Opening Statement by Prime Minister Abe

August is the month that compels us Japanese to pause every so often, and to extend our thoughts to the past gone by, no matter how distant it has become.

Politics must learn from history wisdom for the future.

At this great juncture that marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, I was of a belief that we must reflect upon the road to war, the path we have taken since it ended, and the era of the 20th century. I thought that based on the lessons drawn from such undertakings we must contemplate, and then lay out, the path Japan ought to take toward the future, and in the world.

Politics, at the same time, must remain humble toward history.

Political intentions, or diplomatic ones, should never be allowed to distort history. That is also my strong belief.

That is the reason why, in preparation for this statement, I assembled the Advisory Panel on the History of the 20th Century and on Japan's Role and the World Order in the 21st Century and urged the members to discuss the matter most thoroughly as well as straightforwardly.

Of course, the views and opinions over history differ from one member to another among those experts. This notwithstanding, their earnest discussions over a number of meetings led them to reach a certain, shared recognition, culminating in their report. I would like to take it as the voice of history.

Based on that report, I would like to draw lessons from history and lay out the path we should pursue from now onward.

More than one hundred years ago, vast colonies possessed mainly by the Western powers stretched out across the world. With their overwhelming supremacy in technology, waves of colonial rule surged toward Asia in the 19th century. There is no doubt that the resultant sense of crisis drove Japan forward to achieve modernization. Japan built a constitutional government earlier than any other nation in Asia. The country preserved its independence throughout. The Japan-Russia War gave encouragement to many people under colonial rule from Asia to Africa.

After World War I, which embroiled the world, the movement for self-determination gained momentum and put brakes on colonization that had been underway. It was a horrible war that claimed as many as ten million lives. With a strong desire for peace stirred in them, people founded the League of Nations and brought forth the General Treaty for Renunciation of War. There emerged in the international community a new tide of outlawing war itself.

At the beginning, Japan, too, kept steps with other nations. However, with the Great Depression setting in and the Western countries launching economic blocs by involving colonial economies, Japan's economy suffered a major blow. In such circumstances, Japan's sense of isolation deepened and it attempted to overcome its diplomatic and economic deadlock through the use of force. Its domestic political system could not serve as a brake to stop such attempts. In this way, Japan lost sight of the overall trends in the world.

With the Manchurian Incident, followed by the withdrawal from the League of Nations, Japan gradually transformed itself into a challenger to the new international order that the international community sought to establish after tremendous sacrifices. Japan took the wrong course and advanced along the road to war.

And, seventy years ago, Japan was defeated.


On the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, I bow my head deeply before the souls of all those who perished both at home and abroad. I express my feelings of profound grief and my eternal, sincere condolences.

More than three million of our compatriots lost their lives during the war: on the battlefields worrying about the future of their homeland and wishing for the happiness of their families; in remote foreign countries after the war, in extreme cold or heat, suffering from starvation and disease. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the air raids on Tokyo and other cities, and the ground battles in Okinawa, among others, took a heavy toll among ordinary citizens without mercy.

Also in countries that fought against Japan, countless lives were lost among young people with promising futures. In China, Southeast Asia, the Pacific islands and elsewhere that became the battlefields, numerous innocent citizens suffered and fell victim to battles as well as hardships such as severe deprivation of food. We must never forget that there were women behind the battlefields whose honour and dignity were severely injured.

Upon the innocent people did our country inflict immeasurable damage and suffering. History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone. Each and every one of them had his or her life, dream, and beloved family. When I squarely contemplate this obvious fact, even now, I find myself speechless and my heart is rent with the utmost grief.

The peace we enjoy today exists only upon such precious sacrifices. And therein lies the origin of postwar Japan.

We must never again repeat the devastation of war.

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.

With deep repentance for the war, Japan made that pledge. Upon it, we have created a free and democratic country, abided by the rule of law, and consistently upheld that pledge never to wage a war again. While taking silent pride in the path we have walked as a peace-loving nation for as long as seventy years, we remain determined never to deviate from this steadfast course.

Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war. In order to manifest such feelings through concrete actions, we have engraved in our hearts the histories of suffering of the people in Asia as our neighbours: those in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, and Taiwan, the Republic of Korea and China, among others; and we have consistently devoted ourselves to the peace and prosperity of the region since the end of the war.

