A draft of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II includes all key words used in the 1995 Murayama statement, including "apology" and "aggression," NHK reported Monday.
Officials in the ruling coalition welcomed the inclusion of these words in the draft, whose final, official version is scheduled to be released this Friday.
In trying to detect any change in Japan's stance toward its wartime past, China and South Korea are closely watching whether Abe will repeat the key words used in the 1995 statement by then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who on the 50th anniversary of Japan's surrender expressed "feeling of deep remorse" and offered a "heartfelt apology."