Press Conference by Prime Minister Ishiba regarding His Visit to Iwo-To and Other Matters

(On Prime Minister Ishiba's reaction upon visiting Iwo-To, the site of a tremendous number of casualties in the final stages of the Pacific War, where he participated in the Japan-U.S. Iwo-To Reunion of Honor Ceremony and went to observe the sites where the remains of the war dead are collected and other locations; on Japan's approach of contributing to peace even as wars continue to be waged in various locations around the world 80 years after the end of the war; on how the recovery of the remains of the war dead will be accelerated, in light of the great number of war dead on Iwo-To whose remains have not yet been recovered, with many said to lie beneath the island's runways; and on Prime Minister Ishiba's intention to establish a panel of experts to examine the war, in conjunction with the passage of 80 years since the war's end)

It has been 80 years since the end of the war. Starting from the Second Sino-Japanese War and continuing up to the Pacific War, many locations were the site of fierce battles. A great many soldiers, thinking of their hometowns and of the family and friends they left behind, fought for the sake of their country and for the sake of their loved ones, and many lost their precious lives. Among the battles in the final stages of the war, a truly desperate struggle took place here on Iwo-To, and on the island of Peleliu as well. Japanese forces, led by General KURIBAYASHI (Tadamichi), waged a fierce battle with U.S. forces, a ferocious clash that left its mark on history.

After 80 years, Japan and the United States, once adversaries, now hold a joint memorial ceremony here as allies, something I consider to be of the utmost significance. Here, in the context of us honoring the souls of those who fell in the line of duty, and in light of Japan and the United States working together to foster world peace by making our Alliance even more robust, I feel that today was a very meaningful day.

I note that the remains of some 11,000 war dead rest here on this island, thinking of their hometowns. Consistent with our sincere mourning for the deceased and our wish for peace, my administration will ensure the entire Japanese Government works as one with a view to recovering these remains and returning them home at the earliest possible time. In line with this, today I am visiting here together with the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and others who are truly of the same mind, including Mr. AISAWA (Ichiro, President of the Parliamentary League for Iwo-To) and Mr. SHINDO (Yoshitaka, Representative of the Bereaved Families of the Iwo-To Association), two members of the Diet.

Today was a day characterized by our thoughts of peace and our wish to foster world peace by making the Japan-U.S. Alliance more robust. We also prayed for the repose of the souls of the war dead and underscored our ambition to return the remains of all the fallen, to the very last one, to their hometowns at the earliest possible time. I appreciate most sincerely the opportunity to spend such a profoundly meaningful day here, and I once again offer my heartfelt prayers for the repose of the souls of all those who perished here.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the war's end. Until now, at each milestone year, including for the 60th and 70th years after the war's end, we sent out various kinds of messages expressing our thoughts towards peace. As of now, no decisions have been taken on any sort of schedule or how a statement would be issued. What we would like to think about is how we can build peace, incorporating an examination of the past alongside our thoughts towards the future.

My political mentor, Mr. TANAKA Kakuei, once said, "As long as the guys who went to that war make up the heart of our country, Japan as a nation will be just fine. What worries me is when those people are no longer around. That's why we need to have future generations study the war properly."

Eighty years since the war ended. Even those who served in the war as child soldiers at age 15 are now more than 90 years old, and even those who fled amidst the flames of war are now at a very advanced age. I want to consider what we can do at this moment, and what we must contemplate, to ensure we truly never repeat the horrors of war, so that peace will become firmly established and so that the independence and peace of Japan are thoroughly ensured. But as for a concrete schedule or other such matters, no decisions have been taken yet.

What I said just now is my own thinking on the matter.