question about whether these women in their 50's, some of in the lastlive, several months we have lost several more. but those women deserve attention with or without the s, with or without the fighting it out or who -- over who is less or more sorry. that is a piece of the puzzle that is going to be difficult politically. but it goes back to leadership. it's the part that should not be dismissed. >> dr. smith talked about the possibility of holding a bilateral summit between the two countries. important to hold bilateral talks. the more important thing is is what kind of example should be discussed in the meeting.

ms. smith: i think diplomatic disasters are part of a risk. i am not a double mat and evans -- diplomat and evans is. i don't think you solve problems without risk. especially difficult problems. . thought it was interesting i have just written a book about japan-china relations. summit,us thought the what kind of conditionality would suffice. the diplomats found a way around that. forced the hand so the aipac summit was hosted by beijing. they created the foundation for

both leaders to be able to at least sit in the same room together. we also the picture, right? it was not a warm embrace. it was not a solution to the imperative of risk reduction. but it began the process. suspect that given the body language of the summit in the netherlands last year that i suspect president park and prime minister abe can get a little bit better body language. they did at that particular meeting. but i think engaging in a conversation, whatever those few points may be that the diplomats can work through, that's the beginning of the solution to the problem. i don't think you are going to have a prepackaged comprehensive solution prior to a summit, but i think he will have a good understanding of where they want to go. mr. revere:

come up with the agenda. it will not be hard. era when wein an see rising uncertainty and threats. tois allowing relations continue to deteriorate in the face of that reality and we now partsome reflection on the of the japanese leader and the comments he made, as well as the korean president's remark. he recognizes the need for

relations and moving them in a better react -- direct should. the leaders, having given their blessings, they are trying to move the relations in a good direction. optimistictiously >> wee are on our way have more questions and i promised to complete the panel by a 11:30. please thank them. that >> he expressed grief and

condolences and said that the postwar generation should not have to apologize for the war. there was a criticism of the speech that said there was no renewed apology. the prime minister took questions from reporters.

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 20th century. we must learn from the lessons of history the wisdom for our future. humble. must remain intental or diplomatic should never be allowed to distort history.

is my firm believe. this is why, in preparation for the statement, i assembled the advisory panel and urged the frank and engage in thorough discussions on the subject. views and the perceptions are varied between the experts. over a number of aetings led them to reach shared understanding coleman aiding in their report. , culminating in

their report. i would like to draw lessons from history to layout the pursue goinguld forward. more than 100 years ago, vast colonies, mainly of western powers, stretched across the world with overwhelming supremacy in technology. waves of colonial rule surged toward asia in the 19th century. there is no doubt that the resultant sense of crisis drove japan forward to achieve modernization. japan built a constitutional government earlier than any other nation in asia.

the country preserved its independence throughout. the japan-russia war gave encouragement to many people under colonial rule from asia to africa. after world war i, which embroiled the world, the movement for self- determination gained momentum and put brakes on colonization that had been underway. 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 renunciation of war.

there emerged in the international community a new tide of outlawing war itself. at the beginning, japan, too, kept steps with other nations. however, with the great depression setting in and the western countries launching economic blocs by involving colonial economies, japan's economy suffered a major blow. in such circumstances, japan's sense of isolation deepened and it attempted to overcome its diplomatic and economic deadlock through the use of force. its domestic political system could not serve as a brake to stop such attempts.

