“There are quite a few lamentable portions (in the Abe statement)”, she said August 15 during a National Liberation Day ceremony to mark the end of Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula in 1945.
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“The real point is not what he says in this hollow contrived statement but what he does in practice as Japan’s prime minister”, he added.
On Friday, Abe reiterated upheld previous governments’ apologies over his country’s wartime aggression, but he did not offer a fresh apology himself.
Before the speech, Japanese media had speculated whether Mr Abe would follow a landmark 1995 statement by then-prime minister Tomiichi Murayama.
“And it is very interesting to hear Emperor Akihito express his apologies and sadness, It is a very poignant occasion and a and a time for rememberance for all who lost their lives in World war Two”.
“No matter what kind of efforts we may make, the sorrows of those who lost their family members and the painful memories of those who underwent huge suffering by the destruction of war will never be healed”, Abe said.
Visits by Japanese politicians to Yasukuni enrage neighbouring nations, which view them as an insult and painful reminder of now-pacifist Japan’s history.
Calling Mr Abe’s speech an attempt “to cover up past crimes”, a North Korean spokesman said: “We categorically denounce and reject such an act of Japan as a shameless act challenging our sovereignty and dignity, worldwide justice and human conscience”.
Abe’s “profound grief” statement drew critical reaction from China which has repeatedly demanded apology from Abe for the atrocities committed by the Japanese military during its occupation of much of Asia.
In a statement that Abe read to reporters and was broadcast live on television, the prime minister tried to look to Japan’s future.
Historical issues not only concern the political foundation of the China-Japan relationship but also the feeling of the Chinese people, said Hua. “Abe argues that the U.S.-Japan alliance and its power of deterrence ensured peace after the war, but by stressing the role of pacifism the emperor seems to disagree”.
In the past 70 years, Australia and Japan had created a special relationship based on friendship, trust and shared values, the prime minister said in Adelaide.
President Massachusetts Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said Taiwan believes in Japan’s willingness to reflect on its mistakes, but that he hoped Tokyo would “do more” and “do better” in addressing its aggression during World War II, especially on the issue of “comfort women”.
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South Korea has demanded that Japan acknowledge state responsibility for the sex slavery and properly compensate the 47 surviving South Korean victims, but Tokyo insists the issue was settled under a 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral ties.
