Japan on Friday marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender to Allied forces in World War II, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressing “remorse” at the national memorial service for war casualties — the first time a Japanese prime minister has used the word in an Aug. 15 speech since 2012.
“We will not repeat the horrors of war. We will not go down the wrong path again. We must engrave the war’s remorse and lessons deeply into our hearts,” said Ishiba at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward.
The word remorse was last used in 2012 by then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who led the Democratic Party of Japan at the time, in his speech marking the 67th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender.
Prime ministers who succeeded Noda — Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida, all from the Liberal Democratic Party — did not mention “remorse” in their speeches, making Ishiba’s choice a notable break from his LDP predecessors.
Ishiba also added that the government will make dedicated efforts to bring back the remains of more people who died in the war as soon as possible.
The remains of 1.12 million of the 2.4 million Japanese who died overseas during the war have yet to be recovered, according to the health ministry.
At most, Japan will be able to recover 590,000 sets of remains as the rest are located in sunken ships or in foreign territories where recovery is particularly difficult.
In his speech, Emperor Naruhito reflected on people’s "unwavering efforts” to bring peace and prosperity to Japan since the war ended.
“I sincerely wish that we will continue the pursuit of peace and happiness as one,” he said.
Naruhito’s grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously as Emperor Showa, announced Japan's surrender in a radio address to the nation on Aug. 15, 1945. The ceremonial surrender of Japan took place on Sept. 2 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, with representatives from the Allied nations present.
About 3,432 attendees, including family members of those who lost their lives in World War II, attended Friday’s memorial service to honor the around 3.1 million Japanese who died in the war, a figure that includes both military personnel and civilians.
Attendees observed a moment of silence at noon.
For the first time, more than half of those who attended the Tokyo ceremony on Friday — 53.2% — were born after the war. It was also the first year no spouses of the war dead attended, apart from the years when attendance was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. It’s been 15 years since any parents of the war dead were in attendance, as the number of World War II survivors dwindles.
Hajime Eda, 82, delivered a eulogy on behalf of the bereaved. His father died soon after Japan surrendered on a repatriation ship that struck a mine and sank in the Korea Strait. Eda was 2 years old at the time and his 23-year-old mother was pregnant with his sister.
“The regret my father must have felt — having survived to see the war end and to begin dreaming and hoping for a future with his family — is beyond measure,” Eda said.
“As many people continue to suffer from invasions, ethnic conflicts, and religious disputes around the world, our country, having experienced the hardships of the postwar period firsthand, is now being called upon to appeal to the world about the futility of conflict, the difficulty of recovery, and the preciousness of peace,” he said.
Before attending the ceremony, Ishiba was seen bowing deeply and offering flowers at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, which holds the remains of individuals who died in overseas battlefields during World War II but whose identities are unknown.
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