Using images from World War II, Publisher Takarajimasha Inc. on Thursday placed an ad in five major Japanese newspapers calling for world peace.
The two-page ads used full-page photos of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor with a caption reading "Oblivion is sin."
Every year, Takarajimasha publishes an ad to "spread a message to society as a company" that it can't fully carry in the books and magazines it publishes. This year was the 20th such attempt.
The ad also carried the message: "Human beings make mistakes. But they can learn from them. World peace is homework for human beings."
In a statement the publisher said, "2016 was a historic year when U.S. President (Barack) Obama visited Hiroshima, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Pearl Harbor."
It added, "2017 is expected to be a year when the world will change dramatically. But the goal that human beings won't and shouldn't change is world peace."