AJISS-Commentary No. 217: “Prime Minister Abe’ s Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII: The Case for Japan’ s Public Diplomacy” by Akio Watanabe
The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies (AJISS) has just published the AJISS-Commentary No. 217: "Prime Minister Abe’ s Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII: The Case for Japan’ s Public Diplomacy" by Akio Watanabe, Vice-Chairman of the Research Institute for Peace and Security and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo.
This is the statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of August 14, 2015.
Commentary by Prof. Akio Watanabe:
- Underlying the Abe Statement is the hope for a future in which the issues now confronting Asia can be overcome in the spirit of conciliation and tolerance.
- The Statement gained the acceptance of many people for the profound remorse expressed toward the number of innocent people who helplessly suffered countless hardships due to Japan's actions, and for the prime minister's adherence to the sincerely pologetic stance taken by his predecessors.
- The ultimate assessment of the Abe Statement will depend on whether it inspires positive feedback.