VOX POPULI: Ishiba ending WWII tradition speaks to his cautiousness
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reportedly plans not to issue a special 'Ishiba Statement' to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug. 15, the date Japan annually commemorates Emperor Hirohito's 1945 announcement of the nation's surrender.
Ishiba will forgo not only a Cabinet-approved statement—breaking with the practice begun in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the war's end—but also any personal message of his own.
Since the statement issued by former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995, prime ministers had issued war-anniversary statements every 10 years, a tradition Ishiba is now set to discontinue.
According to a report in The Asahi Shimbun, Ishiba's decision reflects deference to the conservative wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has argued that such statements have been unnecessary since the 'Abe Statement' issued by then–Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 10 years ago.
Does this mean the tradition of prime ministerial statements marking historical milestones is coming to an end? To consider this question, I revisited the record of the very first such statement, the 'Murayama Statement,' which is significant as Japan's official and unequivocal apology for its wartime acts.
In his memoirs, Murayama recalled, 'I believed it could only be done by my own Cabinet.'
At the time, he led a broad coalition government of the LDP, the Social Democratic Party and the now-defunct New Party Sakigake.
Once Murayama resolved to issue the statement, he warned his chief Cabinet secretary and other top officials, 'If we fail, I'll resign,' and he was prepared to have the entire Cabinet step down.
He personally lobbied senior ministers, and when the Cabinet meeting convened—chaired by an unwaveringly resolute Murayama—the statement was approved without a single objection, according to his memoirs.
Ishiba, for his part, has long demonstrated a strong commitment to confronting and reflecting on Japan's wartime past.
After taking office in 2024, he remarked to those around him that the 80th anniversary would be 'the last major milestone while there are still people alive who experienced the war.'
Yet he now appears prepared to forgo issuing any statement, likely out of concern that doing so could provoke an anti-Ishiba backlash within his own party.
Once, Japan had a prime minister willing to risk his post in order to issue such a statement. Now, it has a prime minister who refrains from issuing one to avoid being driven from office.
I believe it is vital for the nation's leaders to pause and reflect on history at each of these milestones. If Ishiba intends to remain in office, I wish he had stood his ground.
The original Japanese version of the Murayama Statement, delivered 30 years ago, closed with an old Chinese aphorism: 'Nothing is more reliable to lean on than trust.'
To continue affirming that we will never forget the past—surely that is the very foundation of trust and good faith.
—The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 4
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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