Prime Minister Suga broke with tradition and did not apologize for WWII

“We pledge to live up to our pledge never to repeat the tragedy of war“he said in his first speech at the event since becoming Prime Minister, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.

Suck did not apologize to the Asian victims Japanese aggression in the region during the first half of the 20th century, a precedent set by the country’s former ruler, Shinzo abe, who was frequently accused of trying to cover up Japan’s brutal past.

From 2013, Abe stopped acknowledging Japan’s wartime hostilities or apologizing in his August 15 speeches, abandon a tradition of almost 20 years which began with the apology of socialist leader Tomiichi Murayama in 1995.

In a speech focused primarily on the national level, Suga listed the damage done to Japan and its people, including the United States’ atomic attacks against Hiroshima Yes Nagasaki, the bombing of Tokyo and other cities, and the fierce battle of Okinawa, and he mourned them.

Emperor Naruhito, on the other hand, expressed “deep remorse” for his country’s actions. during the war in a carefully nuanced speech that followed in his father’s footsteps, who devoted his 30-year career to mending a war fought in the name of Hirohito, the current emperor’s grandfather.

Naruhito added that he hopes people can unite their hearts to overcome the difficulty of the coronavirus pandemic while seeking happiness and peace for all.

Amid an increase in coronavirus infections in Tokyo, some 200 participants, up from around 6,000 before the pandemic, mourned the dead with a minute of silence, wearing masks and without singing the national anthem.

Suga pledged to cooperate with the international community to resolve global issues within the framework of the “Proactive pacifism”, a vision promoted by Abe to allow Japan to play a more important military role in international conflicts.

Before attending the ceremony at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Suga laid flowers at a nearby national cemetery for unknown soldiers.

While the Prime Minister stayed away from the controversial Yasukuni shrine, where the remains of Japanese war criminals lie, sent a religious dedication to the site, Japanese media reported.

The victims of Japanese actions during the first half of the twentieth century, especially the Koreas Yes China, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism as it honors convicted war criminals among the estimated 2.5 million killed in the war.

Abe, who resigned as prime minister last year, prayed at the shrine on Sunday, as did three other members of Suga’s cabinet, while two other ministers visited the shrine on Friday.

These visits drew criticism from China and South Korea.

In a statement, the Korean Foreign Ministry urged Japanese officials to show “sincere remorse for action” so that countries can develop “future-oriented ties.”

For her part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called on Japan to take measures that “would gain the confidence” of its neighbors.