Japan marks 70th anniversary of WWII surrender

China’s foreign ministry voiced its opposition to Saturday’s visits in a statement which said they demonstrated “Japan’s erroneous attitudes toward the historical issues”.

But by pushing ahead a controversial security bill and revising the country’s pacifist Constitution, the Japanese government had blindly and unscrupulously sought to challenge history and justice, the commentary said said.

In 1995, then-prime minister Tomiichi Murayama expressed his “deep remorse” and “heartfelt apology” for Japan’s “colonial rule and aggression”. Prime Minister Abe’s apology builds on previous statements by the Japanese government.

In 2013, Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead including convicted war criminals, sparked controversy.

“We must never forget that there were women behind the battlefields whose honour and dignity were severely injured”, he said.

Nonetheless, Hua has explained that “To face up to that part of history is important for keeping in mind the lessons of history and upholding justice; it is an important basis for Japan to improve relations with its neighbors in Asia; it is also the prerequisite for a better future”.

“Our country today enjoys peace and prosperity, thanks to the ceaseless efforts made by the people of Japan towards recovery from the devastation of the war and towards development, always backed by their earnest desire for the continuation of peace”, Akihito said Saturday.

But he acknowledged previous ones and said Japan must keep resolving to never again use force to settle worldwide disputes. “Those horrors teach us that the countries of our region all advance together, or none of us will advance at all”.

Japan and South Korea have long been at odds over the issue, with Seoul saying Tokyo has not done enough to atone for their suffering, despite a 1993 apology.

Abe, who wants to fix ties with China and South Korea and could visit Beijing as soon as next month, was not planning to visit Yasukuni himself on Saturday, Hagiuda said.

Abe noted that more than 80 percent of the country’s population was born after the war, and echoed growing though not universal sentiment in Japan that the country has apologized enough.

But by failing to personalize key aspects of his speech, and by only vaguely making reference to the sex slavery issue, criticisms of the Japanese prime minister are set to linger in South Korea.

In South Korea, less than 50 now elderly so-called “comfort women” are still alive and awaiting closure in the form of direct atonement from Tokyo.

“I note that he made it clear to the global community that Japan’s traditional position (on the war) centering on apology and remorse will remain unshakable in the coming years”, she said.