Emperor Akihito has expressed “deep remorse” for Japan’s wartime actions, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war with language that deviated from previous years.
The 81-year-old emperor‘s words of regret were delivered following a minute’s silence at noon. At the same moment in 1945, his father Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender.
“Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse over the last war, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated,” the emperor said on Saturday. The ceremony in Tokyo to remember the war dead was also attended by Empress Michiko and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.