¥1.9 trillion over five years eyed for 2011 tsunami reconstruction
The amount tops ¥1.6 trillion for the five years through fiscal 2025, which ends in March.
Under the basic policy, the government will tackle such issues as the final disposal of soil removed during radiation decontamination after the nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
The government will also promote the return of evacuees to their homes in areas affected by the radiation from the nuclear accident.
"With a strong determination to resolve problems for reconstruction within the next five years, all the cabinet members will accelerate reconstruction efforts further, staying considerate to those in affected areas," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of the government's council for reconstruction from the disaster.
The basic policy calls for studying the idea of allowing forest management and some other activities in areas where entry is heavily restricted due to the radiation from the nuclear accident.
The government will also promote the use of soil collected during decontamination work in public works projects and continue to financially support disaster-affected municipalities with special grants.
Of the ¥1.9 trillion projected for the next five years, ¥1.6 trillion will go to reconstruction efforts in Fukushima Prefecture, devastated by the Tepco accident on top of the quake and tsunami. The tsunami-hit prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi will each secure some ¥100 billion.
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Japan Today
28 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Japan's hard-won status as peace promoter tested 80 years after WWII
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech during a memorial service marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat, at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo on Friday. Japan's role as a peace promoter faces increasing challenges in a conflict-prone world, even as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II the importance of maintaining "remorse" and the lessons learned from the deadly war. The day commemorating the millions of war dead should have been an opportunity for Ishiba to send out a strong message of peace and raise the alarm about the consequences of resorting to force especially as he sees the security environment as "the most severe" in the postwar period amid China's rise and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But Ishiba only addressed a memorial ceremony on Friday, opting not to issue an official government statement to mark the 80th anniversary in break with the tradition of prime ministers who released their own on the 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversaries. The decision not to release a statement was largely seen as heeding to conservative members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who have been wary to see any remarks from Ishiba that would amount to an apology to countries that suffered under Japan's wartime aggression such as China and South Korea. Regarding the 70th anniversary, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who pushed for Japan to play a greater security role overseas, stopped short of issuing a fresh apology, although he mentioned that Japan has "repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse" and offered its "heartfelt apology for its actions during the war." Abe, a conservative who sought to realize the first-ever amendment of the Constitution drafted during the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War II, also said that future generations should not "be predestined to apologize." The 2015 statement has led LDP conservatives to argue that it brought an end to Japan's "apology diplomacy" and that another official statement by Ishiba is unnecessary. The anniversary came as Ishiba, a 68-year-old veteran politician known as an Abe critic, has been facing political headwinds following two key national election losses during his tenure, which started less than a year before. Ishiba is still hoping to make public his personal view on the war, one that does not require Cabinet approval, but whether the statement would carry any substantial meaning remains to be seen. Aiko Utsumi, a professor emeritus of Keisen University specializing in historical sociology, said, "I hope to see a statement by the prime minister that reflects his own views on history and sends a message to Asia on Sept. 2," the day when Japan signed the instrument of surrender in 1945. Ishiba has stressed the need for mutual "trust" and "respect" in relations with other Asian nations that suffered Japan's wartime aggression and colonization. This year, Ishiba traveled to Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which he said allowed him to "revisit" history. On Iwoto Island, the site of a fierce World War II battle between Japan and the United States in the Pacific, he touted the "stronger-than-ever" bilateral security alliance achieved after the war through reconciliation. "We must give thought to their history, be it that of Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia," he said during a recent event to discuss the future of Asia, underscoring the importance of closer ties with other Asian nations in upholding common values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law. A group of academics had called on Ishiba to issue an official 80th anniversary statement, saying it would serve as "a foundation of Japan's new diplomacy" at a time when the country needs to forge "multifaceted" relationships with countries in the region as U.S. President Donald Trump challenges the existing global order through his "America First" trade and security policies. "We should carefully keep trying to remove the leftovers of prewar Japan that remain in Asian nations. Without such action, it is clear that there will be no true friendship nor cooperation," the Committee of Seven to Appeal for World Peace, founded in 1955 by Nobel Physics prize winner Hideki Yukawa, said in April. To make sure Japan does not repeat the horrors of war, Ishiba vowed on Friday to "hand down across generations the sorrowful memories of the war and our resolute pledge to renounce war." But perceptions of history among the younger generations appear to be shifting, even as many in the public still treasure the pacifism embedded in the Constitution. In a poll by the Japan Association for Public Opinion Research, cited in the Kobe Shimbun daily newspaper earlier this month, the percentage of respondents who thought Japan engaged in "a war of aggression" decreased across all age groups from the 2015 survey, while those aged 29 and under who thought the fighting was "a war for self-defense" more than doubled to 19 percent. Some constitutional experts have expressed concerns over the right-leaning opposition party Sanseito that appears to be broadening its appeal among young people with its "Japanese first" banner. Sanseito, a populist party that rose to prominence through social media, has called for a new Constitution under which the emperor is "sacred." There is also no mention in their proposed Constitution that the sovereignty resides with the people or a guarantee of human rights. The 1947 Constitution, created in response to Japan's wartime aggression, renounces war and bans the possession of military forces and other "war potential" in Article 9. It also defined the emperor as "the symbol of the state and the unity of the people of Japan." This separation from the government came about after some 3.1 million Japanese died in World War II fighting in the name of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa. Masaaki Ito, a professor at Seikei University who has analyzed the recent rise of populism in Japan, said many people who support Sanseito do not necessarily do so because of its ultraconservative views, but they resonate with its push to make the lives of "lower-middle class" people better with aggressive fiscal spending enabled by the issuance of deficit-covering bonds. "Even though those people do so because they agree with where the party stands on economic policy, there is a possibility that they will get aligned" with it over other issues down the road, the professor said. © KYODO
