Consoling the souls of the war dead appears to be one of the important tasks that Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have assumed. Their visit to Palau this week on the 70th year from the end of World War II marks a culmination of their series of journeys to pray for both soldiers and civilians who have died as a result of war.

In 1994, the Imperial Couple visited Iwojima to pray for the souls of both Japanese and American soldiers who were killed in the fierce battle on the island that lasted more than a month from February 1945. In 1995, the 50th anniversary year of the war's end, they visited not only the atomic-bombed cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima but also Okinawa, where about 200,000 people, including some 12,500 U.S. soldiers, died in 1945 in the major battle there. That same year they also visited a cenotaph in Tokyo's Sumida Ward to pray for the victims of the March 1945 Great Tokyo Air Raid. In 2005, they visited Saipan Island to pray for Japanese, Koreans and Americans who were killed in the violent battle there in 1944. Last year, they again visited Okinawa, Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

It is clearly the Emperor's strong desire that the experiences of war are correctly handed down to future generations so that Japan will not repeat its mistake of treading the path to war. He expressed his sentiments clearly when he issued his "New Year's thoughts" on Jan. 1. He said, "I think it is most important for us to take this opportunity to study and learn from the history of this war, starting with the Manchurian Incident of 1931, as we consider the future direction of our country."

His visit to Palau should be understood against the background of this statement. Japan controlled Palau, formerly a German overseas territory, from October 1914 to August 1945. After World War I, the League of Nations awarded Palau to Japan as part of a mandate. During the Pacific War, Palau became a target of Allied forces since the Imperial Japanese Navy had a key base on Koror Island. An intense ground battle was fought on Peleliu Island for about two months after U.S. troops landed there in September 1944. Most of the some 10,000 members of the Japanese garrison there died, along with about 1,800 American troops.

Of some 3.1 million Japanese who died in the war, roughly 2 million were killed abroad. A close aide to the Emperor says he wants to console the souls of Japanese who lost their lives in foreign lands. Although the Imperial Couple visited only Saipan and Palau in their war-related trips abroad, their visits were meant for all the war's victims. After arriving in Palau, the Emperor said, "Here in Palau, we would like to pray for the souls of all the people who died in that war and remember the hardship that their bereaved families experienced."

In Peleliu, the Emperor and the Empress paid tribute to the cenotaphs for both the Japanese and American soldiers. Land battles almost always take a toll on civilians in addition to soldiers, but in the case of Peleliu, the islanders had been evacuated before the battle. In mentioning this event the Emperor said, "It was a sad thing that some people became victims of air raids, scarcity of food and epidemics."

The close aide to the Emperor recalls that when he first heard him say, in regard to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that atomic bombs were different in nature from ordinary weapons, he feared that the remark might ignite a political controversy over the U.S. responsibility for the 1945 bombings. But after repeatedly hearing the Emperor talk about the issue, the aide came to understand that the Emperor was talking about a problem that confronts all of humanity. It would not be far-fetched to say that the Emperor's statements about war reflect his wish that it should never be repeated because it not only causes great suffering and pain among victims but also keeps ill feelings and hatred between peoples alive long after the fighting is finished.

The Emperor has repeatedly stressed the importance of handing Japan's war experiences down to future generations. At a news conference on his birthday in 2005, he said, "For Japan, from the beginning to the 20th year of the Showa Era when the war ended (1926-1945), there were rarely peaceful times. I believe it is very important for the people of Japan to strive to accurately understand this past history as well as the times that followed. This is also important when the Japanese people interact with the people of the world."

At his birthday news conference held a year later, the Emperor said, "I sincerely hope that the facts about the war and the war dead will continue to be correctly conveyed to those of the generations that do not have direct knowledge of the war so that the kind of the ravages of war that we experienced in the past will never be repeated."

A 2013 survey by NHK covering people aged 20 or older showed that only 20 percent of the respondents accurately knew the year and date when the Pacific War started. Not only is the public memory of war fading, but so is interest in learning and thinking about the war. People should take the Emperor's call seriously and study — free of nationalistic sentiment — the history of Japan's modern wars. The facts should be closely examined and thought about, and differences in opinions should be discussed in a dispassionate manner. Such attitudes can contribute to fulfilling the Emperor's wish that the facts about the war be accurately handed down to future generations.