On August 15, DP President Katsuya Okada issued the following statement.
Today marks the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II. I would like to express our sincere condolences, together with those of the Japanese people, for all those who lost their lives in this conflict, both within Japan and overseas.
Based on the serious lessons learned and the deep remorse felt for both our pre-war colonial rule and aggression, and for the futile war in which large numbers of people lost their lives, post-war Japan has built a peaceful and prosperous democracy under the auspices of its pacifist Constitution. At the same time, it has made great contributions to the peace and stability of the international community in the shape of economic cooperation, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping operations and so on. We should feel proud, both internationally and historically, of the direction Japan has followed over the 71 years since the end of WWII. In the Heisei Period as well, Japan has consistently followed the path of a peace-loving nation.
However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is aiming to fundamentally change the framework of Japan, a peace-loving nation.
Prime Minister Abe says that “to never invade another country again is what really defines true pacifism.” However, it is only natural that Japan should not engage in wars of aggression. The foundation of the pacifist Constitution, which states that Japan will not use force to intervene in conflicts overseas, is being shaken.
As we commemorate the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II, Japan stands at a major crossroads of this era. Attempts are being made to threaten the pacifism that Japanese citizens have fostered and cultivated since the end of World War II. The Abe administration aims to permit unrestricted use of the right to collective self-defense, and to turn Japan into a nation that can engage in the use of force overseas as a matter of course. In contrast, the DPJ aims to create a Japan that restricts the use of force based on the lessons learned from and the remorse felt for the War, and on the pacifist spirit of the Constitution. We call on the people of Japan to decide which of these two paths they wish to take.
On this anniversary of the end of World War II, the DP declares that it is committed to Japan continuing to develop foreign and security policies founded on the pacifism that forms the core of our Constitution, and continuing to devote every effort to pursuing reconciliation with Asian nations.