Prince Akishino, second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, told a recent news conference that he is convinced wars should never be fought again and wants to keep the collective memories of World War II alive, according to the transcript released Sunday by the Imperial Household Agency.
The prince said his parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, repeatedly explained to him how the war affected Japan, which in turn “strongly convinced” him and his wife, Princess Kiko, that “war should never be repeated again,” the transcript showed.
“We ourselves have not experienced the war, so there is a limit as to how accurately we can tell our children about what happened at the time,” the prince said at the news conference, also attended by the princess.