Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on March 27 (Takeshi Iwashita)

To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba wants to re-examine the origins of the conflict to shape his message to the public.

The prime minister has decided to form a panel of experts to study the circumstances leading up to the outbreak of the war, sources said on March 27.

At the same time, in consideration of opposition from conservative factions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba has agreed not to issue an official “postwar statement” that would be accompanied by a Cabinet decision.

Instead, Ishiba will issue a message to the public based on the opinions of the panel.

Ishiba is expected to soon begin selecting the panel members, and discussions will start in earnest after the Golden Week holidays on the relevant issues related to the war's startup.

Ishiba's issuance of a message to the public will be timed to coincide with Aug. 15, the anniversary of the end of the war, or Sept. 2, when the surrender document was signed.

After assuming office last fall, Ishiba recognized the need to take action in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

During deliberations in the Diet in January, he stated, “This year, the 80th anniversary, is extremely important to examine why (Japan) started the war.”

Regarding the Japanese government’s historical understanding of the war, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 issued the so-called “Murayama Danwa” statement to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement in 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary.

In August 2015, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued one to mark the 70th postwar anniversary.

In Abe's statement, he used phrases such as “colonial rule,” “aggression,” “deep remorse” and “heartfelt apology,” which were included in the Murayama and Koizumi statements.

At the same time, Abe noted that the succeeding postwar generation had exceeded 80 percent of Japan’s population.

“We must not let our children, grandchildren and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize,” Abe said in the statement.

For this reason and others, the conservative faction of the LDP has stated that a new statement is unnecessary.

Shinichi Kitaoka, deputy chairman of the panel of experts on the 70th anniversary statement, conveyed his negative view on issuing a new statement to Ishiba during a dinner with the prime minister on March 10.

Similar concerns were reportedly voiced within the Ishiba administration.

A senior government official said, “If we go into the issue of historical understanding, which is a matter of divergent views within the LDP, it could cause a rift.”

Therefore, Ishiba decided that instead of issuing a statement on the 80th anniversary, he should examine the war in order to prevent a repetition of the horrors that it wrought. 

(This article was written by Kohei Morioka and Doni Tani.)

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