Japan PM Ishiba urges facing history squarely in 80th WWII anniversary message

12/10/2025 16:56

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has issued a message to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Public opinion believes that the message, to some extent, reflects Ishiba's personal characteristics and has certain significance, but the absence or insufficiency of some key expressions highlights the country's deficiency in summarizing and understanding its history.



With approximately 6,000 words in Japanese, the message released on Friday delved into five themes: the pre-war constitution, government structure, parliament, media, and information gathering and analysis, arguing that all of them bear responsibility for Japan's path to war.



In light of the current situation in Japan's society, Ishiba said that politics must never pander to public opinion or pursue popularity-seeking policies that would harm the national interest, while warning against narrow-minded nationalism and xenophobia.



The country must not prioritize emotional and sentimental judgments over calm and rational ones, the prime minister said, adding that what matters most are the courage and integrity to squarely face the past.