Japan's Shigeru Ishiba expresses "remorse" on anniversary of surrender in WW2
發佈日期: 2025-08-15 20:21
TVB News
Japan today marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II.
The country's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba used the word "remorse" in his memorial speech -- the first time the term has appeared in a Japanese leader's August 15th speech since 2012.
The memorial service, which pays tribute to 3.1 million Japanese soldiers in World War II, was held in Tokyo on Friday.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were at the ceremony alongside other 4,500 mourners.
In his speech, Naruhito said he hopes the ravages of war will never happen again.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, meanwhile, expressed "remorse" when delivering his speech at the service.
Ishiba said Japan "will not repeat the horrors of the war and will not go down the wrong path again." He said the country "must deeply engrave the war's remorse and lessons into the hearts".
According to Japanese media, the last Japanese Prime Minister who applied the word "remorse" in their August 15th speech was Yoshihiko Noda in 2012. But Ishiba did not mention Japan's aggression in Asia.
Before attending the memorial service, Ishiba visited the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery and sent an offering to Yasukuni Shrine -- the burial site of 14 war criminals during World War II.
Some Japanese lawmakers and politicians, including Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, visited the shrine.
The visit has caused discontent among the Chinese and South Korean governments.
In Hong Kong, a patriotic organisation protested outside the Consulate-General of Japan, demanding an apology from the Japanese government for invading China in the second world war. The group also paid tribute to the war dead.