Such position articulated by the previous cabinets will remain unshakable into the future.


However, no matter what kind of efforts we may make, the sorrows of those who lost their family members and the painful memories of those who underwent immense sufferings by the destruction of war will never be healed.

Thus, we must take to heart the following.

The fact that more than six million Japanese repatriates managed to come home safely after the war from various parts of the Asia-Pacific and became the driving force behind Japan’s postwar reconstruction; the fact that nearly three thousand Japanese children left behind in China were able to grow up there and set foot on the soil of their homeland again; and the fact that former POWs of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and other nations have visited Japan for many years to continue praying for the souls of the war dead on both sides.

How much emotional struggle must have existed and what great efforts must have been necessary for the Chinese people who underwent all the sufferings of the war and for the former POWs who experienced unbearable sufferings caused by the Japanese military in order for them to be so tolerant nevertheless?

That is what we must turn our thoughts to reflect upon.

Thanks to such manifestation of tolerance, Japan was able to return to the international community in the postwar era. Taking this opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, Japan would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to all the nations and all the people who made every effort for reconciliation.


In Japan, the postwar generations now exceed eighty per cent of its 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. Still, even so, we Japanese, across generations, must squarely face the history of the past. We have the responsibility to inherit the past, in all humbleness, and pass it on to the future.

Our parents’ and grandparents’ generations were able to survive in a devastated land in sheer poverty after the war. The future they brought about is the one our current generation inherited and the one we will hand down to the next generation. Together with the tireless efforts of our predecessors, this has only been possible through the goodwill and assistance extended to us that transcended hatred by a truly large number of countries, such as the United States, Australia, and European nations, which Japan had fiercely fought against as enemies.

We must pass this down from generation to generation into the future. We have the great responsibility to take the lessons of history deeply into our hearts, to carve out a better future, and to make all possible efforts for the peace and prosperity of Asia and the world.

We will engrave in our hearts the past, when Japan attempted to break its deadlock with force. Upon this reflection, Japan will continue to firmly uphold the principle that any disputes must be settled peacefully and diplomatically based on the respect for the rule of law and not through the use of force, and to reach out to other countries in the world to do the same. As the only country to have ever suffered the devastation of atomic bombings during war, Japan will fulfil its responsibility in the international community, aiming at the non-proliferation and ultimate abolition of nuclear weapons.

We will engrave in our hearts the past, when the dignity and honour of many women were severely injured during wars in the 20th century. Upon this reflection, Japan wishes to be a country always at the side of such women’s injured hearts. Japan will lead the world in making the 21st century an era in which women’s human rights are not infringed upon.

We will engrave in our hearts the past, when forming economic blocs made the seeds of conflict thrive. Upon this reflection, Japan will continue to develop a free, fair and open international economic system that will not be influenced by the arbitrary intentions of any nation. We will strengthen assistance for developing countries, and lead the world toward further prosperity. Prosperity is the very foundation for peace. Japan will make even greater efforts to fight against poverty, which also serves as a hotbed of violence, and to provide opportunities for medical services, education, and self-reliance to all the people in the world.

We will engrave in our hearts the past, when Japan ended up becoming a challenger to the international order. Upon this reflection, Japan will firmly uphold basic values such as freedom, democracy, and human rights as unyielding values and, by working hand in hand with countries that share such values, hoist the flag of “Proactive Contribution to Peace,” and contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world more than ever before.

Heading toward the 80th, the 90th and the centennial anniversary of the end of the war, we are determined to create such a Japan together with the Japanese people.

That is what I perceive to be the wisdom for our future, the wisdom we should learn from history.

At the outset, I stated that I would like to take the report of the Advisory Panel as the voice of history.

And yet, we must remain humble toward history. Our humbleness demands, in my belief, that we always continue to look into history in order for us to ponder whether there are other voices we have heretofore failed to listen to.

Henceforward, in all humbleness, I will continue to lend my ear to the voice of history, and learn wisdom for our future. That is the attitude I will maintain, as ever.

That concludes my remarks.

 

Q&As
REPORTER:　I am Sugita with Kyodo News, one of the coordinators of the press club.
Mr. Prime Minister, you have been positioning this Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of the War as something to be disseminated to the world. What is the message that you wish to convey most of all, both domestically and internationally? Also, please tell us the reason that you included the expressions “feeling of apology” and “aggression” in a way that differs from the Murayama Statement and the Koizumi Statement of years past.

