Ishiba's art of survival in Japan's fractured politics
By all accounts, Shigeru Ishiba should be bracing for the end of his premiership sometime in the next two months.
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9 hours ago
Japan PM Ishiba Unlikely to Announce View on WWII Soon
News from Japan Politics Aug 2, 2025 22:35 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided not to announce his view on World War II on Aug. 15, the 80th anniversary of his country's surrender in the war, sources said Saturday. Ishiba had also considered announcing the view on Sept. 2, the date when Japan signed the surrender document in 1945, but no such announcement is likely to be made that day, senior officials of the government and Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party said. Ishiba is still seeking an appropriate time to announce his view, which would be based on the results of a review of the war. But some expect that it would be difficult to make such an announcement, which could intensify calls for his resignation that emerged within the LDP following the party's rout in the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. Japan had issued a prime minister's statement to mark each of the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the country's surrender in the war. The tradition could be broken by Ishiba. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Asahi Shimbun
14 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
No message from Ishiba on 80th anniversary of end of war
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks with reporters on Aug. 1 after the start of the extraordinary Diet session. (Takeshi Iwashita) Rather than have his name associated with a historic milestone, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has apparently chosen to face political reality. He has abandoned plans to issue a personal message to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to several sources. Having been dealt a devastating blow in the Upper House election July 20 and facing calls from within his Liberal Democratic Party to resign, Ishiba has chosen not to rankle conservative elements in the party that would take umbrage at a fresh interpretation of Japan's role in the war. Tomiichi Murayama blazed the trail in 1995 with a statement backed by his Cabinet and issued in his name on Aug. 15 that expressed 'deep remorse' and offered a 'heartfelt apology' for Japan's 'colonial rule and aggression.' Ten years later, on the 60th anniversary, Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement as prime minister that echoed a similar sentiment. In 2015, Shinzo Abe put a special twist to the statement issued under his name. He noted that Japan has 'repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war' and that the 'position articulated by the previous Cabinets will remain unshakable into the future.' However, he added that, '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.' Conservative elements in the LDP felt the Abe statement covered all the bases and that no new message was needed. Ishiba had initially envisaged setting up a panel of experts to assess the process that led Japan to invade China and then go to war with other countries. Based on that evaluation, Ishiba had planned to issue a personal message in line with the 80th anniversary observances on Aug. 15. But with growing calls within the LDP for Ishiba to resign, sources reported little progress in choosing the members to serve on the panel. Others felt that if Ishiba, 68, went ahead and issued a message, it would only add fire to calls for him to resign and place the administration itself in jeopardy. Those close to Ishiba said now is not the right time to broach such a delicate issue as historical understanding. Ishiba has previously stated he wanted to weigh the significance of serving as prime minister on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, leaving open the possibility of a statement in the autumn or later, depending on the state of internal party dynamics.
Japan Today
15 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ishiba not to make statement on 80th anniversary of WWII end
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided not to express his views on World War II on the 80th anniversary of its end on Aug 15 but may do so later, government sources said Friday. Although Ishiba, believed to be relatively dovish, has already decided not to have a prime minister's statement approved at a cabinet meeting, he remains eager to offer his perspective and may do so on another occasion, the sources said. Speculation is growing that he will make the announcement on Sept 2, the date Japan signed the instrument of surrender, rather than Aug 15, when hostilities ceased, according to the sources. The government had begun selecting experts for an advisory panel to help draft Ishiba's views, but political events, such as U.S.-Japan tariff negotiations and the July 20 House of Councillors election, led to the postponement of its formation, the sources said. Recently, Ishiba has faced strong internal pressure within his Liberal Democratic Party to step down following its heavy loss in the upper house election, while also working to implement the U.S.-Japan tariff agreement. On the anniversary of the end of World War II, Ishiba is expected to deliver a speech at a national memorial service in Tokyo, organized by the government to mourn the war dead, the sources said. In March, Ishiba visited Iwoto Island, formerly known as Iwojima, the site of a fierce World War II battle between Japan and the United States in the Pacific, for the first time since taking office late last year. During his campaign speeches for the upper house election, in which his ruling coalition lost its majority in the chamber, he highlighted the impact of air raids across Japan, stressing the importance of learning lessons from the war. Japan's prime ministers marked the 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversaries with statements that have been scrutinized by Asian neighbors, including China and South Korea, which experienced Japanese wartime aggression. On the 50th anniversary in 1995, then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, leader of a major left-leaning party, expressed "deep remorse" and offered his "heartfelt apology" for Japan causing damage and suffering to the people of many nations. In 2015, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a conservative, retained key phrases such as "aggression" and "colonial rule" from the statement a decade earlier and acknowledged Japan's past apologies without offering a new one of his own. Conservative members of the LDP argue Abe's statement on the 70th anniversary marked the end of "apology diplomacy," contending that comments by Ishiba on the 80th anniversary may be unnecessary. © KYODO
