Press Conference by the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The 70th anniversary of the end of World War II

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I have a question regarding the issuance of a statement by the Prime Minister upon the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. During his press conference today, Mr. Toshihiro Nikai, Chairman of the General Council of the Liberal Democratic Party, expressed the view that the opinions of the opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party, should be sought. Could you please tell me whether or not the Government might consider including some means of soliciting the views of the opposition parties as part of the process of formulating a statement?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY KATO: I am aware of the remarks made by Chairman Nikai. What I would say is that, with regard to the statement you mentioned, first of all the Prime Minister has stated to date that the Abe Cabinet has upheld and will continue to uphold the position on the recognition of history outlined by previous cabinets in its entirety, including the Murayama Statement. With that perspective in mind, we understand that the statement would communicate Japan’s remorse regarding WWII, the path Japan has taken as a peace-loving nation following WWII, and how Japan will contribute to peace in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Based on that premise, in the statement to be issued upon the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, we will present a vision of the Japan we wish to see by the 80th, 90th, and 100th anniversaries. In terms of the specific content, the Government’s position is that we will consider this while seeking the opinions of intellectuals. I believe that is how we will be approaching the matter.

(Abridged)