Toward the Abe Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of World War II

Lessons from the 20th Century and a Vision for the 21st Century for Japan

In 2015 as the world commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the international community focused its attention on the Abe Statement, the statement released by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. This book encapsulates the discussions held by the Advisory Panel on the History of the 20th Century and on Japan's Role and the World Order in the 21st Century, a panel of preeminent academics, journalists, businesspersons, and others, which met in order to set out with greater clarity the points to be considered by Prime Minister Abe as he formulated his statement. The panel conducted a general review of the points instrumental in preparing the Abe Statement through presentations by Shinichi Kitaoka, Masayuki Yamauchi, Takashi Shiraishi, Naoya Okuwaki, Yukio Okamoto, Akihiko Tanaka, Fumiaki Kubo, Shin Kawashima, Shunji Hiraiwa, Masashi Haneda, and Yuichi Hosoya as well as discussions held among the panel members. This book, the outcome of highly accomplished specialists across a broad range of fields coming together to set out parameters for the recognition of history, is a must-read for discussing contemporary history that will be highly valued by anyone analyzing Prime Minister Abe's statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war and by the statement's supporters and critics alike.