According to a report by Global Times citing Japan’s Kyodo News on August 1, several senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have revealed that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may have decided not to publish a personal written statement on August 15, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Furthermore, according to sources cited by Asahi Shimbun, this move is primarily due to the LDP’s internal clamor for Suga’s resignation following the disastrous Senate election results. Some high-ranking officials are concerned that releasing such a statement could trigger a strong backlash from the conservative faction within the party, potentially hastening the “Suga Out” campaign.
If Suga ultimately does not publish such a statement, it would also mark the end of the tradition in Japan since the Yasukawa cabinet of the post-war era, where governments at various critical points after the war have publicly reflected on history.
The old Abe camp within the LDP generally believes that Shinzo Abe’s 70th-anniversary speech in 2015 clearly expressed that “Japan should not continue to bear the burden of its past,” thus there was no need to issue another similar speech.
Historical statements made during the post-war period, including the 50th-anniversary Yasukawa speech in 1995, the 60th-anniversary Koizumi speech in 2005, and the 70th-anniversary Abe speech in 2015, were all officially approved and issued under the name of the Cabinet.
In contrast, earlier this year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had already decided not to approve a statement on the 80th anniversary through the Cabinet meeting. To avoid exacerbating intra-party tensions, Suga chose to bypass the Cabinet meeting and not issue the statement in official capacity but instead consider it in his personal capacity.
Yoshihide Suga had long decided against approving an official statement through the Cabinet meeting.
At the time, Suga stated: “Previously, when we reached 60th or 70th-anniversary milestones, we always hoped to express our hopes for peace in various forms. We hope to reflect on the past while also considering future considerations.”
However, with the LDP suffering a crushing defeat in the Senate election in July, there is widespread concern within Suga’s cabinet that if the prime minister issues a related statement, the conservative faction within the party might take advantage of the opportunity to escalate their opposition, further increasing pressure on him to step down and even undermining the foundation of the government. It is reported that some close to Suga believe that “it is not the right time to touch upon sensitive historical issues,” and Suga himself tends to agree with this viewpoint.
On July 28, local time, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a group interview at the LDP headquarters that “the 80th anniversary is a watershed moment. Considering the accumulation of discussions so far, making an appropriate judgment is very important.” This became one of the few public statements involving this topic currently made by Suga.
Currently, intense power struggles within the LDP leave the political prospects of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and whether or not to make a post-war commemorative statement still uncertain.
This article is contributed by China Watchers Network.