in Asia bedevil ties between Japan and its
neighbors, particularly China, North and South Korea.
"Japan caused huge damage and suffering to many countries,
especially the people of Asia, with its colonization and
aggression," Koizumi said in a statement.
"Humbly accepting this fact of history, we again express our
deep remorse and heartfelt apology and offer our condolences to the
victims of the war at home and abroad," he said, adding that he
wanted to build relations of trust with other Asian nations.
Koizumi later offered condolences for Japan's more than three
million war dead at a secular memorial service also attended by
Emperor Akihito, the son of Hirohito, and Empress Michiko.
In a nod to the emotive nature of the August 15 date, Koizumi
was expected to refrain from visiting Yasukuni shrine, where
convicted war criminals are honored with Japan's 2.5 million
military dead from all wars since the late 1800s.
Koizumi has made annual visits to the shrine since taking office
in 2001, but never on the anniversary of the war's end.
Ruling party executive Shinzo Abe, often cited as a candidate to
succeed Koizumi, joined almost 50 other lawmakers in visiting the
shrine on Monday. Environment Minister Yuriko Koike and Health
Minister Hidehisa Otsuji were set to go later in the day.
The pilgrimages were certain to anger China and South Korea
where many feel Japan has not owned up to its wartime
atrocities.
"Koizumi stubbornly persists in his efforts to please Japan's
right-wingers, who insist on the belief that sweeping the dirt
under the carpet is the only action they need to take," said an
editorial in the China Daily.
"Actions speak louder than words…. His words appeared faint and
his sincerity is also in doubt," said the editorial, referring to
previous apologies by Koizumi.
Mourning the dead
Opinion polls show the Japanese public is divided on whether
Koizumi should keep visiting Yasukuni, seen by some as a solemn
memorial to those who died for their country.
Koizumi, who says he visits Yasukuni to mourn the war dead and
pray for peace, last visited the shrine on January 1, 2004.
Children, students and adults mingled with elderly, dark-suited
veterans at the massive Yasukuni complex on a hot morning as police
stood by, ready for possible clashes between fatigue-clad
right-wing groups and anti-Yasukuni demonstrators.
"As a national leader, he should come to pray for peace and
honor the dead as they do in all civilized countries," said
Masakazu Aihara, 64, a retired trading firm executive, echoing the
views of others among the thousands at the shrine who said that
honoring the dead did not imply a revival of militarism.
Some Japanese also think the time to apologize is over and think
Tokyo should not cave in to Chinese criticism.
"The problem isn't China, it's Japan. If we got our act together
China wouldn't be able to say anything," said Hiroshi Sato, 83, who
fought in Burma, now Myanmar, in 1944 against the British and took
eight bullets before being sent home.
For 16-year-old student Shotaro Ottata, wearing a rising sun
headband, the issue was straightforward. "Because my grandfather
fought, we have what we have now. I come every year to give
thanks," he said, though noting his mother was opposed.
"She says this place beautifies the war."
A pilgrimage to Yasukuni by Koizumi could also spark a fierce
debate among Japanese ahead of a September 11 election that Koizumi
has said he wants to make a referendum on reform.
The domestic debate over Yasukuni mirrors a lack of consensus
among Japanese over how to assess the war.
Forty-three percent of respondents to a weekend survey by
Mainichi newspaper said Japan's war against China and the US
was wrong, while 29 percent said it was unavoidable. Another 26
percent were undecided and 2 percent gave no reply.
Three-fourths said there has not been enough debate on
responsibility for the conflict in Japan after the war.
(Chinadaily.com.cn via agencies, August 15, 2005)