U.S. Urges Japan to Keep Wording of War Apology

The U.S. government has called on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe not to depart from the standard wording in his upcoming speech on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Thursday.

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Past Japanese leaders have usually said the country "repents" for the invasions and atrocities of imperial Japan. The touchstones are apologies from 1995 and 2005 by prime minister Tomiichi Murayama marking the 50th anniversary and Junichiro Koizumi marking the 60th.

But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga claimed last month that Abe "has no reason" to repeat the remarks.

The U.S. request comes amid concerns of worsening relations between Japan and its regional neighbors due to its lurch to the far right.

The daily quoted a Japanese government source as saying that the U.S. set a "high standard" and that it may be "difficult" to remove the key parts of previous speeches.

There is also growing resistance from Japanese politicians against Abe's march to the right, which started creating embarrassments for the country the moment he stepped into office in late 2012.

Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Komura Masahiko told reporters Wednesday that Abe should be "clear" in voicing Japan's repentance. New Komeito Party lawmaker Keiichi Ishii said he expects the prime minister to issue a statement that the Japanese public can understand and that is acceptable around the world.

Even ultra-conservative lawmaker Kenji Eda of the Japan Innovation Party said omitting the words "deep regret" could lead to "unnecessary repercussions".