Japan marks surrender anniversary 58 years ago

[Dan W.]

TOKYO - Japan's prime minister marked the 58th anniversary of World War II's end with apologies and messages of peace, even as prominent lawmakers visited a shrine criticized as glorifying militarism. Asian countries called on Japan to acknowledge its wartime aggression.


Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed regret for the destruction inflicted by his country.

"During the war, Japan caused tremendous damage and suffering for the people of many countries, particularly Asian nations," Koizumi said at a Tokyo memorial service for the more than 3 million Japanese who died in the war. "On behalf of the people of Japan, I again express my profound remorse and sincerely mourn the victims."


"Humbly reflecting on the past, I will uphold this nation's anti-war pledge and will make every effort to develop friendly relations with our neighbors," he said, promising that future generations would never again take up arms.


Koizumi has used virtually identical language in past speeches at the event, which brings together several thousand relatives of the war dead. Later, Emperor Akihito delivered his own message of peace.


Along with ceremonies to mark the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the service spotlights Japan's collective memory of eight years of war that began for this nation in 1937 with a campaign to subjugate China and ended in 1945 with Japan's defeat.

Other Asian nations — and some Japanese — say Japan has not atoned for that past and claim that Tokyo has tried to bury memories of its brutal wartime actions.

In South Korea protesters accused Japan of trying to revive its past militarism and demanded that Tokyo redress past atrocities carried out during its 35-year colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.


"Japan should repent!" they chanted on a day celebrating Korean liberation from Japanese rule.


China's government urged Tokyo on Friday to "correctly" recognize its past aggressions.


"The war of aggression launched by the Japanese militarism has brought unprecedented and untold sufferings to China and other Asian nations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.


Every year Japan's official message of peace competes for the world's attention with the sight of conservative lawmakers filing into Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine — used to whip up nationalist fervor during the war. It honors Japan's fallen soldiers, including convicted war criminals.


Friday's visitors included four members of Koizumi's Cabinet and the outspoken Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara.


Defying a driving rain, thousands of worshippers passed through Yasukuni's towering gate. Many denied that the shrine paid tribute to militarism.


"You can't judge this place by what it represented in the past," said Susumu Takaoka, 56, whose father fought in the Japanese Imperial Army. "Now it's simply for remembering the people who gave their lives for this country."


Koizumi stayed away in an apparent gesture to countries in Asia, where Aug. 15 brings back bitter memories of invading Japanese troops. He began the day by laying a wreath at a Tokyo cemetery where unidentified remains of the nation's war dead buried. Japan says 3.1 million people died during World War II, including 800,000 civilians.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... nniversary

[ChristopherPerrien]

Dam hell of a Historian I am , forgetting this.
I thank the Japanese for reminding me. You too Dan W.


IT IS VJ-DAY ! WE WON!

[VirtueDecayed]

Shame... hypocritical bastards deserved Pearl Harbor and don't deny it. "Unprovoked attack" whatever.

US military out of Europe & Japan

[Sam H.]

Shame... hypocritical bastards deserved Pearl Harbor and don't deny it. "Unprovoked attack" whatever.

US military out of Europe & Japan

Would you care to eleaborate on that statement?

[ChristopherPerrien]

Shame... hypocritical bastards deserved Pearl Harbor and don't deny it. "Unprovoked attack" whatever.

US military out of Europe & Japan

You forgot some, Middle East, Africa, South America too.

[ChristopherPerrien]

Shame... hypocritical bastards deserved Pearl Harbor and don't deny it. "Unprovoked attack" whatever.

US military out of Europe & Japan

You forgot some, Middle East, Africa, South America too.

America First!!! as Linberg use to say.

[Deterance]

Shame... hypocritical bastards deserved Pearl Harbor and don't deny it. "Unprovoked attack" whatever.

US military out of Europe & Japan

A moronic post from a moron.

But I do agree....We should get out of Europe, Japan etc.

Ironic though...many countires want US out, but then change thier tune when we either agree to leave or leave.

South Korea and the Phillipines are good examples.

[Octavianus]

Ave amici,

In South Korea (news - web sites), protesters accused Japan of trying to revive its past militarism and demanded that Tokyo redress past atrocities carried out during its 35-year colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

"Japan should repent!" they chanted on a day celebrating Korean liberation from Japanese rule.

I agree that Japan should repent and pay a compensation to the prisoners to which they have caused harm, but in the same I am left wondering, but what about Korea? You would repent for the numerous crimes the Korean guards committed while guarding many POWs guards in Thailand, Indochina and Borneo? I guess it is true what they say... That each story has its white and its black side. :roll:

Gratiam,

Octavianus