Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday (April 7) Japan had added references in its annual foreign policy Diplomatic Blue Book to “remorse” as the country reflected on the 70 years since World War II.
According to the Kyodo news agency, a draft of the 2015 report says “Japan has continued its path as a pacifist nation for 70 years since the end of World War Two based on its ‘deep remorse’ over the war.”
“We added this (in the Blue Book) as we reflected on the last 70 years as a pacifist nation,” Kishida told reporters.
Asked about the Foreign Ministry dropping references in the Blue Book to South Korea as the nation having the most shared values with Japan, Kishida said Japan continued to value South Korea as a neighbour.
“We consider South Korea as a most important neighbouring nation. While on opposite sides, we want to construct a forward looking, multi-layered relationship and we intend to persevere in our efforts to achieve this relationship,” he said.
According to Japanese media, the Diplomatic Blue Book for 2015 also says Japan is determined to protect its territorial sovereignty as well as its territorial seas and airspace amid China’s maritime incursions near the Japanese-administered, China-claimed Senkaku Islands. (Reuters)
