Japan’s WWII 70th anniversary statement without remorse is worse than naught

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will leave out words of apology for Japan’s colonial rule and wartime aggression in the statement to be issued in August on the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War II, said the Japanese prime minister on Sunday. It is a reverse of what he said in the New Year’s address that “he will express remorse for the previous wars” on Jan. 5. The Korean government criticized Abe`s remarks, saying, "Japan should show sincerity to heal the wounds of the past history.” The Japanese prime minister’s remarks will likely to cast clouds over ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Seoul-Tokyo relations to be held in June.

Although Abe said he wanted to contain meanings for the future of Japan in the statement, Japan cannot move toward the future to be proud of without admitting the past wartime wrongdoings. Even Katsuya Okada, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, promptly criticized Abe’s remarks by saying, “It cannot be accepted since it (omitting key descriptions of the wartime atrocities) is the same as denying Japan’s post-war movement over the past 70 years.”

Abe is the very person who has driven the Korea-Japan and Korea-China relations into the worst place by not admitting the past wrongdoings since his inauguration. Abe visited to Israel`s Holocaust Memorial last week, only to reveal his two faces. Isn’t it shameful to mention “the world that upholds human rights” on the issue of Germany’s massacre of Jewish people, while tenaciously denying wartime atrocities committed by Japan?

Deeply fallen into popularity in Japan and distorted history revisionism, if the Japanese prime minister goes against universal values of civilized societies, Japan cannot become a leader in the international community. Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the White House`s National Security Council, said last week that Japan should address history to build closer ties with U.S. If Abe’s statement does not contain sincere remorse and apology for Japan’s past wrongdoings, the statement would bring about repercussions, which will be worse than not issuing any statement at all.