On August 15, DPJ President Banri Kaieda issued the following statement.

Today marks the 68th 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.

During the post-war period, the people of Japan have maintained our nation’s course as a democracy that makes contributions to peace, bearing a strong conviction that “We must never repeat the mistakes of the war” which stems from the lessons learned and the deep regrets left by World War II. We should be proud of the path taken by post-war Japan in overcoming many difficulties up until the present day, and we would like to see our nation continue to move forward in the same vein.

Currently, a chauvinistic atmosphere which glorifies the actions of Japan in the pre-war period, and a related idolization of military acts, as well as a policy-making mind-set that disregards democracy, are starting to emerge. Together with the Japanese people, we must firmly work to prevent such movements to turn back the hands of time and deny the efforts made by post-war Japan in pushing forward with peace-building as a democratic nation.

On this anniversary of the end of World War II, the Democratic Party of Japan pledges to protect the lives, possessions, territories and waters of the Japanese nation, while facing up to our history and, based on the lessons learned and regrets engendered, creating future-orientated and peaceful international relations. We will also create a society based on mutual coexistence where people support each other based on diversity and every citizen can live and work free of anxiety, respect the basic human rights of citizens as a democratic nation, and proceed with nation-building based on peaceful principles.