Ishiba still seeking timing to express view on war's end
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba did not release his message commemorating the end of World War II on Tuesday, the day on which Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender in the war 80 years ago.
The prime minister already stopped short of releasing such a message on Aug. 15, the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in the war.
Ishiba is still believed to be eager to express his view on the matter and will continue to seek the best timing while monitoring developments within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including calls for his resignation following the party's crushing defeat in the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.
"Nothing has been decided at this point regarding a message for the 80th anniversary of the end of the war," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference Tuesday. "We will make an appropriate decision based on the statements (made by past prime ministers) so far."
According to a source close to the prime minister, because Sept. 3, which falls on Wednesday, marks the anniversary of China's victory over Japan in the war, he was said to have been cautious from the outset about releasing a message on Tuesday, out of concern that it might send a wrong signal.
The prime minister has said it is important to keep the memory of the war alive and to ensure that such a war is never repeated. He remains committed to sharing his views on history.
Still, some conservative LDP members oppose Ishiba's plan to release his view on the end of the war, given that then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated in a 2015 message marking the 70th anniversary of the war's end that Japan must not let future generations be predestined to apologise.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
