Japan to hold WWII panel discussions after summer Upper House election
The government will hold expert panel discussions on World War II after this summer's Upper House election, government sources have said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration was considering setting up the panel as early as April.
The start of the review will be delayed significantly as the government is busy tackling many important issues including tariff negotiations with the United States and soaring rice prices, the sources said Friday.
The Ishiba administration is unlikely to release a government statement to mark this year's 80th anniversary of the country's surrender in the war.
Previously, the government considered having the panel release a report on the outcome of its discussions toward the Aug. 15 anniversary. With the postponement of the review, the release will also be delayed.
Ishiba told the Upper House Budget Committee on Monday that he is thinking about various possibilities over the way civilian control should be, based on lessons from the war.
He was eager to show the world Japan's determination to remain a peaceful country.
An official statement marking the war landmark was released by then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama at the 50th anniversary, Junichiro Koizumi at the 60th and Shinzo Abe at the 70th.
Abe's 2015 statement expressed the government's intention to end its diplomacy of apologizing for its past, saying that future generations should not be forced to keep apologizing.
Some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, mainly conservatives, are cautious about rekindling history issues by releasing a fresh statement.
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