in this way, japan lost sight of the overall trends in the world. with the manchurian incident, followed by the withdrawal from the league of nations, japan gradually transformed itself into a challenger to the new international order that the international community sought to establish after tremendous sacrifices. japan took the wrong course and advanced along the road to war. and, seventy 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. also in countries that fought against japan, countless lives were lost among young people with promising futures. in china, southeast asia, the pacific islands and elsewhere that became the battlefields, numerous innocent citizens suffered and fell victim to battles as well as hardships such as severe deprivation of food. we must never forget that there were women behind the battlefields whose honour and

dignity were severely injured. upon the innocent people did our country inflict 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 that pledge 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 seventy 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 neighbours: those in southeast asian countries such as indonesia and the philippines, and taiwan, the republic of korea and china, among others; and we have consistently devoted ourselves to the peace and prosperity of the region since the end of the war. such position articulated by the

previous 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 underwent immense sufferings by the destruction of war will never be healed. thus, we must take to heart the following. the fact that more than six million japanese repatriates managed to come home safely after the war from various parts of the asia-pacific and became the driving force behind japan's postwar reconstruction; the fact that nearly three thousand japanese children left behind in china were able to grow up there and set foot on the soil of

their homeland again; and the fact that former pows of the united states, the united kingdom, the netherlands, australia and other nations have visited japan for many years to continue praying for the souls of the war dead on both sides. how much emotional struggle must have existed and what great efforts must have been necessary for the chinese people who underwent all the sufferings of the war and for the former pows who experienced unbearable sufferings caused by the japanese military in order for

them to be so tolerant nevertheless? that is what we must turn our thoughts to reflect upon. thanks to such manifestation of tolerance, japan was able to return to the international community in the postwar era. taking this opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, japan would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to all the nations and all the people who made every effort for reconciliation.

in japan, the postwar generations now exceed eighty per cent of its population. we must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize. still, even so, we japanese, across generations, must squarely face the history of the past. we have the responsibility to inherit the past, in all humbleness, and pass it on to the future.

our parents' and grandparents' generations were able to survive in a devastated land in sheer poverty after the war. the future they brought about is the one our current generation inherited and the one we will hand down to the next generation. together with the tireless efforts of our predecessors, this has only been possible through the goodwill and assistance extended to us that transcended hatred by a truly large number of countries, such as the united states, australia, and european nations, which

japan had fiercely fought against as enemies. we must pass this down from generation to generation into the future. we have the great responsibility to take the lessons of history deeply into our hearts, to carve out a better future, and to make all possible efforts for the peace and prosperity of asia and the world. we will engrave in our hearts the past, when japan attempted to break its deadlock with force. upon this reflection, japan will continue to firmly uphold the principle that any disputes must be settled peacefully and diplomatically based on the respect for the rule of law and

not through the use of force, and to reach out to other countries in the world to do the same. as the only country to have ever suffered the devastation of atomic bombings during war, japan will fulfil its responsibility in the international community, aiming at the non- proliferation and ultimate abolition of nuclear weapons. we will engrave in our hearts the past, when the dignity and honour of many women were

severely injured during wars in the 20th century. upon this reflection, japan wishes to be a country always at the side of such women's injured hearts. japan will lead the world in making the 21st century an era in which women's human rights are not infringed upon. we will engrave in our hearts the past, when forming economic blocs made the seeds of conflict thrive. upon this reflection, japan will continue to develop a free, fair and open international economic system that will not be influenced by the arbitrary intentions of any nation. we will strengthen assistance

for developing countries, and lead the world toward further prosperity. prosperity is the very foundation for peace. japan will make even greater efforts to fight against poverty, which also serves as a hotbed of violence, and to provide opportunities for medical services, education, and self-reliance to all the people in the world. we will engrave in our hearts the past, when japan ended up becoming a challenger to the international order. upon this reflection, japan will firmly uphold basic values such as freedom, democracy, and human rights as unyielding values and, by working hand in hand with countries that share such values, hoist the flag of "proactive contribution to peace," and contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world more than ever before.

heading toward the 80th, the 90th and the centennial anniversary of the end of the war, we are determined to create such a japan together with the japanese people. these are the lessons that constitute the wisdom for the future and the wisdom we must learn from history. i want to adhere to the advisory panel as the voice of history. we must remaine,

humble towards the lessons of history. humbleness demands, in my belief, that we always continue to look into history to ponder if there are other voices we --e hailed to listen to failed to listen to. humbleness, i will lend my ear to the voice of history. this will be my belief. with this, i would like to conclude my remarks. statement as a message to be transmitted to the world.

what do you want to convey to the people? you have expressed apology differently than past ministers. can you tell the reason? juncture, i want to reflect on the course to hand pursued duringn and after the war. looking broadly over the 20th graving the by en lessons of the past into our hearts to communicate where , in drafting the statement, i attempted to create a statement that can be shared

by as many japanese people as possible. in terms of the vision of the country that japan should pursue. so, in order to share the statement with as many people as rather than -- i would like everyone to read the statement in its entirety.

