Japan on Friday paid tribute to more than three million war dead as it marked 80 years since its surrender in World War II, amid growing concern over fading memories of the conflict and lessons from the era of Japanese militarism.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed “remorse” over the war, calling it a mistake, and restored the term in a Japanese leader’s Aug. 15 address for the first time since 2013, when former premier Shinzo Abe avoided it. However, Ishiba did not mention Japan’s wartime aggression across Asia or issue an apology. “We will never repeat the tragedy of the war. We will never go the wrong way,” he said.

At a national ceremony in Tokyo’s Budokan hall, around 4,500 officials and bereaved families observed a moment of silence at noon, marking the time of the 1945 surrender speech. Nearby, rightwing politicians visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors about 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals, a gesture seen by China and Korea as showing lack of remorse. Ishiba did not visit the shrine, sending a religious ornament instead, while Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and other lawmakers prayed there.

Emperor Naruhito, addressing the Budokan memorial, expressed hope that the horrors of war will never recur and stressed the importance of passing on wartime history to younger generations. To mark the 80th anniversary, he has visited Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Hiroshima, and plans to visit Nagasaki with his daughter Princess Aiko in September.

Representing bereaved families, Hajime Eda recalled the hardships of wartime losses and emphasized Japan’s duty to share the lessons of the conflict. Some teenagers, learning about their ancestors who died in the war, also took part in the commemorations.

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With wartime generations rapidly dwindling, Japan faces challenges in transmitting the history to future generations, especially after the apology gap set by Abe since 2013 and controversies over denial of atrocities such as the Nanking Massacre. The Mainichi newspaper urged Japan to collaborate with Asian neighbors and promote a vision of “a world without war.”

Source: Agency