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Extract and translated from the French E-bulletin “Japan Analysis – La Lettre du Japon” n°1, September 2005, pp. 4-5. Sources: Asahi, Yomiuri, and Kyôdô News.
French Editor: G. Delamotte. Translation: Jonathan Hall
The ceremony to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, held in Tokyo in August, was the occasion for a declaration from the Prime Minister which echoed the one made in 1995 by one of his predecessors, Mr. Murayama. That declaration from a socialist Prime Minister was seen as the first real expression of profound regret on the part of Japan for the atrocities of the militarist period.
Mr. Koizumi's vigorous reaffirmation of his commitment to peace, expressing his "determination that Japan would never again take the road to war", came at a time of underlying tensions following the hostile exchanges in February between Japan and South Korea over the Takeshima Islands, the somewhat icy meeting between Koizumi and Roh on June 20th, and the demonstrations in China in April. He emphasised that Japan " through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations ". Once again he expressed his "feeling of deep remorse and heartfelt apology". He added that all Japanese people, of whom 70% had never experienced war, had received an education preparing them for peace, which was their deepest aspiration, and he concluded that "Japan, as a peace-loving nation, expresses here again that it will work to achieve peace and prosperity of all humankind ".
Prime Minister Murayama's declaration on August 15th 1995
While praising the Japanese success story, the Prime Minister voiced his gratitude to all those countries which had helped it, especially the United States. He then continued:" During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology. Allow me also to express my feelings of profound mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, of that history.
The repetition of these excuses somewhat attenuates their effectiveness, but on this occasion the Prime Minister's deeds matched his words, since he refrained from visiting the Yasukuni shrine on August 15th of that year.[1] In early June several leading figures from the LDP (the President of the lower chamber and eight former Prime Ministers) had called upon the Prime Minister to suspend these visits. The need to build a secular monument to pay respects to fallen combatants is becoming more pressing, in order to lower tensions with South Korea in particular (China is suspected of playing the anti-Japanese card for nationalist purposes). Another suggestion, supported by Hidenao Nakagawa, the LDP President of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, has been to "remove" the category A war criminals. However, the shrine authorities are strongly opposed to this, asserting that the Japanese people have never accepted the categories of war criminals.
The leading political figures stated their position at the end of June. The president of the Japan War-bereaved Families Association (Izokukai) emphasised that as the association's president he appreciated the Prime Minister's visits, but that it was right to address the concerns of neighbouring countries. The members of the association immediately distanced themselves from their president's declaration. The president of the Kômeitô warned the Prime Minister that any further visits could damage their co-operation. The general secretary of the LDP, Mr. Takebe, and the president of the Democratic Party, Mr. Okada, expressed support for the building of a new shrine.
As for public opinion, a majority of 52% were in favour of halting the visits. Of these, 76% opposed the visits out of consideration for neighbouring countries, only 13% because such visits honoured war criminals, and 6% because they raised the prestige of a military or religious institution. Out of the 36% of the respondents who favoured continuation of the visits, 39% found it questionable to follow the wishes of foreign countries, 36% said that the shrine was an appropriate resting place, 13% favoured the visits because of the Prime Minister's oath to support peace, and 9% because the visits accorded with their own convictions.[2]