PRIME MINISTER ABE: At this great juncture that marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, I thought that we should send out a message to the world about what kind of Japan we will create as we head toward the 80th, the 90th, and the centennial anniversary of the end of the war, with the lessons of the past engraved in our hearts, as we reflect extensively upon the road to war, the path we have taken since it ended, and the era of the 20th century.

In drafting this, I endeavored to create a Statement that could be held in common with as many of the Japanese people as possible, with a view to putting forth a vision of the nation that Japan should seek to realize together with the Japanese people. From the viewpoint of holding this message in common with a broader range of the Japanese people, rather than place emphasis on one extracted part, I would like you to look at the message as the Statement in its entirety and take it as such.

I believe that the feelings of apology for Japan’s actions during the war have been upheld consistently by the post-war Cabinets. I believe that feeling was expressed in the form of the Murayama Statement on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, and that feeling of apology was also carried into the Koizumi Statement issued to commemorate the 60th anniversary. Such a feeling articulated by previous Cabinets has also been upheld and will be upheld as unshakable by my Cabinet. I presume that future Cabinets will do the same. This has been indicated clearly within this Statement.

Next, with regard to the word “aggression,” our Statement was prepared on the basis of the Report issued on the shared recognition of the experts on the Advisory Panel. As it says in the Report, I believe that there were also actions to be regarded as aggression.  That is precisely why the Statement declares that it was with deep repentance for the war that Japan made a pledge never again to resort to any form of the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes and uses the phrase “incident, aggression, war.”

It is not the case that Japan’s actions during the war would be unacceptable if they fit the definition of the word “aggression,” but acceptable if they do not fit this definition. In the past, Japan lost sight of the overall trends in the world and attempted to overcome its diplomatic and economic deadlock through the use of force and expand its power.  I believe that the most important message in this Statement is that Japan, based upon sincere remorse over these facts, will continue into the future to respect the rule of law and uphold our pledge never to wage a war again. Having said that, as for what kinds of actions in concrete terms qualify or fail to qualify as “aggression,” I believe we should leave that for historians to discuss.

The important point is that we shall never again resort to any form of the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. I consider this to be the point about which we will learn from the past and take as a lesson, and it is what we should feel remorse about.

REPORTER:　I am Sekiguchi of the Tokyo Shimbun.
Mr. Prime Minister, in 2009, you stated in an interview with a monthly magazine that ever since the Murayama Statement, every time the administration changes there is pressure to accede to that Statement, as if it were some sort of test of loyalty, and that Japan should not be forever bound by former Prime Minister Murayama’s personal recognition of history. Please discuss the consistency between those comments and today’s Statement in a way that is easy to understand.

PRIME MINISTER ABE: As I have said repeatedly until now, we uphold the Murayama Statement in its entirety. At the same time, I have also said that politics must remain humble toward history. Grounded in that belief, in preparation for this Statement, I assembled the Advisory Panel, bringing together experts including scholars and historians to have them discuss how to view the history of the world and Japan in the 20th century, broadly taking a panoramic perspective of the world that transcends eras.  These experts differed in their views and opinions but were ultimately able to reach a certain, shared recognition.

I would like to take the Report of the Advisory Panel as the voice of history. And, on the basis of that report, reflecting upon the road to war and the era of the 20th century, what kind of country should Japan create, engraving these lessons into our hearts? At this great juncture that marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, this was compiled as our Statement.

Having said that, are there not perhaps other voices we have heretofore failed to listen to? Pondering whether or not there are other such voices, in all humbleness, I will always continue to lend my ear to the voice of history and learn wisdom for our future. That is the attitude I will maintain, as ever.
　

REPORTER:　I am Abiru, with Sankei.
Today’s Statement says that we must not let future generations of children be predestined to apologize, but at the same time it also says that we Japanese, across generations, must squarely face the history of the past.
This to me seems akin to the famous speech made by German President Weizsäcker, in which he said that while they will not avert their eyes from history, [post-war generations of Germans] "cannot profess a guilt of their own for crimes they did not commit." I would like to hear your thoughts on that.

