Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba released a long-awaited personal statement on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II Friday, offering his own perspective on the outbreak of the conflict — in a bid to establish a legacy weeks before his leadership comes to an end.

“I have been wondering why Japan was not able to stop the war, and what role politics played and did not play,” Ishiba told a news conference Friday evening, saying that statements by past prime ministers had not elaborated on this point.

“This statement is my thoughts on the remaining issues left unanswered,” he said.

Unlike other declarations issued on previous key anniversaries — such as those delivered by Prime Ministers Tomiichi Murayama and Shinzo Abe in 1995 and 2015, respectively — Ishiba’s message was released in a personal capacity, without the formal approval of his entire Cabinet.

The statement was shaped by Ishiba’s visits to various places touched by the horrors of the war, both at home and abroad, he said.

With a length of seven pages, the message delves into the domestic historical context at the time of the conflict. It is broadly divided into three sections: an introduction, an analysis of the circumstances leading to the outbreak of conflict and a reflection on lessons for the present day.

After stating his resolve to muse on the war and expressing his alignment with the historical understandings expressed in the previous statements, Ishiba asks why, despite estimations at the time showing Japan was on course for war, those in power proved unable to stop it.

“Why was our political system unable to make the decision to avoid the war? Why did it plunge headlong into a reckless conflict, resulting in the sacrifice of countless innocent lives both at home and abroad?” reads the statement.

An analytical dissection of the prewar period follows, rich in historical details and direct references to the protagonists of the era. Ishiba attempts to shed light on the lack of formal civilian control in the then-empire of Japan, the absence of checks on the military on the part of those in power and the role of the media in fomenting bellicose sentiment.

Two mentions of Takao Saito, a lawmaker expelled from parliament in 1940 for his searing criticism of the war effort, and the violent political climate of the time were also included.

“We faced issues concerning whether sufficient information had been gathered on the international situation and military developments, whether the information obtained had been analyzed correctly, and whether it had been appropriately shared,” Ishiba continued.

In the second half of the statement, Ishiba expanded on the wisdom he believes Japan can gain from how events unfolded 80 years ago.

In an explicit mention of Abe’s 2022 assassination, Ishiba warned against the dangers of populism, xenophobia and sectionalism in bureaucracy, inviting politicians to weigh every decision with rational thinking in the long-term interest of the country.

”We must not repeat the historical mistakes of steering the nation astray by prioritizing emotional and sentimental judgments over rational ones,” Ishiba said, pledging to spare no effort in working to prevent such calamities from happening again.

Underlining the importance of facing history squarely and learning from it to strengthen Japan’s status as a peaceful nation, Ishiba stressed that, together with military organizations, politicians too “may be driven headlong into war.”

The message comes one month after Ishiba announced his intention to resign as Liberal Democratic Party president, following a dismal showing in the recent Upper House election. He is expected to leave office in the coming weeks.

Conservatives within the LDP had long shown a strong resistance to any potential message. They argued that Abe’s 2015 statement, which expounded on the importance of not making future generations apologize, sufficed in settling the matter of World War II.

Questioned on the issue during her recent campaign for the leadership of the ruling party, newly appointed leader Sanae Takaichi said a message was not necessary.

“I don’t think criticism is warranted,” said Ishiba during his news conference, stressing that his statement compensates for a lack of a reflection in previous declarations.