TOKYO – On the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, we must calmly reflect upon the road to war, the path we have taken since it ended, and the era of the twentieth century. We must gain from the lessons of history the wisdom to guide our future.

More than one hundred years ago, vast colonies, possessed mainly by the Western powers, stretched across the world. With their overwhelming supremacy in technology, waves of Western colonial forces surged toward Asia in the nineteenth century. There is no doubt that the resulting sense of crisis drove Japan to pursue modernization. Japan established a constitutional government earlier than any other country in Asia, and preserved its independence throughout. The Japan-Russia War gave encouragement to many people under colonial rule from Asia to Africa.

After World War I, the movement for self-determination gained momentum and put brakes on colonization. It was a horrible war that claimed as many as ten million lives. With a strong desire for peace stirred in them, people founded the League of Nations and brought forth the General Treaty for the Renunciation of War. There emerged in the international community a new movement that sought to outlaw war itself.

At the beginning, Japan, too, kept in step with other countries. But with the Great Depression setting in and Western countries launching economic blocs involving their colonial possessions, Japan’s economy suffered a major blow. In such circumstances, Japan’s sense of isolation deepened. It attempted to overcome its diplomatic and economic deadlock through the use of force. But Japan’s domestic political system could not serve as a brake to stop such attempts. In this way, Japan lost sight of the overall trends shaping the world.

With the Manchurian Incident, followed by withdrawal from the League of Nations, Japan gradually transformed itself into a challenger to the new global order that the international community sought to establish after such tremendous sacrifices. Japan took the wrong course and advanced along the road to war.

And, 70 years ago, Japan was defeated.

On the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, I bow my head deeply before the souls of all those who perished both at home and abroad. I express my feelings of profound grief and my eternal, sincere condolences.

More than three million of our compatriots lost their lives during the war: on the battlefields worrying about the future of their homeland and wishing for the happiness of their families; in remote foreign countries after the war; in extreme cold or heat, suffering from starvation and disease. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the air raids on Tokyo and other cities, and the ground battles in Okinawa, among others, took a heavy toll among ordinary citizens without mercy.

In countries that fought against Japan, countless lives were lost among young people with promising futures. In the battlefields of China, Southeast Asia, the Pacific islands, and elsewhere, numerous innocent citizens suffered and fell victim to fighting and hardships such as severe deprivation of food. We must never forget that there were women behind the battlefields whose honor and dignity were severely injured.

Upon innocent people our country inflicted immeasurable damage and suffering. History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone. Each and every one of them had his or her life, dream, and beloved family. When I squarely contemplate this obvious fact, even now, I find myself speechless and my heart is rent with the utmost grief.

The peace we enjoy today exists only upon such precious sacrifices. And therein lies the origin of postwar Japan.

We must never again repeat the devastation of war.

Incident, aggression, war – we shall never again resort to any form of the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. We shall abandon colonial rule forever and respect the right of self-determination of all peoples throughout the world.

With deep repentance for the war, Japan made that pledge. Upon it, we have created a free and democratic country, abided by the rule of law, and consistently upheld our vow never to wage a war again. While taking silent pride in the path we have walked as a peace-loving nation for as long as 70 years, we remain determined never to deviate from this steadfast course.

Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war. In order to manifest such feelings through concrete actions, we have engraved in our hearts the histories of suffering of the people in Asia as our neighbors: those in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, and in Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and China, among others; and we have consistently devoted ourselves to regional peace and prosperity since the end of the war.

This position, articulated by previous Japanese cabinets, will remain unshakable into the future.

However, 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 experienced immense suffering caused by the destruction of war, will never be healed.

Thus, we must take to heart the following: