Ishiba unlikely to make personal statement on WWII anniversary
Ishiba had also considered making such a statement on Sept. 2, the date when Japan formally signed the surrender document in 1945, but no such announcement is likely to be made that day either, senior government officials and lawmakers in Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Saturday.
Ishiba is still looking for an appropriate time to make a statement, which would be based on the results of a review of the war.
But some believe that it would be difficult to do so any time soon. A personal statement by Ishiba, who is viewed as relatively dovish, could intensify the calls for his resignation that have emerged inside the LDP — especially among the party's more hawkish wing — following its rout in the July 20 Upper House election.
Japan has issued a prime minister's statement to mark each of the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the country's surrender in the war. But this tradition of marking key anniversaries could be broken by Ishiba.
The prime minister has already given up on the idea of releasing a prime minister's statement on the war that requires Cabinet approval. He is instead considering working on a document to present his view, based on the results of experts' examination of the circumstances that led Japan to enter the war.
But preparations for such a document did not progress because he was busy with the Upper House election and the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations. A source close to the prime minister said Ishiba would not be able to announce his views by Sept. 2.
In a statement issued 10 years ago, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the deep remorse and heartfelt apology expressed by past Cabinets "will remain unshakable."
However, Abe also said: "We must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize."
Supporting this view, many LDP lawmakers who belonged to the now-defunct faction that had been led by Abe think that no further war statements are necessary.
Ishiba appears to believe that releasing a personal statement would further fuel the moves to oust him that are already simmering within the party.
"It's better not to release anything," a source close to the prime minister said.
Ishiba has not entirely scrapped the idea of compiling a paper to show his view. Sources said that he is looking for the appropriate time, while monitoring the situation inside the party.
But he may be forced to abandon the idea if LDP turmoil continues.
With the LDP having suffered three consecutive election setbacks, following last October's Lower House election and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election last month, long-standing dissatisfaction with Ishiba's leadership has boiled over among his rivals.
A number of LDP members are calling on him to resign, but Ishiba has vowed to stay on in order to deal with pressing issues, including the matter of U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods, and in the belief that stepping down would lead to more political uncertainty.
The LDP is planning to hold a joint plenary meeting of all its parliamentary members on Friday, during which Ishiba will likely face pressure to quit.
An LDP panel is also formally assessing the results of the Upper House election and will release its report this month. Depending on the content of the report, calls for Ishiba to take responsibility may further intensify.
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