Japan on Monday celebrates the anniversary of Japan’s World War Two.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed that his country would never again wage war, as members of his cabinet visited a shrine that honours war dead, angering South Korea and China.
Japan’s ties with China were already strained after China conducted unprecedented military exercises around Taiwan following the visit there by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi this month, Reuters reported.
During the drills, several missiles fell in waters inside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
“We will never again repeat the horrors of war. I will continue to live up to this determined oath,” Kishida told a secular gathering in Tokyo, also attended by Emperor Naruhito.
“In a world where conflicts are still unabated, Japan is a proactive leader in peace,” he said.
The anniversary of Japan’s surrender is traditionally also marked by visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which is seen by the South.
Recall that former Japanese Prime Minister; Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8 as he was speaking at a campaign event on Nara street by a man using a homemade weapon. His death shocked a nation where gun violence is rare and politicians campaign up close to the public with light security.
Late Shinzo Abe’s funeral is set to take place on Sept. 27, with lots of dignitaries in attendance.