Tokyo - Nearly 5,000 people gathered at Tokyo's Nippon
Budokan Hall Wednesday to mourn some 3.1 million war dead and to
commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the end of World War II.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed never to engage in war
but contribute to world peace at the first such ceremony he attended
as a prime minister since taking office in September.
'We firmly maintain the no-war pledge and actively contribute to
the establishment of ever-lasting peace in the world,' Abe said.
Abe also referred to Japan's responsibility in its wartime
aggression against Asian nations.
'Our country inflicted considerable damage and pain on people in
countries in Asia in the war,' he said.
Following Abe's address, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko
delivered the annual tribute speech.
Abe and his cabinet ministers - except for one - refrained from
visiting the Yasukuni Shrine amid the criticism over the coalition
government's crushing defeat in the July 29 upper house election.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who visited the shrine
early Wednesday in formal tailcoat, drew strong protest from China
and South Korea for going to the shrine every year during his
five-year premiership.
But Abe has not done so since September and kept vague about his
plans.
The Tokyo shrine honours 2.8 million war dead including war
criminals.
State minister Sanae Takaichi was the only minister out of 16
cabinet members to visit the shrine Wednesday afternoon.
The August 15 visit has been her annual routine since Koizumi took
office, said the state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories
affairs, science and technology policy, innovation, gender equality,
social affairs and food safety.
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara also paid homage to the war dead,
and a group of some 90 lawmakers made the trip to the shrine.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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