Conservative LDP Lawmakers Urge Govt to Skip WWII Review

   Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)--A group of conservative lawmakers of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party urged Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday to forgo an expert review of World War II.
   The group, led by House of Councillors lawmaker Shigeharu Aoyama, submitted the written request at a meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
   The move came as Ishiba hopes to release a message based on the results of the review this August, when the country marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.
   Hayashi said at the meeting that nothing has been decided about a message for the 80th war-end anniversary. But at a press conference later in the day, the top government spokesman said, "The Ishiba cabinet has taken over the position of previous cabinets regarding views on history as a whole, and will continue to do so."
   In the request, the group criticized then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's statement expressing "deep remorse" and "heartfelt apology" for Japan's past colonial rule on the occasion of the 50th war-end anniversary in 1995, claiming that it unfairly tarnished Japan's dignity and damaged the country's national interests.

(2025/05/07-21:34)