Japan's emperor, prime minister express remorse over country’s wartime past

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows after placing a flower at an altar at a memorial service ceremony marking the the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, while Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako watch, in Tokyo, Japan August 15, 2019. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo)

In this Aug. 6, 1945, file photo released by US Air Force, a column of smoke rises 20,000 feet over Hiroshima, western Japan, after the first Atomic 5-ton "Little Boy" bomb was released. (George R. Caron/US Air Force via AP, File)

In this Aug. 14, 1945, file photo, President Harry S. Truman reads to newsmen his announcement of the Japanese surrender officially signaling the war's end during a White House, Washington. (AP Photo, File)

South Koreans perform during the celebration of 75th anniversary of the Liberation Day at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul on August 15, 2020. (AFP / POOL / Chung Sung-Jun)

• Prime Minister Abe pledges never to repeat tragedy of war

TOKYO: Japanese Emperor Naruhito expressed “deep remorse” over the country’s wartime past while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged never to repeat the devastation of war as the nation observed the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.
“I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated,” Naruhito, 60, said at a ceremony for war dead. Naruhito, the grandson of Emperor Hirohito in whose name Imperial troops fought the war, is Japan’s first monarch born after the war. He ascended the throne last year after his father, Akihito, abdicated.
Naruhito, who together with Empress Masako has been largely absent from public view since Japan’s coronavirus outbreak worsened earlier this year, also expressed hope the country could come together to overcome the pandemic.
Abe, speaking at a ceremony, pledged never to repeat the devastation of war.
“Never to repeat the tragedy of war. We will continue to remain committed to this resolute pledge,” Abe said.
The ceremony was scaled down to less than one-tenth of last year’s size because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The legacy of the conflict still haunts Japan’s ties with its neighbors China and the two Koreas, where bitter memories of Tokyo’s military aggression linger.
Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine for war dead on Saturday, but avoided a personal visit that would anger China and South Korea.