ニュース 2015/02/04 Abe deserves “to be criticized for being a historical revisionist”: Hosono slams PM’s historical perceptions On February 4, DPJ Policy Research Committee Chair Goshi Hosono posed questions in the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives. Hosono referred to Prime Minister Abe’s speech in Egypt on January 17, telling Abe, “You should have been more sensitive about the content of your speech, considering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already briefed you about the dangerous situation faced by the two men taken captive by ISIL (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) militants, and had explained the risks posed to them. How much did you take this into account when considering your speech?” Responding to this, Abe said, “I can speculate about what ISIL might think, but I have no intention of making speeches that pander to them, and end up bowing to their wishes. Phrases in my speeches are selected using a variety of criteria. In that sense, I do not believe the wordings we selected for my speech were inappropriate.” Hosono commented on this, stating, “The question of whether you pander to terrorists or not is irrelevant in this case. It is the role of politicians to protect the lives of citizens, and it goes without saying that you should bear this in mind when making speeches.” The Prime Minister has refused to accept that WWII was “a mistaken national policy.” Hosono gave Abe frank advice regarding accepting responsibility for the war, saying, “Prime Minister, you do not accept the most basic premise that it was a mistaken national policy. Neither do you deny that you see those who led the country to war as war victims. You deserve to be criticized for being a historical revisionist. Such a stance makes it difficult for the government and the Diet to carefully reflect on the seventy years of our history since the end of WWII and encapsulate it [in a government Statement] and then to take positive steps forward.”