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
On anniversary of WWII's end, China urges Japan to make the 'right choice'
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Japan to "make the right choice" and learn from history on Friday, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. "Only by facing history squarely can respect be earned; only by drawing lessons from history can a better future be explored; only by remembering the past can straying onto the wrong path again be avoided. We urge Japan to make the right choice." the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as saying. Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, made the remarks at a news conference following his meeting with foreign ministers from Mekong River states, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. International documents such as the Potsdam Declaration clearly defined Japan's responsibility for the war and required it to return territories including Taiwan to China, Wang said. However, some in Japan are attempting to glorify its invasion and distort history, he said, calling such actions a challenge to the postwar international order. Also on Friday, Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Chinese ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, summoned Akira Yokochi, the No. 2 official at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, and protested against visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine by Cabinet ministers of the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and others on the day, which marked the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in WWII. Yokochi explained Japan's position to Liu, according to the embassy. The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo also criticized the Yasukuni visits by the Japanese officials. The visits showed a wrong attitude toward the history of invasion, the embassy said, urging Japan to be prudent in speech and action over history issues and break away from militarism. Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and other Japanese politicians on Friday visited the Shinto shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals along with the war dead and is therefore regarded as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by neighboring countries such as China and South Korea. Ishiba offered a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine while refraining from paying a visit. On Friday, a spokesperson at South Korea's Foreign Ministry in a statement expressed "deep disappointment and regret" at visits and ritual offerings to the shrine by "responsible leaders of Japan," while stopping short of referring to the Japanese leaders by name. The South Korean government "strongly urges the leaders of Japan to squarely face history and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for" the country's past history, and "stresses that this is an important foundation for the development of future-oriented relations between the two countries based on mutual trust," the statement said. Meanwhile, an official at the South Korean ministry took note of the fact that Ishiba used the word "remorse" over WWII in an address at an annual memorial ceremony held in Tokyo on Friday for those who died in the war. He thus became the first sitting Japanese prime minister to use the term at the war-end anniversary event since 2012. South Korean media scrambled to report this. Yonhap News Agency reported that Japan's prime minister used "remorse" in an address at the war-end anniversary ceremony for the first time in 13 years, but added that this was not direct remorse over Japan's wartime colonial rule.
Asahi Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Ishiba's deep interest in war, security reflected in Aug. 15 speech
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba listens to an explanation while visiting Iwoto island in March. (Pool) Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's use of the word 'remorse' in his speech marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II was notable for two key reasons. It revived a tone that was dropped 13 years ago in statements issued each Aug. 15 by his predecessors and reflected his abiding interest in war-related issues. Ishiba, who is 68 and a former defense minister, often told close associates that this anniversary will almost certainly be the last major milestone year before the war generation fades into history. In visits overseas as well as domestically, Ishiba has made it a point to visit sites closely linked with the war. For example, he took a two-hour drive on April 30 to the suburbs of Manila to visit a monument to Japanese who died in the Philippines during the fighting. He was the first prime minister to visit the site. Touching upon the fact the monument is in an isolated location, Ishiba told his associates, 'Consideration likely had to be made for anti-Japanese sentiment' in light of the 1.11 million local residents who perished in the fighting. Japan occupied the Philippines during the war. While Japan now enjoys friendly ties with the Philippines, Ishiba has said, 'We must not only view the history that is convenient for us.' Domestically, Ishiba visited Iwoto island in March. Formerly known as Iwojima, it was the site of fierce fighting during the war. In June, Ishiba visited the Himeyuri Peace Museum in Okinawa Prefecture, where one-quarter of the civilian population perished in the battle that raged there in 1945. Ishiba at one time, according to government sources, wanted to become the first prime minister to visit the island of Peleliu in Palau where about 10,000 Imperial Japanese Army soldiers died. But that trip never got off the ground. He has written that the catalyst for his stance to squarely face history was a meeting he had with Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister. Ishiba recalled he was at a loss for words when Lee asked him if he knew what Japan did when it occupied Singapore during the war. Lee reminded Ishiba that even though Japanese may forget what took place, the people of Singapore will never forget. Ishiba wrote that he took home from that experience the fact that even though the aggressor in war may forget as time passes, the victims will never forget. Because of his long interest in national security issues, Ishiba has sought to gain better insights on Japan's push to wage war all those decades ago. Prior to Japan's Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, younger elite bureaucrats, military officers and businessmen took part in a simulation exercise to gauge possible outcomes if Japan declared war against the United States. The conclusion was that defeat was inevitable, but that did not stop the top brass from blindly forging ahead. Ishiba told his associates, 'Such a tragedy will arise if civilian control over the military is insufficient.' Despite his strong interest in war issues, Ishiba did not issue a personal message on Aug. 15 that reflected his own thoughts. With the calls from within the Liberal Democratic Party for Ishiba to step down to take responsibility for the disastrous showing in the July Upper House election, he likely did not want to antagonize conservative elements in the party. Instead, Ishiba chose to include for the first time in 13 years the word remorse in his speech at the Aug. 15 ceremony. He confided to associates that he had many things he wanted to talk about but realized the speech would go on far too long if he raised the issue of historical understanding.
