Japan hurt Asia with a 'reckless war', panel tells Abe (but it quibbles over term 'aggression')
Comment is made in 38-page report by Abe's advisors ahead of his statement this month marking 70th anniversary of the end of the war
Advisers to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed in a new report that Japan caused much damage in Asia through a "reckless war" but quibbled over the term "aggression" to describe its actions.
Their report, meant to serve as reference for Abe's statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war, covered over 100 years of history in 38 pages. The statement is expected to be released ahead of August 15, the date Japan surrendered to the Allies.
The report referred to Japan's aggression in China after 1931 but noted that some advisers objected to the term because of a lack of a definition in international law and a reluctance to single out Japan when other nations had engaged in similar acts.
Abe repeated yesterday, the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, that he upholds previous statements on the war, which include a 1995 "heartfelt apology" by then-premier Tomiichi Murayama.
But he has also questioned use of the term aggression - a key phrase in the Murayama statement - and his stated desire to issue forward-looking comments in his own words has raised concerns that he wants to dilute past apologies.
That would spark anger in China and South Korea, which both suffered under Japanese rule, with parts of China occupied in the 1930s and Korea colonised from 1910 to 1945. It could also disappoint ally the United States.