PRIME MINISTER ABE: Seventy years have passed since the end of the war.  We must not allow a situation in which our children, grandchildren, and even children of the future in generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, must continue to apologize, or let them be predestined to apologize. I considered this to be the responsibility of our generation that is alive at this moment. That thought has been incorporated into this Statement as well.

Still, even so, I believe that we Japanese, across generations, must squarely face the history of the past. Most of all we should express our gratitude to the manifestation of tolerance shown by the nations that, after the war, extended to Japan, their former enemy, goodwill and assistance and guided us back to the international community. I believe that across generations, we must never forget that feeling of gratitude.

At the same time, we must have remorse for the past. We have the great responsibility to take the lessons of history deeply into our hearts, to carve out a better future, and to make all possible efforts for the peace and prosperity of Asia and the world. That thinking was also incorporated into this Statement.

REPORTER:　Reynolds of Bloomberg News.
I would like to ask about your expectations for the impacts of this Statement. For example, do you think that it increases the possibility of you visiting China within this year and holding your third summit meeting with President Xi Jinping?

And as for the current timing, China’s economic recession has recently become a matter of great concern. Within that context, do you believe that the impact of this Statement may be diminished?

PRIME MINISTER ABE: I would like the Chinese people to take the candid views of Japan on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war exactly as they are.
With China, through the two summit meetings I have had with President Xi Jinping, we have shared the view that we will improve our relations based on the principleof a "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.” Japan and China share great responsibility for the peace and prosperity of the region. Our two countries have very close economic ties, and going forward I want us to strengthen our stable friendship and rise to the expectations of the international community, while deepening dialogues at various levels. Regarding summit meetings as well, I would like to take any opportunities that might arise. Our door for dialogue is always open.

REPORTER:　I am Nanao of Nico Nico Douga. Thank you for taking my question.
Based on this Statement, I would like to ask about the security legislation. If we look once more at the opinions voiced by scholars and others regarding this bill, one point is that a tendency can be seen in which approval or disapproval of the security bill breaks down along the lines of whether China’s trend regarding its military is seen as a threat or not.
I believe the public also sees this disparity in their thinking, but regardless, in terms of Japan’s security, what is your view on this major difference in perception?

PRIME MINISTER ABE: Seventy years ago, we Japanese made a pledge not to engage in war—a pledge that the horrors of war must never be repeated.  This pledge not to engage in war will remain unchanged into the future.

The Legislation for Peace and Security now under deliberation is to prevent in advance conflicts from happening. First of all we will secure peace through diplomacy.  I believe it goes without saying that this is important. In the future, I will continue to deploy proactive and peaceful diplomacy.

Having said that, we shall not fail to prepare for contingencies. This bill is intended to secure the lives and peaceful daily lives of the Japanese people. Needless to say it was not prepared on the supposition of any country in particular. Through this legislation, when Japan is in danger, the Japan-U.S. Alliance will function perfectly.  Clear demonstration of this to the world will further strengthen and enhance our ability to prevent in advance conflicts from happening. I believe that the possibility of Japan being attacked will decrease even further.

As I listen earnestly to the views and the criticisms of the public, I intend to continue to build up my efforts into the future to deepen people’s understanding about this important and necessary legislation.

REPORTER:　I am Takeuchi with the Nippon Television Network.
I believe that there are areas such as the issue of perceptions of history regarding which opinion is divided among the public as well. Against that backdrop, what is the message that you personally would like to convey to the public or the message that you want them to take away from this Statement?

PRIME MINISTER ABE: First of all, I decided that I wanted to prepare this Statement in a way that would be accepted by a greater number of the Japanese people.

With that in mind, I decided I wanted to make it a basis upon which we could create a dream for the future together with a large number of Asian and other countries.

In preparing this Statement I did not want to have it conclude with abstract expressions such as “mistaken national policy.” Rather, I thought we must draw historical lessons in the concrete as to the way in which our course was mistaken.

So I set up the Advisory Panel and asked the experts on the Panel to undertake that task in the concrete.

As we turn our attention to the world, unfortunately there continue to be conflicts even now. We cannot under any circumstances accept attempts to change the status quo through force, whether in Ukraine, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, or anywhere else on earth. Moreover, the reality is that the problems of poverty and terrorism are becoming increasingly serious.

In such an era, I believe that disseminating the lessons to be learned from the history of 70 years ago has major contemporary significance, not for Japan alone but also for the entire world.