Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows as he leaves a news conference after delivering a statement marking the 70th anniversary of World War Two’s end, at his official residence in Tokyo August 14, 2015. REUTERS/Toru Hanai.
Although he noted that “Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war” and that “such position [sic] articulated by the previous cabinets will remain unshakable into the future,” Abe did not offer his own apology, instead expressing his “condolences.” Such may seem a minor distinction, but it is a distinction with import when it comes to Seoul and Beijing.
More of a concern to South Korea in particular, and rightly so, will be Abe’s treatment of the issue of “comfort women”— women coerced into forced prostitution in military brothels during the war. “We must never forget,” said Abe, “that there were women behind the battlefields whose honor and dignity were severely injured.” The eschewal of any Japanese government or military responsibility for causing those injuries will not win Abe plaudits from Japan’s neighbors or from the United States.
The statement’s shortcomings, however, should not overshadow its positive aspects. Although he never says so directly, Abe makes clear that responsibility for the war lay with Japan. In the 1930s, “Japan took the wrong course and advanced along the road to war.” Death and destruction did not simply happen in the course of war, but “upon the innocent people did our country inflict immeasurable damage and suffering.”
Finally, Abe set aside his apparent discomfort referring to Japanese actions as aggression: “incident, aggression, war – we shall never again resort to any form of the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. We shall abandon colonial rule forever and respect the right of self-determination of all peoples throughout the world.” Tokyo, in other words, was guilty of colonialism and aggression in the years leading up to war.
As promised, the prime minister wrapped up his anniversary statement with a forward-looking perspective. Calling to mind harsh lessons learned during the war, Abe painted a picture of a Japan committed to contributing positively to peace, non-proliferation, prosperity, freedom, and human rights in the 21st century. It is a vision that the Japanese people and that Japan’s neighbors should welcome.