Ishiba Carefully Mulling Whether to Release War Anniversary Statement

Tokyo, Jan. 27 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is carefully considering whether to release a statement this year to mark the 80th anniversary of the country's surrender in World War II.

While conservative members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party oppose releasing such a statement, the party's coalition partner, Komeito, calls on the prime minister to send out a message that reiterates the country's commitment to being a pacifist nation.

"No decisions have been made yet on whether to release a new statement," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference on Friday.

"We plan to consider what we'll do from various perspectives, based on past events," he said.

Then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama released a statement on the 50th anniversary in 1995, followed by Junichiro Koizumi on the 60th and Shinzo Abe on the 70th.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]