Crown Prince Naruhito, marking his 55th birthday on Monday and ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II later this year, called for accounts of history to be handed down correctly.
"I myself did not experience the war, but it is important to look back on the past humbly and correctly pass down tragic experiences and the history behind Japan to the generations who have no direct knowledge of the war, at a time memories of the war are about to fade," he said at a news conference prior to his birthday.
He characterized postwar Japan as "enjoying peace and prosperity after it was built with the Japanese Constitution as the cornerstone."