[Provisional Translation]

In the gracious presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, and with the attendance of bereaved families of the war dead and many distinguished representatives of all sectors of society, I hereby commence the annual National Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead.

On behalf of the government, it is with great reverence that I deliver this address before the souls of those who fell on distant battlefields and of those who lost their lives amidst the ravages of war or in the war’s aftermath, whether here in Japan or in distant foreign lands.

To your souls I say, your children and your grandchildren built up your homeland into a free and democratic country and now enjoy peace and prosperity. We will not forget even for a moment that this was made possible by building upon, and only upon, your precious sacrifices.

The 70 years that have passed were by no means short. We have firmly kept ourselves upright valuing peace and abhorring war. Since the very early days after the end of the war, we have kept the path of working assiduously, determined to be of some assistance in bringing about the prosperity of other nations and regions, in order to transform the world into a better place. You must have watched over us as we did this.

From here on, we will walk down this very same path. We will face the history squarely, never forgetting humility. Every day we reaffirm our gratitude that what we enjoy today is also made possible by the benevolence of so many.

On the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, I pledge that we shall never again repeat the horrors of war and that we shall carve out a future for the nation for the generation alive now and the generations of tomorrow.

I will conclude my address by once again offering my prayers for the repose of the souls of the war dead and for long lasting good health of the members of their bereaved families.

Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister of Japan
August 15, 2015