Source believes Aug. 14 could be release date of Abe's war anniversary statement

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is eyeing Aug. 14 as the date he will release his statement on the 70th anniversary of World War II’s end, a government source said Wednesday.

Japan will mark the anniversary of its surrender in the war a day later.

The prime minister’s office said an advisory panel on the statement handpicked by Abe was to submit its report to him on Thursday.

Most of the panel members have agreed that the statement need not include an apology to highlight its “future oriented” nature — even Abe’s predecessors gave apologies in their statements on the 50th and 60th anniversaries.

China and South Korea, which suffered as a result of Japanese wartime aggression before and during World War II, are closely watching to see whether Abe will water down previously issued apologies.

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