80 years since Japan's defeat in World War II, Shigeru Ishiba considers abolishing important tradition

According to a report on August 2, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering not issuing a written statement outlining his personal views on historical issues on August 15, the “End of War Memorial Day,” or on September 2, the day Japan signed the surrender document. Relevant coordination efforts have already begun.

Following the Liberal Democratic Party's defeat in the Upper House election, calls within the party for Ishihara to resign have grown increasingly vocal. In light of this, Ishihara believes that issuing personal views could further provoke backlash from conservative factions and accelerate his departure. This suggests that the long-standing practice of the cabinet issuing documents containing historical perspectives on significant anniversary years may come to an end.

Reports indicate that several high-ranking Japanese government officials have disclosed the above information. Post-war statements have historically been issued based on cabinet resolutions, including the Murayama Statement on the 50th anniversary of the war's end, the Koizumi Statement on the 60th anniversary, and the Abe Statement on the 70th anniversary. Conservative factions within the LDP have consistently argued that no new statements are necessary following the Abe Statement.

On the other hand, although Ishihara had already decided not to issue a statement marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, which would require cabinet approval, he had been exploring the possibility of establishing a private advisory body under the prime minister to examine the historical context of World War II and issue a statement reflecting the prime minister's personal views.

However, the LDP suffered a crushing defeat in the July Upper House election, and calls within the party for the prime minister to step down have grown increasingly vocal. Although the prime minister has appealed to the party to understand his desire to continue in office, the “anti-Ishiba” movement shows no signs of abating. According to multiple government officials, due to the current state of chaos within the party, progress on selecting members for the prime minister's private advisory body has not been made. Increasingly within the government, there is the view that if the prime minister were to issue personal views, the “anti-Ishiba” faction might use this as an excuse to further pressure him, potentially plunging the government into a crisis of survival.