. cceededlogy has been su at the 60th anniversary. oncabinet will continue this to future cabinets. make this point clear in my statement. next. statemention -- my based on the expert advisory panel deliberations that were compiled in a form of a rub port to me.

-- report to me. as was indicated in the report, there were certainly actions that were defined as aggressions in the past. this is why i use the term, rscident, aggression, and wa to express the pledge. terms to express the pledge that we must never resort to a use of force to resolve international disputes and addition to the remorse and regret towards the past war. the past actions

being put into aggression and stating that, it is it fits, we are in the wrong and, if it does not, we are in the right. has lost sight of the world and attempted to break deadlock with the use of force and expand with the use of force. fact anded on the uphold the pledge to announce -- renounce war. i would like to leave what incidences constitute aggression to historians. the important part is that we

the use ofresort to force to resolve international disputes. lesson we must learn on. the past and reflect >> you mentioned that the cabinets following the statement is like a test of allegiance and japan does not need to be bound by views on history. can you explain how consistent your statement is with what you stated in 2009?

abe: i have repeatedly stated that i will succeed this. i have said that politics needs to be humble in the face of history. this, i asked the advisory panel to convene a meeting in preparation for drafting a statement and i in the 20thrts talksy to engage in these with a microscopic view that transcends geography and time. experts withhese varying views and perceptions, reached a common understanding.

i would like to use the panel as the voice of history. based on that premise and reflecting on the course japan followed and the lessons of the 20th century, described a vision for japan going forward at this on the 17thncture anniversary of the end of the war. to lend my years to the voices i may have failed to listen to. and, to lend my ears to the past lessons with humility. i wish to continue to uphold

this belief. >> you stated the children of the future should not be assuming the destiny of apologizing for the past war. you also state that we must face past history. this resonates with a former german president's speech. younger germans cannot profess a guilt for crimes they did not admit. elaborate? since the 70 years end of the war. i do not believe our children, their children, grandchildren, that, whotions beyond have nothing to do with that, should be burdened with the

responsibility of continuing to apologize. believe that this act of apologizing is a responsibility of our generation. and, this is a view i incorporated into my statement. that, the japanese, transcending generations, must face past history. more than anything else, we must express gratitude to the countries that fought against forn during the war extending goodwill and guiding us to rejoin the international community. of gratitude must not

be forgotten by future generations. muste same time, we reflect on the history and devote ourselves to peace and prosperity in asia. responsibilityve . i incorporated this in my statement will stop -- my statement. >> i want to ask the impact you .nticipate on this statement for example, do you think the possibility of visiting china and engaging in talks with the president will increase? , there is concern about the chinese economic, at the moment.

think there is a possibility of the impact of paling as aent result? the people of china reviewviews.apan's , we are in anings agreement to improve the mutually beneficial relationship on its interest. china share responsibility towards peace and prosperity in the region.

the economic relations are engagets and we hope to and develop friendly relations to respond to expectations of the international community. if there ise talks, an opportunity, i would welcome that. the japan door to dialogue is always open. i would like to ask about the security wbill. seems like expert opinions depend on whether they view the chinese military tendency as causing a threat or not. i believe the general public is aware of this gap in expert views.

what is your view on this, vis- japan's security. japan said it would never repeat the horrors or wf war. unchanged inain the future. this is a policy to prevent war. japan's piecet by putting japan fist. -- first. we will engage in diplomacy and we must not be negligent against a state of emergency.